Neelesh Nerurkar served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas.  He administered oil and gas programs, including research and development, analysis, and natural gas regulation.

Most recently, Nerurkar served at the White House.  At the National Economic Council and National Security Council he developed and coordinated U.S. energy policy to advance economic, climate, and foreign policy goals. Nerurkar has also held government leadership positions as Senior Advisor at the Department of State's Bureau of Energy Resources and Energy Policy Specialist with the Congressional Research Service. Prior to this, he was an economist with BP and the Energy Information Administration. 

Nerurkar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Oklahoma and a Masters of Arts degree from The Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.