Speakers

Robert J. Anderson has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since April 2020 and as a director since July 2021, having previously served as President since April 2018. From December 2014 through April 2018, he served as our Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Engineering. Previously, he served in a similar capacity with Oak Valley from March 2013 until the closing of its strategic combination with the Company in December 2014. Prior to joining Oak Valley, he served from August 2012 to February 2013 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Halcón. Mr. Anderson was employed by GeoResources, Inc. from April 2007 until its merger with Halcón in August 2012, ultimately serving as a director and Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer - Northern Region. He was involved in the formation of Southern Bay Energy in September 2004 as Vice President, Acquisitions until its merger with GeoResources in April 2007. From March 2004 to August 2004, Mr. Anderson was employed by AROC, a predecessor company to Southern Bay Energy, as Vice President, Acquisitions and Divestitures. Prior to March 2004 he was employed in technical and supervisory roles with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, major oil companies including ARCO International/Vastar Resources, and independent oil companies, including Hugoton Energy, Hunt Oil and Pacific Enterprises Oil Company. His professional experience of over 30 years includes acquisition evaluation, reservoir and production engineering, field development, project economics, budgeting and planning, and capital markets. Mr. Anderson has a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Wyoming and an MBA from the University of Denver.

Cameron most recently worked at Citadel, managing one of the oil & gas industry’s largest public equities portfolios. Cameron has extensive experience in the energy industry, including serving as a member of the upstream private equity team at EnCap Investments and as an investment banker at Lazard. Cameron is a third-generation oil & gas professional and began his career at ExxonMobil in the Marine & Arctic Engineering Group. Cameron earned a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

James Coleman received two degrees from Harvard University — a J.D. (cum laude) and B.A. in biology (magna cum laude) with highest honors in the field. Upon graduation from law school he served as clerk for Eighth Circuit Judge Steven Colloton, and then practiced energy, environmental, and appellate law as an associate in the Washington, D.C., firm of Sidley Austin LLP for three years.  Prior to joining SMU, he was on the faculty at the University of Calgary, where he taught at both the law school and the business school. Before Calgary, he served on the faculty at Harvard Law School as a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law.  Coleman’s scholarship addresses regulation of North American energy companies, focusing on how countries account for and influence regulation of fuel and electricity in their trading partners and how global energy companies respond to competing pressures from investors and regulators in multiple jurisdictions. He publishes the Energy Law Professor blog and you can follow him on Twitter at @energylawprof. This fall he will teach Oil & Gas Law.

Mr. David Deckelbaum, CFA is a Managing Director and senior analyst covering the oil & gas exploration and production sector. He joined Cowen in 2018 from Keybanc Capital Markets, where he led the firm’s energy research coverage. Prior to Keybanc, Mr. Deckelbaum worked on both the buy-side and sell-side at Millennium Partners, UBS and Bank of America following both E&P and oilfield service stocks. Mr. Deckelbaum holds a BBA with concentrations in Finance and Information Systems from the George Washington University and is a CFA Charterholder.

Andrew joined Enverus (PLS) in 2014 and is part of the Enverus Market Research Group with a focus on M&A. He specializes in deal analysis, research and valuations for upstream assets and tracks industry M&A trends and outlooks. He has a BBA in Finance from Texas A&M University and a JD from The University of Texas School of Law.

William Eiland is a corporate partner n the Dallas office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. William’s practice focuses on private equity and energy transactions, with a particular emphasis on acquisitions and divestures in the upstream sector. His transactional experience also includes advising clients in connection with the formation of joint ventures, farmout and participation agreements to develop oil and gas properties, and other transactions concerning the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and gas properties. William began his career in the oil and gas industry working with private investors to acquire mineral interests located in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana and Alabama.

David Harris is executive vice president and chief corporate development officer, a position he assumed in January 2021. Harris is responsible for Devon’s business development, land and technology functions.

Prior to his current role he served as executive vice president of exploration and production responsible for all of Devon's business units, as well as land, technology, subsurface and environment, health and safety groups.

