Keynote Speaker: Vice President Mike Pence

Michael R. Pence is the 48th and current Vice President of the United States.

Lt. Governor Jon Husted

Jon Husted is the 66th and current Lt. Governor of Ohio having been inaugurated alongside Governor Mike DeWine on January 14th.

Lt. Governor Husted began his life in a foster home before being adopted by his parents, Jim and Judy Husted and raised in a small Northwest Ohio community in Williams County. It was that community instilled in him the importance of faith, family, and hard work.

Husted earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Master's Degree in Communications, both from the University of Dayton. He was also an All-American defensive back for the Dayton Flyers and a member of the University of Dayton's 1989 Division III National Championship Football Team.

As Lt. Governor, he leads an effort known as InnovateOhio, which seeks to look at every service the state government provides through the lens of the people it serves. InnovateOhio works to give better customer service to every Ohioan while being a good steward of public money. Lt. Governor Husted is also leading the state's efforts for workforce and economic development to ensure that every Ohioan has the chance to pursue their dreams and reach their God-given potential.

Of all his responsibilities, he considers his most important roles to be that of husband to his wife, Tina, and father to Alex, Katie, and Kylie.

W. Jonathan Airey

Jon is a retired partner in the Vorys Columbus office and was a member of the energy group. His oil and gas practice was broad in scope, as reflected in his appointment as General Counsel to the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. He has represented numerous oil and gas development and midstream clients in state and federal regulatory proceedings and in connection with all aspects of oil and gas related disputes including royalty class action litigation.

Career highlights include:

• IPAA Law Committee Chair for 17 years (1999-2016)
• OOGA Executive Committee for 21 years (1994-2015)
• OOGA Legal Committee Chair for 32 years (1982-2014)
• Defending several oil and gas producers in gas royalty litigation
• Representing oil and gas producers in obtaining full compensation for rejection of gas purchase contracts by interstate pipeline companies
• Filing the majority of the R.C. 1509.28 unitization applications for horizontal well development

Jon is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the California Bar Association, the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation. Jon often presented updates on the Ohio oil and gas regulatory program to legal, producer and landowner groups and has led discussions of gas royalty issues for the Independent Petroleum Association of America Law Committee.

Jon received his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law where he was a member of the University of California at Los Angeles Law Review. He received his B.A. with honors from Loma Linda University.

Insights

• "Oil and Gas Alert: Supreme Court of Kentucky Adopts 'At The Well' Rule For Post-Production Costs; Producers Solely Responsible for Severance Tax Payments," August 21, 2015
• "Oil and Gas Alert: Ohio Secretary of State Refuses to Place Proposed County Charter Petitions Banning Oil and Gas Activities on the November Ballot," August 18, 2015
• 2014 Ohio Oil and Gas Law Review

Joe Baker

Joe joined Encino with the Utica acquisition in October 2018. Joe has been working the in the Ohio Utica Asset since August 2011. Joe began his entire career with Chesapeake prior to joining Encino. He has worked assets in West Virginia and Kentucky in Drilling, Completion and Production roles as well as Production Engineering in Oklahoma City. Prior to coming to Ohio, Joe worked as a Field Operations Engineer in the North Marcellus field in Pennsylvania. Joe received his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Marietta College in Marietta, OH.

Jonathan Bell

Jonathan Bell has more than 13 years of practical and specialized geotechnical engineering experience. During this time, Mr. Bell focused on geotechnical designs for oil and gas well pads, facility equipment, and pipelines. Jonathan joined Williams in 2015 and is now a key contributor to Williams' landslide management program, which includes delineating, evaluating, remediating, and monitoring landslides in the northeastern United States. He plays an integral role in mitigating landslide occurrence on pipeline right-of-ways and evaluating strain on pipelines displaced by land movement. Mr. Bell's landslide management efforts have also led to his involvement with sophisticated LiDAR acquisition for landslide delineation and tracking purposes.

Dylan Borchers

Dylan Borchers has a practice that focuses on energy infrastructure development, regulatory proceedings and energy policy.

