J. Taylor Airey

Taylor Airey is a senior attorney at Oliva Gibbs LLP. With a strong focus on corporate transactions, litigation, regulatory compliance, and title matters, Taylor leverages his in-house experience to align legal strategies with his clients' business objectives while minimizing legal risks. He is particularly recognized for his proficiency in guiding oil and gas producers through Ohio’s unitization process, having advised on over 120 R.C. 1509.28 unitization applications. His representation of Utica Shale operators spans all phases of the unitization process before the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas, encompassing both Utica Shale and Marcellus Shale drilling units. Taylor holds a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law and earned his B.A. from Wittenberg University. He lives with his family in Argyle, Texas.

James Elliott

James Elliott is Counsel at Spilman Thomas & Battle. His primary areas of practice are civil and criminal environmental law with experience in appellate and district court litigation, agency rulemaking, compliance counseling, and administrative adjudication with special emphasis on Clean Air Act matters. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Bucknell University and his J.D. from Pace University School of Law.

Tom Fusonie

Tom Fusonie is a partner with the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, where he focuses his practice on oil and gas litigation, oil and gas administrative agency proceedings, eminent domain litigation, constitutional rights, and real property disputes.  Tom also has extensive experience before the Supreme Court of Ohio with extraordinary writs of mandamus and prohibition, having successfully obtained writs or other remedies from the Supreme Court of Ohio on numerous occasions. Tom has also litigated before the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission and beyond various orders of the Chief of the Division, including the topic for today, enforcement orders.  Tom received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School where he served as the student writing editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.  He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Hamilton College.

Chuck Knox

Chuck Knox is the founder of Knox Geological LLC, a consulting firm that operates in the Michigan, Illinois, and Appalachian Basins, as well as the Cincinnati Arch. His expertise extends to lidar datasets and remote sensing, and he has recently been using machine learning to combine remote sensing datasets to predict petroleum occurrence. Additionally, Chuck has partnered with Racer Seismic Surveys to assist operators in the design and implementation of 2D and 3D seismic surveys.

Jason Lucas

Jason Lucas is a member at Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC, where he focuses on the areas of energy transactions and natural resources law. His experience includes major energy transactions, large-scale due diligence projects, mineral title opinions, defect and curative reports, purchase and sale agreements, and closings. He also serves as the Second Vice President of the National Association of Division Order Analysts (NADOA). He earned a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law.

Mackenzie Moyer

Mackenzie Moyer is an associate in the Environmental Group of Babst Calland. She assists clients with matters encompassing a broad range of environmental issues, including those related to state and federal permitting and regulatory compliance. Moyer graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017, earning a B.A. in Sociology and Economics and a minor in Italian Culture. In 2021, Moyer graduated magna cum laude from Penn State Law with a concentration in Energy and Environmental Law and was admitted to the Woolsack Society. She received two CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Natural Resources Law and Environmental Mediation.  While at Penn State Law, Ms. Moyer worked as an intern for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and as a Research Assistant, focusing on Administrative, Energy, and Environmental Law.

Matthew Onest

Matthew Onest has been protecting the interests of manufacturers, businesses, property owners, and energy companies in civil litigation since joining Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A. (KWGD) in 2012. With significant trial experience in Ohio courts, he is a key member of the firm’s litigation and appellate practice group, having successfully handled cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and multiple District Courts of Appeal. Matthew also practices in federal courts across the United States. Specializing in energy, business, and real estate litigation, he is a vital part of KWGD’s oil and gas practice group, representing companies and landowners in civil litigation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings before the Public Utilities Commission and the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission. He has extensive experience negotiating oil and gas contracts, leases, and easements. Matthew practices out of the Canfield and Canton offices and resides in Hubbard, Ohio, with his wife, Kelly, and their four children

Robert Stonestreet

Robert Stonestreet focuses his practice on land, energy, and environmental law. He has a wide array of regulatory and courtroom experience, including representation of clients in matters involving lease and land disputes, environmental permitting, enforcement actions, serious personal injury/wrongful death, land contamination, toxic torts, and complex commercial disputes. During his more than 20 years in practice, Mr. Stonestreet has tried multiple cases to verdict before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. He graduated from Marshall University, summa cum laude, in 2000 with a degree in History.  He received his law degree in 2003 from West Virginia University College of Law.