Harris joined Devon in 2007 and has served in a wide range of roles: senior vice president of exploration and production, senior vice president of business development, vice president of corporate finance and treasurer, and as associate general counsel. Prior to joining Devon, Harris was a partner in the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight LLP, specializing in corporate and securities matters.

Harris has a bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma.

Mr. Darrin J. Henke has served on the Board and as President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Company since August 2020.  Prior to joining Ranger, Mr. Henke served nearly five years (between 2015 and 2020) as the CEO of Gary Petroleum Partners and Gary Permian LLC, a private oil and gas acquisition and development company. He was previously employed by Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. for eleven years, most recently as Vice President & General Manager for Southern Operations overseeing, among others, Encana’s entrance into the Eagle Ford and Permian Basins. With thirty years of experience in the oil and gas business, Mr. Henke was also employed by Tom Brown Inc., Venoco Inc. and Burlington Resources. Mr. Henke graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and also completed Duke’s Advanced Management Program. He was the recipient of the Denver Business Journal’s 2013 Power Book Award for outstanding business leadership, currently sits on the board of Colorado’s State Chamber of Commerce, and is a registered Professional Petroleum Engineer.

Erin Hopkins is a member of the firm's Global Projects Practice, in Houston. His practice focuses on guiding clients through complex commercial matters in the energy industry, including the acquisition and divestiture of energy companies and assets and joint venture arrangements. His experience includes structuring and negotiating transactions and investments from foreign and domestic investors in the U.S. energy industry, including upstream and downstream markets.

Daniel Kohl is Co-Head and Managing Director of Opportune Partners LLC, an independent investment banking and financial advisory affiliate of Opportune LLP. Daniel has over a decade of energy industry experience, having advised clients on over $10 billion in completed transactions over the last five years across every major basin in the U.S. Before Opportune, Daniel served as Head of A&D Advisory at UBS where he managed and directed all A&D and technical advisory efforts for the energy investment bank. Daniel began his career at Chevron where he worked in various technical roles throughout the U.S., with a focus on the Appalachian Basin shale plays.

Daniel holds an M.S. from The Pennsylvania State University and a B.S. from Washington and Lee University. He is also a FINRA Series 79 and 63 registered representative.

Craig Lande, a managing director of RBC Richardson Barr, has more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. A&D market, involving company research, corporate and asset valuation, and business development. Prior to joining RBC Richardson Barr in 2005, Lande was with asset marketer Waterous & Co. as a vice president and was creator and editor of Quarterly Market Review, a newsletter focusing on upstream A&D valuations and trends. Previously, he was a senior analyst with energy investment-banking firm Cornerstone Ventures LP. He holds a B.S. in Business Management and Marketing from Tulane University.

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

Paul D. McKinney joined Ring Energy October 1, 2020. His most recent role prior to joining the Company was President, CEO & Director of SandRidge Energy (NYSE:SD) (“SandRidge”) where he accepted the post in January 2019 and continued there eleven months before resigning in December 2019. Prior to SandRidge, Mr. McKinney was President & Chief Operating Officer for Yuma Energy, Inc. (NYSE:YUMA)(“Yuma”) since April 2017 after serving as Yuma’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since October 2014. Mr. McKinney served as a petroleum engineering consultant for Yuma’s predecessor from June 2014 to September 2014 and for Yuma from September 2014 to October 2014. Mr. McKinney served as Region Vice President, Gulf Coast Onshore, for Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA) (“Apache”) from 2010 through 2013, where he was responsible for the development and all operational aspects of the Gulf Coast region for Apache. Prior to his role as Region Vice President, Mr. McKinney was Manager, Corporate Reservoir Engineering, for Apache from 2007 through 2010. From 2006 through 2007, Mr. McKinney was Vice President and Director, Acquisitions & Divestitures for Tristone Capital, Inc. Mr. McKinney commenced his career with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC)(“Anadarko”) and held various positions with Anadarko over a 23 year period from 1983 to 2006, including his last title as Vice President of Reservoir Engineering, Anadarko Canada Corporation. Mr. McKinney was a member of the board of directors for Pro-Ject Holdings, LLC a privately owned oil field chemical services company. He co-authored Advanced Reservoir Engineering, Gulf Professional Publishing, Elsevier, and SPE 75708, Applied Reservoir Characterization for Maximizing Reserves, Growth, and Profitability in Tight Gas Sands: A paradigm Shift in Development Strategies for Low-Permeability Reservoirs. Mr. McKinney entered the United States Air Force upon graduating from high school and continued in the United States Air Force Reserves while attending college. Mr. McKinney attended Louisiana Tech University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1983