Throughout his career, Dylan has represented developers of new generation facilities totaling more than 5,000 MW of new electricity capacity in Ohio before the Ohio Power Siting Board. These projects include six new natural gas combined cycle power plants and four utility scale wind farms. He also represents a variety of clients, including trade associations, municipal aggregators, and suppliers in adjudicatory hearings, rulemakings and other proceedings before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

One of Dylan's current clients is the developer of the country's largest municipal combined solar and battery storage project.

He was formerly employed in management consulting with the technology and business consulting firm Accenture. Dylan was also commissioned as an Army officer and received his honorable discharge in 2008.

Robert Boulware

Rob Boulware is a public affairs veteran with more than 30 years of experience, including 16 years in the oil and gas sector.

Mr. Boulware currently directs Seneca Resources' communications and government relations activities – focusing on state and local policy issues, community outreach, media strategy and crisis communications. He also works with state agencies and nonprofit organizations to develop public-private partnerships to help foster creative community betterment projects.

Previous assignments include the Marcellus Shale Coalition, where he served as program director in 2011. He was the manager of issues and crisis communications for the global shipper FedEx from 2006 - 2010. From 1998 - 2005, Mr. Boulware managed the communications and community relations functions for Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and Maryland - a utility company that served more than 450,000 customers.

In addition to his Seneca responsibilities, Mr. Boulware holds board and advisory positions with several organizations including: the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the Allegheny Trail Alliance, Penn State College of Communications Alumni Society Board and the Pennsylvania Future Farmers of America Foundation Board.

Brent Breon

Brent currently serves as the Vice President of Business Development for Caiman Energy II and Blue Racer Midstream. In his current position, he is focused on developing gas gathering, compression, processing, fractionation and NGL transportation opportunities in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region.

Prior to joining Caiman in 2011, Brent worked at Dominion Resources in various Operations, Engineer, and Business Development roles.

Brent graduated from The University of Akron with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's in Business Administration.

Brent has been an Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) Board of Trustees member since 2004 and a member on the Producers and Midstream committees.

James A. Carr II

James ("Jay") A. Carr II is an associate in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the energy group. He has experience in both real estate law and oil and gas law. Jay has prepared comprehensive original and supplemental drilling title opinions as well as division order title opinions. In preparing these types of title opinions, he has conducted detailed examinations of legal documents related to the ownership and/or development of surface, mineral, royalty, and leasehold estates, including complex lease agreements, corporate contracts, and joint development agreements. Jay is a member of the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association and the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation. Prior to joining Vorys, Jay was an attorney with an energy law firm.

Eugene Chini

• 1977 Graduate of Kent State University with a BA in Geology
• Over 20 years’ experience in oil and gas and 11 years’ experience in environmental UST assessments.
• 8 years total with the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management, 2 years as a regional manager and six years as the Orphan Well Program Manager.

Duane Clark

Duane, who chairs OOGA’s Producer Committee, is currently employed by Petrox, Inc., a privately held oil and gas company that owns and operates legacy wells in eastern Ohio. Prior to joining Petrox, he worked for and held various positions at Belden & Blake Corporation including Vice President of Gas Marketing/Legal Affairs and Manager of its retail gas marketing division. Duane started his career at Quaker State Corporation, where he also held various positions including Manager of its Belpre, OH Production Division, overseeing well drilling, producing, and administration functions in Ohio and West Virginia. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics.

Brittney Colvin

Brittney Colvin is the deputy director at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Prior to returning to the department, Brittney worked as the director of policy and legislative affairs at the Ohio Department of Education for two years. She was the director of legislative affairs at ODNR for four years. Brittney worked at the Ohio Senate for nine years as a policy advisor, legislative aide and a page.

She is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Brittney is a volunteer and family sidekick at Flying Horse Farms in Morrow County, which provides fun, transformative, outdoor recreational camp experiences for children with serious illnesses and their families free of charge. She is a native of Montgomery County.

Bryan Crowe

Mr. Bryan Crowe currently serves as the MarkWest Region Manager with overall responsibility for pipeline operations in five states including Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Mr. Crowe serves as the lead technical and regulatory subject matter expert for a myriad of pipeline integrity and safety issues including Recommended Practices and current/future regulations. He has more than 15 years of experience in pipeline operations including control room management and PHMSA regulatory compliance. Additionally, he is a subject matter expert in pigging emissions controls, special operational requirements related to longwall coal mining and geohazards.

