​Nita Contreras served in the White House from age twenty-five to age twenty-seven (until the end of the administration) as Assistant Staff Secretary in the Office of the Staff Secretary, where her work focused on compiling the President’s daily briefing book. Before joining the White House staff, she served as a political appointee in several areas, ranging from rural development to food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Originally from Santa Monica, California, she holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Connecticut College and a master’s in energy policy and climate from Johns Hopkins University. Nita currently serves as Special Advisor for Strategic Environmental Policy to the CEO at Enviva, a global renewable energy company specializing in sustainable wood biomass.