Charlie's practice encompasses a broad range of energy and infrastructure transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, project development and corporate finance matters. He has extensive experience in the negotiation and administration of asset and equity purchase and sale agreements, joint venture and related corporate agreements, joint development agreements, marketing agreements, oil and gas gathering agreements, farmout agreements, joint operating agreements and other energy-related agreements.

Charlie regularly advises companies across the energy sector (including majors, independents and private equity-backed portfolio companies in the upstream, midstream, downstream, infrastructure and power sectors) in acquisitions and divestitures of assets and equity interests, strategic joint ventures and investments, energy trading transactions, negotiation and implementation of commercial contracts, and corporate governance.

Prior to joining the firm, Charlie was a partner at a Houston-based law firm, and also previously served as senior counsel at Oasis Petroleum Inc., a publicly-traded E&P company, where he was integral in the legal functions of multiple company divisions, including operations, land, midstream, marketing, finance and accounting. Prior to his role as senior counsel at Oasis, Charlie was an associate in the Houston office of a leading energy law firm.

Nicholas O'Grady has served as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2020. Since June 2018, Mr. O’Grady previously served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. He also held the title of President from September of 2019 until his promotion to CEO. Mr. O’Grady leads the Northern team in all respects of the business, including investments, financial management and business strategy. Mr. O’Grady has helped facilitate over $1.2 billion in acquisitions and $2.4 billion in gross financings during his tenure at Northern. Mr. O'Grady has nearly two decades of finance experience, both as an investment banker and as a principal investor. Mr. O'Grady began his career in the Natural Resources investment banking group at Bank of America. Later moving to the hedge fund industry, he worked at firms such as Highbridge Capital Management. Immediately prior to Northern, Mr. O’Grady worked at Hudson Bay Capital Management, where he focused on energy-related equities, public credit, private and direct investments. Mr. O'Grady holds a Bachelor of Arts in both History and Economics from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

William J. Quinn is the founder and Managing Partner of Pearl Energy Investments. Prior to founding Pearl, Billy served as Managing Partner of Natural Gas Partners (NGP). In his capacity as Managing Partner, he co-managed NGP’s investment portfolio and played an active role in the full range of NGP’s investment process, from transaction sourcing through analysis, execution, and exit. Billy was also a key element in the firm’s business development activities given his extensive industry contacts in the U.S. and Canada.

Billy gained valuable investment experience working for Rainwater, Inc. and Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst, Inc. He also worked as an Analyst in the investment banking divisions of Bear Stearns & Co. and BT Securities Corporation.

In addition to his investing activities, Billy serves as a guest lecturer on private equity investing at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also sits on the Wharton School Board of Overseers.

Billy holds a B.S.E. in Finance, with honors, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Reese is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameredev.

Prior to forming Ameredev, he served in engineering roles at Three Rivers Operating Co., and Cimarex Energy Co. He began his career as an engineer with ConocoPhillips.

Mr. Reese graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering. He currently serves on the industry board of the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Doug Reynolds joined Simmons Energy, a Division of Piper Sandler® in 2020.

Previously, Reynolds was head of U.S. energy corporate and investment banking at Scotiabank. Prior to that, he was the head of U.S. upstream investment banking at a leading investment bank. He has led nearly $100 billion of merger, acquisition, divestiture and capital markets assignments in the energy industry across six continents and more than 30 countries during his career.

Reynolds earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colgate University.

Eric Stevens has been with Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (NSAI) since 2007 and has over 20 years of petroleum engineering and consulting experience. Prior to joining NSAI, Eric worked for five years as a reservoir engineer and development planner with the ExxonMobil Development Company on projects located in Russia and West Africa. Since joining NSAI he has been involved in projects both in the United States and around the world, including Central and South America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Eric's areas of specific expertise include project coordination, oil and gas reserves and resources estimations, field studies, and property evaluations using deterministic and probabilistic methodologies.