Steven M. Downey

Steven M. Downey is the Vice President of Business Development & Marketing for EnerVest Operating LLC where he is responsible for the acquisition, divestiture, and the joint venture of the division assets as well as the marketing and transportation of its natural gas production. He has over 32 years of experience in the natural gas industry having been previously employed by Chesapeake Energy Corporation, its predecessor Columbia Natural Resources, LLC., and Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation having served in the areas of Finance, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Customer Services, Land, and Divestitures. Mr. Downey has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and is a certified public accountant. He is the current President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association through December 31, 2020 and is chair of its Commerce Committee, a former Board of Director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia, and a member of several other state oil and natural gas associations.

Ryan Elliott

Ryan Elliott is an associate attorney in the energy and environmental practice group at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. His practice includes all areas of environmental law, including federal and state air, water and waste permitting, litigation, and advising clients on regulatory compliance issues. Ryan also assists clients involved in the development of the Utica Shale.

Ryan is a member of the Columbus, Ohio and American Bar Associations, and is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association's Environmental Law Section. Ryan also serves on the Board of Directors for the United Schools Network Columbus Collegiate Academy, Dana Ave. school.

Ryan received his J.D. cum laude from Capital University Law School, where he was member of the Order of the Curia and the Order of the Barristers. He received his B.A. from Miami University.

Amanda Finn

As Government Relations Manager for Ascent Resources, Ms. Finn is the liaison to local, state, and federal officials on issues affecting not only Ascent but the industry as a whole. Assisting with legislative initiatives and bill creation Ms. Finn is a registered lobbyist in Ohio and West Virginia.

Ms. Finn also handles all landowner relations for Ohio and West Virginia which is part of creating a corporate/local relationship structure within their operating counties.

Previously Ms. Finn worked as Government Relations Manager for Magnum Hunter Resources, Eureka Midstream, and GreenHunter Resources, where she also handled all local, state, and federal issues affecting all three companies. After years of working closely with a Congressman on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Ms. Finn brings with her the experience and exposure that is necessary to be an effective advocate to the oil and gas industry. Counterpoint to her government relations reach is her community relations experience. An Ohio native, an active volunteer for local political campaigns, Chair of the Government Affairs Committee for OOGA, active member in several OOGA committees and a member of local volunteer organizations in Washington County, Ms. Finn’s community involvement plays a critical role in the relevancy of her understanding of the issues for the industry.

Ms. Finn has a background in Marketing and Business Development and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

Allen Fore

Allen Fore, Vice President, Public Affairs for Kinder Morgan, Inc., has more than 25 years of experience in law, government and public affairs at the local, state, and national levels. At Kinder Morgan, Mr. Fore manages corporate public affairs, government relations, and community relations activities for existing company assets and major expansion projects throughout the United States.

Prior to joining Kinder Morgan, Mr. Fore was a Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard, an international communications company. Mr. Fore has served as an Assistant Attorney General of Illinois, as general counsel to the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and as the Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party.

Mr. Fore served as a Judge Advocate General in the Illinois Army National Guard and US Army Reserve, honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. Mr. Fore was also elected and served as an alderman on the Belvidere, IL City Council. Mr. Fore received his B.A. from Eureka College and a Juris Doctor degree from Valparaiso University.

Jerry James

Jerry is from Zanesville, Ohio, and currently resides in Marietta, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Marietta College in 1980 where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Jerry has served as President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) and previously served as chairman of the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP). He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Jerry is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers as well as the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers.

Jerry has served as President of Artex Oil Company since 1995. Prior to assuming his current role, he held positions with various major oil companies in Texas, Louisiana, and Wyoming. Jerry is also a founder and an active volunteer of Shale Crescent USA.

Anthony W. Jesko

Anthony W. Jesko is a shareholder of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C. and a member of the firm's Energy and Real Estate Groups. He concentrates his practice in all areas of oil and gas law with a particular emphasis in oil and gas litigation, administrative, lead counsel in statutory unitizations and appeals, transaction work, and title.