Jeff Bolyard

Jeff Bolyard has been in the energy business for 35 years and started his career working for TC Energy/Columbia Gas Transmission, a FERC regulated interstate pipeline, in various roles in the accounting and marketing groups.  From there he worked for a regional natural gas marketer where he bought production and sold gas to industrial and commercial clients.  Jeff has held various positions within Edison Energy over the past 23 years as an advisor to large industrial clients, designing and implementing their physical and financial procurement strategies, the management of pipeline and storage assets and the negotiation of utility agreements. He is currently responsible for the development of energy market intelligence for Edison Energy, with a focus on the fundamental market price drivers across several commodities.  His exposure to various aspects of the energy industry has allowed him to have insight into the complex and constantly changing energy industry.

Allen Fore

Allen Fore has more than 30 years of experience in public policy at the local, state, and national levels.  At Kinder Morgan, he manages corporate public affairs, state government relations, and special projects throughout the United States. Prior to joining Kinder Morgan, he served as an Assistant Attorney General of Illinois, general counsel to the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, and with the U.S. Department of Education.

Fore served as a Captain and Judge Advocate General in the Illinois Army National Guard and was elected to the Belvidere, IL City Council.  He received his B.A. from Eureka College and a Juris Doctor degree from Valparaiso University.

Michele Harradence

Michele Harradence is Executive Vice President and President of Gas Distribution and Storage at Enbridge, where she is responsible for the overall leadership and operations of the Enbridge Gas utilities, North America’s largest integrated gas utility platform. She has more than 25 years of experience in the energy value creation chain, including the upstream, midstream, downstream, retail and oil and gas services sectors. Before joining Enbridge in 2014, Michele worked for Shell for 16 years in roles of increasing responsibility, including General Manager of Shell’s Sarnia Manufacturing Centre in Ontario.

Michele has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, a law degree from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Michele is Vice-Chair of the Canadian Gas Association, a Board Member of the American Gas Association and past Chair of the Ontario Energy Association.

Bob Hodanbosi

Bob Hodanbosi has served as Chief of the Division of Air Pollution Control (DAPC) since 1992. His current duties include being responsible for the air pollution control program for the state of Ohio and development of the programs needed to comply with the Clean Air Act. Prior to the current position, Bob held several earlier positions within Ohio EPA, including at the Northeast District Office.

Bob received his master's degree in chemical engineering at the Cleveland State University, and a bachelor's degree in central engineering at the Cleveland State University and is a registered professional engineer in Ohio. 

Representative Matt Huffman

State Representative Matt Huffman serves the 78th Ohio House District and was elected by his colleagues to serve as Speaker for the 136th General Assembly, after previously serving as Senate President in the 135th General Assembly.

Speaker Huffman has practiced law for the past 30 years in his family’s private practice law firm. Speaker Huffman served on Lima City Council from 1992-2006, including the final seven years as City Council President. In 2007, he began his service in the Ohio House of Representatives, then served in the Senate from 2016 to 2024.

Speaker Huffman earned a degree in Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1982 and his law degree from the University of Cincinnati School of Law in 1985. Married for over 30 years, Senator Huffman and his wife Sheryl live in Lima and have four children and six grandchildren.

Parker Kasmer

Parker Kasmer leads AXPC’s congressional, political, and external stakeholder engagement. He was most recently Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Juul Labs, where he oversaw U.S. government affairs and related external programs. Before that, Parker was at Sidley Austin LLP’s DC office, advising Fortune 500 companies and trade associations on government strategies and engagements. Parker has a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from the University of Alabama and a Juris Doctor from the Washington & Lee University School of Law.

Chris Kimble

For the past 30 years, Chris Kimble has been active in all aspects of his family’s business mining, gas and oil production, waste collection, recycling, and landfill operations. Since 2000, Chris has served as Operations Manager of Red Hill Development, an affiliated oil and gas company.  Red Hill has been drilling, operating, and servicing deep gas wells in East Central Ohio since the early 1970’s, and currently manages over 626 gas wells.

He is also Chairman of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association and is a member of the Finance Committee for OUPS, as well as a member of the Ohio Natural Energy Institute Operating Board and a Board member of the Kimble Foundation. He graduated from Kent State University with an Electrical Engineering Degree.

Senator Rob McColley

State Senator Rob McColley was unanimously elected President of the Ohio Senate in January of 2025, where he will preside during the 136th General Assembly. President McColley began serving in Senate after being appointed in December 2017. He represents the 1st Senate District in northwest Ohio.

