Joe Balash is the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management for the U.S. Department of the Interior.  He is a former Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner where we managed one of the largest single portfolios of land and water resources in the world, with more than 100 million acres of uplands, 40-60 million acres of submerged lands and tidelands, and more than 500,000 barrels of oil produced daily.  Before going to the Department of the Interior, he served as chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

As Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Balash oversees DOI federal agencies including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Balash is a native of a native of North Pole, Alaska and brings more than 19 years of experience in land and natural resource management.