Mr. Jesko was in-house corporate counsel for an independent exploration and production oil and gas company. As in-house counsel, he frequently advised the CEO, COO, General Counsel, CFO, Executive Vice Presidents, and top senior management on complex oil and gas related legal issues.

He has experience negotiating and drafting numerous legal documents including, without limitation to, leases, lease amendments, ratifications, lease assignments, credit facility agreements, right-of-ways, surface use agreements, water impoundment agreements, disposal agreements, road use agreements, lease swap agreements, agreements to lease, drill to earn and farm-out agreements, letters of intent, purchase sale agreements, confidentiality agreements, joint operating agreements, settlement agreements and various other litigation motions, disclaimers, releases, and license agreements.

Before attending law school, Mr. Jesko worked in corrections.

Timothy S. Knobloch

Tim Knobloch is president of James Knobloch Petroleum Consultants Inc. (formerly James Engineering Inc.) based in Marietta, Ohio. Tim has been associated with the firm since 1997 performing reservoir analysis and economic appraisals, estimating and auditing oil and gas reserves, providing litigation support, production analysis, oil and gas appraisals, and acquisitions and divestitures.

Tim previously worked with Peake Energy as a district petroleum engineer where he was responsible for estimating and auditing oil and gas reserves, AFE preparation, and disposal well permitting, monitoring, and reporting. In addition, he also was responsible for compressor system evaluation, specification, permitting, and installation and assisting in telemetering installation and maintenance. Prior work experience included Quaker State Corporation in Bradford, Pennsylvania where he was responsible for the design and supervision of drilling, logging, cementing, stimulation, gas well testing, equipment design, and remedial operations. Tim began his career with Amoco Production Company in Traverse City, Michigan as a drilling and production engineer.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and is a certified minerals appraiser with the AIMA. Tim has been a lifelong member of the SPE and has co-authored technical papers for SPE Eastern Regional Meetings on both production analysis and corrosion.

Gregory L. Mason

He has 38 years experience in prospect development, drilling and completion procedures in the Appalachian Basin. He has served as a Geologist with CGAS Exploration, Murphy Oil Company, and Atwood Resources. More recently he was the Exploration and Production Manager for NGO Development Corporation. He received a BS degree in Geology from Kent State University and is a registered Certified Petroleum Geologist with the AAPG. He is a member of the Ohio Geological Society, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. Currently serving as a board member for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, and member of the operating committee for OOGEEP. Past president of the Ohio Geological Society and the Ohio Oil and Gas Safety Council. Recently served as member of the Unconventional Resources Technical Advisory Committee which advised the Secretary of Energy on the development and implementation of research related to onshore unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resources.

Karen Matusic

Karen Matusic is the public and government affairs manager for ExxonMobil and XTO Energy in OH, WV, PA, VA, MD, DE and KY. She joined ExxonMobil in 2010 as a corporate media affairs adviser at Exxon's Dallas headquarters. Matusic has also served as ExxonMobil's federal affairs director in Washington DC and as the executive director of the ExxonMobil Foundation. Prior to joining Exxon, she was the media director for the American Petroleum Institute in Washington DC and before that, Matusic was a foreign correspondent in Caracas, London and Dubai. Karen is a native of eastern Ohio and a graduate of Bethany College.

Hardy Murchison

Hardy Murchison is the co-founder, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Encino Energy. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Encino is a private onshore US oil and gas acquisition, exploration, and production company. Encino Energy manages Encino Acquisition Partners (EAP), a multi-billion-dollar acquisition partnership between Encino and Canada Public Pension Investment Board. Formed in 2017, EAP takes a long-term approach to acquiring and developing high-quality assets onshore in the lower 48 United States. EAP targets large properties with well-established production and a large, low-cost development inventory. EAP closed its first acquisition in 2018 with the $2 billion purchase of Chesapeake Energy's Ohio Utica assets.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Murchison has helped grow and manage numerous companies. As Vice President of Corporate Development at Range Resources Corporation, Mr. Murchison assisted in the company's rapid growth through acquisitions and in Range's listing on the New York Stock Exchange. At Range, Hardy worked closely with Range's CEO, John Pinkerton, now Encino Energy's Executive Chairman. After Range Resources, Mr. Murchison spent a decade co-managing oil & gas E&P investments at First Reserve Corporation, ultimately as Managing Director & Partner. During that time, First Reserve invested $1.7 billion in companies and assets onshore in the US, shelf and deepwater Gulf of Mexico, Angola, Canada, China, Colombia and the UK North Sea. After a stint as a fly fishing guide in Alaska, Hardy began his career in energy finance as an investment banking analyst at Simmons & Company International.