Prior to being appointed to the Senate, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives and had served in the Community Improvement Corporation of Henry County. McColley attended The Ohio State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance. He then attended the University of Toledo College of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 2010.

Senator McColley lives in Napoleon with his wife, Denise, and their three children.

Des Murphy

Des Murphy is the Business Development Technology Manager for Halliburton in the Northeast Area and leads the Technical Team in providing multi-PSL solutions to technical challenges in unconventional reservoirs. He has been with Halliburton for 28 years, with a background in Wireline & Perforating and Formation Evaluation. Prior to his tenure with the Technical Team, he filled various operational leadership and technical roles within Halliburton in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the United States. He is a holder of an Associate’s Degree in Electronic Engineering from Wodonga College of TAFE, and a Certificate in Maintenance Engineering from the Australian Army.

Scott Murray

Scott Murray is a Manager of Project Development in Tenaska’s Development group. He is responsible for project design, scheduling, budgeting, permitting, community engagement, contract negotiations, land acquisition, government relations and industry partnerships in furtherance of carbon capture and storage (CCS) development. His current focus is on CCS hubs in Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Prior to joining Tenaska, he held several engineering positions in the energy industry including Nuclear Plant Engineer at Omaha Public Power District’s Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station, Development Engineer at Clearway Energy’s Omaha and Minneapolis districts energy plants and Program Engineer at Olsson Engineering working on data center and utility substations. Murray is a registered Professional Mechanical Engineer in the state of Nebraska and has Bachelor’s and Master’s in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis in Mechanical Systems from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Marty Shumway

Marty Shumway has been involved in the resource industry for most of his career. He has more than 25 years of experience in the mining and petroleum industries and has extensive experience with both exploration and development of oil and gas properties. Mr. Shumway is a Professional Engineer in Ohio and a Certified Petroleum Geologist (AAPG). He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from The Ohio State University. Mr. Shumway currently serves as Senior Vice President for Locus Bio-Energy, an Ohio-based producer of biosurfactants. Locus has developed specialty oil and gas chemistries for completion and production with sales across major US basins and internationally.

Jason Simmerman

Jason Simmerman has worked at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 14 years and is currently the Orphan Well Program Manager for the department’s Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio University along with his surveying certificate.

Mack Smith

Mack Smith is Gas Development Services Advisor for Enbridge Gas Ohio, where he is responsible for revenues associated with natural gas production and renewable energy. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association and on the American Gas Association Climate and Sustainability Committee. He is a member of the Southeastern Ohio Oil and Gas Association and the Southern Gas Association. Mack is an active community volunteer and is Board Chair for Habitat for Humanity of East Central Ohio. He holds engineering degrees from Youngstown State University and University of Pittsburgh.

Will Smith

Will Smith has worked as a cement engineer for SLB for 13 years. After starting in Wyoming, Smith moved from the field to office roles across operations and sales. Three years ago, he was assigned as North America product lead of SLB’s geopolymer cement free zonal isolation technology, trade name EcoShield.

Bruce Tague

Bruce L. Tague was named the Executive Director of the Ohio Natural Energy Institute in 2023. Tague brings over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector to his newest role. He worked for years in public policy, state, and federal government. This includes his important work with the construction and completion of the NEXUS pipeline. 

When he is not traveling across Ohio to educate the public on the state’s immense natural resources or serving as President of the Ohio Geological Society (OGS), he enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and attending Dirt Track racing events. Bruce resides in Knox County, Ohio with his wife and two sons along with their dogs Condi and Maggie.

Ryan Ullman

Ryan Ullman has worked for IPAA since 2003 and maintains an issues portfolio focused on energy tax policy, environmental policy, political analysis, and climate change. He has advocated on behalf of American energy producers on numerous legislative and regulatory priorities, including working to lift the crude oil export ban, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, appropriations bills, and more.

Ullman attended Rocky Mountain College in his hometown of Billings, Montana and majored in psychology. He now lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife and two children.

