Black History Month Administration Profiles: Celebrating Black History by Winning the Future


Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith

During Black History Month, the White House will feature African Americans from agencies throughout the Administration that contribute to the President’s vision of winning the future. This profile features Christopher Smith, DAS for Oil and Natural Gas.

Christopher Smith is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas in the Office of Fossil Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy.

In this position, Smith is responsible for administering domestic and international oil and gas programs, including research and development, policy analysis, and natural gas import and export licensing. The Oil and Natural Gas Office leads the Department of Energy’s LNG program which involves the analysis of safety and other technical issues.

Prior to his appointment in October of 2009, Smith served in managerial and analytical positions of increasing responsibility in the private sector. Most recently he spent eleven years with two major international oil companies focused primarily on upstream business development and LNG trading, including three years negotiating production and transportation agreements in Bogotá, Colombia.

Smith began his career as an officer in the U. S. Army and served tours in Korea and Hawaii. He subsequently worked for Citibank and JPMorgan in New York City and London in the area of emerging markets and currency derivatives.

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Cambridge University.

Smith is married to Dr. Patricia Smith. They reside in Alexandria with their two children.


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