My journey from Wyoming, where my grandfather encouraged me not to become a geologist, to starting my career during layoffs in the late 1990s, to finding my biggest discovery after my costliest dry hole. Later, after getting into the high-stakes private equity game, I was forced to shift tactics again, creating Western Underground Exploration, LLC. Today, my largest client heard me speak about my costliest dry hole and hired me once I went out on my own. Every step of the way, my biggest failures have led to my greatest accomplishments.

Bio: Masters in Geology from the University of Wyoming. Brought to Midland through an internship with Burlington Resources. Career includes stops at Nadel and Gussman, J. Cleo Thompson, Fasken O&R, and ExL Petroleum. Currently, I own my own consulting company, Western Underground Exploration. I have over 25 years of oil and gas exploration in the Permian Basin, San Juan Basin, Williston Basin, Powder River Basin, and the EagleFord shale.