Marshall Nichols
National Petroleum Council (NPC)
Executive Director
Marshall W. Nichols currently serves as the Executive Director of the staff of the National Petroleum Council, having previously served in various capacities on the Council's study coordination staff. The National Petroleum Council is a self-supported advisory body to the Secretary of Energy that was originally established in 1946 at the request of President Harry S. Truman. The sole function of the Council is to advise, inform, and make recommendations to the Secretary on matters relating to oil and natural gas or the oil and gas industries. The permanent staff assists the Council in the coordination, publication, and distribution of the reports it makes to the Secretary of Energy. Recent activities have focused on the Council’s analysis of actions to increase supply and improve resilience of U.S. petroleum markets, and initiatives and actions to help ensure a more manageable transition to a net-zero economy. The Council is currently preparing studies at the Secretary’s request on deployment of hydrogen energy at scale and reduction of greenhouse gasses across the U.S. natural gas value chain. Born in Washington D.C., he attended Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and received his B.S.B.A. degree from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Prior to joining the Council, Mr. Nichols worked in systems engineering and design for the U.S. Underseas Cable Corporation. Mr. Nichols and his wife, Linda, have three children and eight grandchildren, and reside on their 18th century family farm in Howard County, Maryland.