DJ Wheeler

DJ Wheeler has more than 15 years of air regulatory experience with expertise in all sectors of the oil and gas industry through multiple engagements with clients such as Enbridge, Energy Transfer, Marathon, Blue Racer, Artex, SWN, DT Midstream, and Aspire Energy. He has assisted these clients with the interpretation and implementation of US EPA’s New Source Performance Standards for the oil and gas industry including the preparation of comments on proposed regulations including US EPA’s latest Methane Rule. His experience includes on-site compliance auditing, state level air quality construction permitting, Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting, Title V compliance management, periodic reporting, air dispersion modeling, and regulatory plan development. H has prepared and supervised construction permitting applications for numerous clients in all sectors of the oil and gas industry. Additionally, he teaches Trinity’s Air Quality Permitting in Ohio course. Wheeler earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Heath Work

Heath Work is Vice President and General Manager of the Oklahoma City Division of EOG Resources. He has worked for EOG since 2006 and previously served as Drilling Engineer, Drilling Manager, and Operations Manager at EOG. He has worked in multiple divisions within the organization, including the San Antonio, Tyler, and Midland Divisions. Heath earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Oklahoma.

Ezra Y. Yacob

Ezra Y. Yacob is CEO and Director of EOG Resources, Inc., one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States with proved reserves in the U.S., Trinidad and China. He has also served in several other capacities with the company. He joined EOG in 2005 as a Geoscience Associate. Before joining EOG, Mr. Yacob worked for the Minerals Division at the United States Geological Survey. Mr. Yacob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Puget Sound, a Master of Science degree in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines and a Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Texas at Tyler.

Timothy Gallagher

As President and Chief Executive Officer since 2006, Timothy Gallagher oversees ReliabilityFirst, one of the six federally recognized Regional Entities charged with setting and enforcing mandatory reliability standards, as well as assessing and reporting on the expected reliability performance of the Bulk Electric System in thirteen states and the District of Columbia. Prior to joining ReliabilityFirst, Mr. Gallagher was a senior executive at GridAmerica, LLC, the nation’s first multi-system independent transmission company. His background is centered squarely in electric system reliability, having spent time on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) staff where he was responsible for NERC’s compliance, standards, and reliability assessment programs. Before his tenure at NERC, Mr. Gallagher worked in the electric power industry in a variety of engineering and leadership positions in electric system planning, system protection and system operations.

Jake Holland

Jake Holland is the Engineering and Data Manager at Pin Oak Energy Partners, an operator of 3,000+ conventional and unconventional wells across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. As Engineering and Data Manager, Jake is responsible for supporting daily operations via data collection, reporting, engineering, and compliance. He has nearly 15 years’ experience in Appalachia oil and gas, starting with Chesapeake’s original Utica team in 2011. Jake received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Akron in 2009. He lives in Akron with his wife, Kristin, and two boys.

Tyler Levengood

Tyler Levengood is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day production operations at Sound Energy Company. A graduate of Ohio University, Tyler spent the early years of his professional career as a business intelligence (BI) consultant before returning to the family business in 2014. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association Producers Committee. He resides in New Philadelphia, OH with his wife, Kaylan, and their 3 children Emilia, Bennett, and Collins.

Dr. Scott A. Smitson

Dr. Scott A. Smitson is a Strategist, Global Futures Forecaster, Political Scientist, and Educator. He is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Geopolitics, Incorporated, which advises investors and private sector decision-makers in understanding the impact of geopolitics on the risks and opportunities in foreign and domestic markets, particularly at the interface of energy, finance, and international security. He is also the Director of the Grand Strategy Program at Denison University and was a Chamberlain Fellow and Visiting Professor of Political Science at Amherst College. Dr. Smitson has served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy and has held adjunct professorships at Georgetown University, Florida International University (FIU), University of Miami, and with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University. He earned a Joint PhD in Political Science and Public Policy from Indiana University’s School of Environmental and Public Affairs (SPEA) as well as a MA in Political Science. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate at The Ohio State University.

Chet Thompson

Chet Thompson has been President and CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) since 2015. Prior to joining AFPM, Thompson was a partner at Crowell & Moring LLP, where he was chairman of the Environment & Natural Resources Group. He previously served as deputy general counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the George W. Bush Administration. Before joining EPA in 2004, he spent 10 years at Collier Shannon Scott PLLC. Thompson holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and a J.D. from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law.

Eric Vendel

Eric Vendel has worked at ODNR since 2012 and currently serves as the chief of the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management. He previously served as an attorney with the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. He holds a J.D. from Capital University Law School, a master’s degree in organic chemistry from The Ohio State University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wittenberg University.