NSAI, founded in 1961, is a worldwide leader of petroleum property analysis to industry and financial organizations and government agencies. With offices in Dallas and Houston, NSAI delivers high quality, fully integrated engineering, operational, geological, geophysical, petrophysical, and economic solutions for all facets of the upstream energy industry.

Stephen C. Szalkowski is the Deputy Office Managing Partner of the Houston office and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. He advises clients on domestic energy transactions, with an emphasis on acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, and private equity investments.

Mr. Szalkowski has significant experience in:

• JVs and other strategic combinations, including carbon capture and sequestration projects and the development of onshore and offshore oil and gas projects

• Acquisitions and divestitures of assets and businesses, with a particular focus on the upstream, midstream, and water sectors of the oil and gas industry

• Complex commercial contracts, including JOAs, hydrocarbon and water gathering, processing and disposal agreements, hydrocarbon and CO₂ transportation and offtake agreements, and services agreements relevant to the energy industry

Lauren Varnado is the Managing Partner of M&R’s Houston office and member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Lauren is an experienced trial lawyer, representing oil, gas and petrochemical clients in high-stakes, “bet the company” lawsuits in state and federal courts, including contract cases, fraud and tort actions, lawsuits alleging environmental contamination, international and domestic arbitrations between energy producers, class action royalty litigation, and market manipulation disputes related to trading in energy and commodity markets.

Beyond the courtroom, Lauren routinely advises private and public E&P companies about rights and obligations under upstream, midstream, power and LNG contracts; litigation avoidance and risk mitigation; climate change litigation; and investments and contractual rights and obligations in renewable energy (solar and wind).  Clients also frequently seek guidance from Lauren on matters concerning the acquisition and divestiture of oil & gas properties and midstream assets; oil & gas production and business operations; oil & gas leases; accounting obligations to interest owners; and royalty payment practices.

Lauren has litigated and/or advised clients in oil & gas operations in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, California, North Dakota, New Mexico, Kentucky, Louisiana, Colorado, and Oklahoma.

Key Experience

Significant experience leading complex transactions across the oil & gas space.

Represents private equity sponsors and public and private companies in M&A transactions, joint ventures, equity and debt financings, other complex business transactions and SEC compliance.

Advises private investment fund sponsors in structuring and forming private equity investment funds and oil and gas resource and minerals funds.

Practice

Wes is a leader of Akin Gump’s energy team. He has more than two decades of experience structuring transactions across the energy sector, with a particular emphasis on upstream and midstream transactions. 

His clients include private equity funds, public and private companies and management teams. He advises on a diverse range of corporate matters including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, financings and other partnership matters.

In addition, Wes represents private investment fund sponsors in structuring and forming private equity investment funds and oil and gas resource and minerals funds. He also counsels public companies in connection with public equity and debt offerings, corporate governance, SEC reporting, and general securities compliance.

Wes previously served as the firmwide corporate and securities practice leader at another law firm.

Danny Yick joined ConocoPhillips in 2013 and currently serves as Senior Director of Corporate A&D. In his current role Mr. Yick focuses on M&A, deal sourcing, structuring, material divestitures, subsurface technical and financial evaluations, legal/commercial negotiations, and leading cross-functional teams in the execution of oil and gas investments. 

Prior to joining ConocoPhillips, Mr. Yick held positions with increasing responsibility at Petro-Canada, Devon Energy, Nexen, TD Securities, Vermilion Energy in roles ranging from production engineer, drilling engineer, completions engineer, field rotation wells supervisor, reservoir engineer, institutional equity research associate analyst, and business development subsurface engineering professional. 

Mr. Yick started his oil and gas career in 2004 and has extensive experience in unconventional/conventional evaluations, mineral investments, midstream evaluations, international oil and gas properties, petroleum engineering, finance, capital markets, and commercial negotiations.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary and is a CFA® Charterholder.