Mr. Murchison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas and holds a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard University. Mr. Murchison serves as a director of the Coastal Conservation Association Texas Fund, an organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing coastal resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Katy Prairie Conservancy, an organization focusing on land conservation, prairie restoration, education and outreach.

Shawn Nelson

Shawn Nelson is the Founder and Principal of Nelson Government Strategies, a full-service government affairs firm based in Columbus, Ohio, where he utilizes more than a decade's worth of Ohio government experience in leading the firm's legislative and executive agency lobbying efforts.

Shawn brings valuable state government background and a wealth of Capitol Square connections to the firm from his time working in Ohio government and as an Ohio registered lobbyist. Prior to founding the firm, Shawn served as a Legislative Aide in the Ohio House of Representatives, a Campaign Manager for the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Ohio Auditor of State, Senior Policy Director for the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and Associate Partner at an Ohio-based lobbying firm.

Shawn represents a diverse group of clients including advocacy groups, businesses, community organizations, Fortune 500 corporations, industry associations, and nonprofits. He currently represents many of Ohio's coal-fired and natural gas-fired electric generation facility operators as well as several of the state's premier competitive retail electric and natural gas suppliers. Additionally, Shawn has represented a number of interests within the oil and natural gas industry, including exploration and production companies, processors, and pipeline operators.

Shawn got his start in state government through the highly competitive Legislative Service Commission Fellowship Program. He received his bachelor's degree in History from Ohio University and his master's degree in Public Policy and Management from The Ohio State University.

Rhonda Reda

Rhonda L. Reda serves as Executive Director of the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) and the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Foundation (Foundation). Ms. Reda helped form the organization in 1997. Prior to OOGEEP, Ms. Reda served as Vice President, Internal Affairs and Public Information for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association for more than a decade. Ms. Reda has also worked for several oil and gas companies including CGAS Exploration, Inc., Phillip Brown Oil Well Services, Inc., and Halwell/ Energy Omega, Inc. Collectively, she has more than thirty years of experience in the natural gas and crude oil industry.

Ms. Reda is a graduate from Ohio University. She currently serves on the Public Outreach Committee of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) and is a Board Member of the Petroleum History Institute. She is an active member of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA), Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Ohio Geological Society (OGS) and National Association of Professional Women. Ms. Reda served on the White House Task Force on Energy Education, and has received numerous state and national awards for OOGEEP’s efforts including: Ohio Oil and Gas Association’s Oilfield Patriot Award, Southeastern Ohio Oil and Gas Association's Work Horse Award, AAPG Eastern Section’s Presidential Award for Public Outreach, Friend of Science Award from the Science Council of Ohio, EPA’s Ohio Environmental Education Award for Outstanding Program, World Oil Runner Up for Best Public Outreach Program, Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Minerals Education Award, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission’s Public Outreach Stewardship Award and the Petroleum History Institute’s "Keeper of the Flamer" award. She has been married to her husband for thirty one years, and has a daughter, son and one grandson.

Kristofer W. Roser

Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Natural Resources Engineer 3 – Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management.

Serves as a project manager and liaison for the orphan well plugging program. Skilled in Environmental Restoration, Water Resources Management, Site Development, Oil & Gas Law as well as Oil & Gas Plugging/Abandonment.

Greg Russell

Greg is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and leads the firm's energy group, which is one of the largest and most experienced energy practices in the Midwest. For more than 20 years, he has been advising producers and pipeline operators in Ohio on business and regulatory matters, ranging from asset transactions, to unit operations and development, to leasehold and royalty disputes. Greg's practice frequently involves appearing before state and federal regulatory agencies, such as state oil and gas and public utility commissions as well as U.S. EPA and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Greg is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, teaching a course on oil and gas law. He is also a frequent speaker on a broad range of topics impacting the natural gas industry, including oil and gas leasing and contract matters, regulatory (e.g., pooling and unitization), environmental and natural gas market issues. Recently, he served as the chair of the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation's Special Institute on Title and Development Issues in the Utica Shale (2013). Greg is the editor of the Vorys Energy & Environment blog. The blog highlights news and breaking legal developments involving the crude oil and natural gas industries, alternative and renewable energy resources and the latest environmental issues. Greg is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.

Martin R. Shumway

Mr. Shumway has been involved in the resource industry for most of his career. He has more than 20 years of experience in the mining and petroleum industries, and has extensive experience with both exploration and development of oil and gas properties in the Appalachian Basin. He has completed numerous reserve evaluations, field studies, production studies, and geological evaluations of petroleum properties. Mr. Shumway is a Professional Engineer (PE.72266) in Ohio and also a Certified Petroleum Geologist (AAPG - CPG #6025). He earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Engineering from The Ohio State University. Mr. Shumway currently serves as the Technical Officer for Locus Bio-Energy Solutions, focusing on business in the Appalachian basin.

Richard J Simmers

As Chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management, Rick Simmers is responsible for enforcing Ohio's laws related to oil and gas drilling, production, plugging, orphan wells, solution mining, enhanced recovery, gas storage and underground injection control operations.

An ODNR career employee, Simmers began working for the Oil and Gas Program in 1985. Over the years he has served as staff geologist, ground water investigator, acting chief and statewide field enforcement administrator.

Simmers earned both a Master of Science degree and Bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Akron. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Akron.

He is serving as Ohio's representative, and first Vice Chair, to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and is on the Board of Directors of the Groundwater Protection Council.

Joe Snider

Joe graduated from Marietta college with a B.S. in petroleum engineering in 2002. He started his career with Chevron as a company representative supervising drilling and completion operations on extended reach wells from the Petronius platform in the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Businesses Unit. He continued in drilling and completion on land working in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. In 2006 he started drilling horizontal coalbed methane wells in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, later serving as assistant CBM production manager for CNX Gas before starting at Artex Oil Company in 2008. Joe served as Drilling and Completion engineer for 4 years and now works as operations manager over conventional production at Artex Oil Company and supports Artex Energy Group's unconventional production.

Tracy Stevens

Tracy Stevens, External Affairs Manager for Dominion Energy, is here today to moderate our panel entitled “A Series of Case Studies for Effective Community Relations.” Holding Bachelor and Master degrees from Kent State University, Tracy has been with Dominion Energy for over 25 years. She also is an adjunct faculty member at Kent Tuscarawas, teaching in the communication department. With active community volunteer membership on her schedule, Tracy is proud to support the OOGA and other industry organizations, as well as local groups such as the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce where she currently serves as a board member.

Jackie Stewart

• Joined Encino in 2018 and leads external and government affairs for the company.
• Previously served as Managing Director for FTI Consulting Strategic Communications Energy and Natural Resources practice and served in various roles for members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Thomas E. Stewart

Tom Stewart served as the executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA), having been elected to that position in September 1991 to December 31, 2014. Stewart was the chief executive officer of the Association and its operations; editor of the Association’s publications; an industry spokesman to media outlets and other forums; treasurer of the Association’s political action committee; and served as the public policy advocate in Columbus and Washington D.C. on behalf of OOGA’s members’ interests.

Stewart served as the Ohio associate representative to the Interstate Oil and Natural Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) (www.iogcc.state.ok.us/), having been appointed to that position by Governor George Voinovich in 1997. IOGCC is an organization of governors of the oil and natural gas producing states established to promote the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment.

Stewart was an active participant with the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA)(www.ipaa.org ) and served on the IPAA Environment and Safety Committee, the Communications Steering Committee, the Gas Pipeline Safety Sub-Committee, Stewart was a founding member of the management team organizing the national BRIEF Project (Bringing Real Information on Energy Forward) that has evolved into the Energy in Depth Program (EID). (www.energyindepth.org) Stewart served as the executive director of EID – The Ohio Project.

In December 2001, Stewart was elected to the Board of the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, Inc. (STRONGER) as one of three representatives for the U.S. oil and gas exploration and production industry. On August 31, 2012, Stewart was selected to serve as chairman of the STRONGER Board, marking his second rotation through the organization’s officer seats.

STRONGER is a non-profit organization created to administer and advance the state review process of the States’ oil and gas exploration and production waste management regulatory programs. (www.strongerinc.org) The STRONGER process has since been expanded to contain critical E&P issues, including regulation of hydraulic fracturing and well construction practices. STRONGER is a stakeholder-driven process with equal representation from government, industry and the environmental community. STRONGER’s objective is to foster constant improvements in state oil and gas regulatory programs in order to protect human health, safety and the environment. STRONGER recently won critical praise within reports issued by the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board (SEAB) Interim Report on Shale Gas Production and the National Petroleum Council (NPC) report “Prudent Development: Realizing the Potential of Abundant North American Natural Gas and Oil Resources”

From August 2002 to November 2005, Stewart served as the secretary treasurer of the Liaison Committee of Cooperating Oil and Gas Associations. The Liaison is a national network organization of state and regional trade associations that represent the independent oil and gas exploration and production industry in the United States. Stewart was responsible for coordinating the organization’s efforts.

Prior to joining OOGA, Mr. Stewart has fifteen years of formal experience in the oil and gas industry as an oil and gas producer and provider of contract drilling services. He is the third generation of his family to engage in exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. The family heritage extends back to the original oil regions of western Pennsylvania and southeastern Ohio.

Ralph W. Talmage

Mr. Talmage started working for Coopers and Lybrand in Columbus, Ohio in 1969. He worked for Coopers & Lybrand during their busy season and attended Ohio State University the rest of the year. In 1971 while in school working on his masters’ degree, he started an apartment company, Northwood Development Company, with David Haid. He obtained his B.S. Degree in Accounting in 1971 and his Certified Public Accountant License in 1972.

In 1972, Mr. Talmage took a position with Noble Oil Corporation as Treasurer of a new start-up oil and gas exploration company. Mr. Talmage helped this company grow during the next ten years to become one of Ohio’s bigger oil and gas companies. He became the Executive Vice President of Noble Oil Corporation, in charge of sales, personnel, corporate planning, and legal and accounting.

In 1983, Mr. Talmage stated Northwood Energy Corporation. Thru acquisition and drilling, Mr. Talmage has built this company to currently operating 1,000 wells and having an ownership interest in an additional 200 wells.

Mr. Talmage has been very active in Civic Activities. He has been President of the School Support Group, President, House Manager and Treasurer of his college fraternity Building Corporation, Trustee of the Grandview Education Foundation, Trustee of the First Community Foundation, Trustee of a Church Camp, Chairman of the Renovation Committee for the school system, was in charge of building a running track for his community’s high school, coached soccer, basketball and baseball. Mr. Talmage is currently on the board of The Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Heidelberg College (Treasurer), Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (Chairman) and the Talmage Family Foundation.

Brian Teller

Brian Teller is the Appalachia Operations Manager for XTO Energy, overseeing XTO and ExxonMobil’s oil and gas development in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He and his family have lived in the area since March 2011 when Brian was appointed Appalachia drilling manager. He has worked in the industry since he graduated with a geological engineering degree from Montana Tech University. Prior to coming to the Ohio Valley, Brian worked on projects in Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Ray Walker

• Joined Encino in 2018 after retiring from Range Resources where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, where he worked alongside John Pinkerton, and built Range into a $12 billion E&P company, pioneering the Marcellus Shale.
• Previously served in various technical and management roles at Union Pacific Resources Corp and Halliburton and co-founded the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) and served as the organization's first chairman.

Gregory Wrightstone

Gregory Wrightstone is a geologist who has been investigating the Earth's processes for more than 35 years. He received a BS and MS in geology from Waynesburg University & WVU, respectively. Gregory's debut book Inconvenient Facts – the science that Al Gore doesn't want you to know has received glowing reviews and has shot up the sales charts, reaching #1 status in the environmental field and as high as #13 on the Amazon best-seller list

His recently released smart phone app can be downloaded by searching for Inconvenient Facts and allows the user to access illustrations and charts for each of the 90 inconvenient facts within the book. This feature empowers scientists and non-scientists alike to speak confidently about the many climate myths.