Alumni Kim and Andy Krieger Enjoy Lifelong Career at BP

From the Arctic to the equator, Kim and Andy Krieger have used the knowledge and technical skills they learned at the University of Wyoming to advance their careers—and traveled the world in the process.

Kim Olson (B.A. ’96, petroleum engineering) and Andy Krieger (M.S. ’96, petroleum engineering) met at UW, both pursuing similar interests in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Though there were other offers on the table, the soon-to-be-married couple took jobs with BP in Alaska. After five years in Alaska, BP challenged them with an international assignment in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with Andy pursuing a career in drilling and Kim in production.

“We’ve always been able to move together with the company because where there’s drilling, you need the engineers and the expertise to operate the production,” she says. “It’s worked out really well for us.”

Living in Port of Spain for four years, Kim and Andy took in the culture and welcomed their first of two daughters. Moving back to the United States, Kim and Andy settled in Houston, where their British company has a large footprint.

Today, the Kriegers hold prominent positions at BP. Kim is the chief operating officer for production at BPX Energy, a subsidiary of BP that manages its onshore shale assets in the lower 48. Andy, meanwhile, is head of global wells for the multinational corporation.

“All of the drilling rigs, on shore, off shore, around the world that are working for BP work for me,” he says. “And I have accountability for the safety of those operations as well as their performance and financial delivery.”

Though the two have reached great heights during their 23 years with BP, they have not forgotten the university that helped launch their careers. The couple has hosted UW students in Houston and even kick-started the Krieger Family K-12 Engineering Outreach Fund, putting young students in touch with what UW has to offer.

“UW gave me a differential ability to contribute to the team because I had a deep working knowledge of the petroleum industry,” Kim says. “I was able to contribute technically, at higher levels, early on.”

Both Andy and Kim are grateful for the opportunities they found in Laramie and the people they got to meet.

“Some of those relationships with faculty and staff carried well into our professional careers,” Andy says. “It wasn’t a place where ‘when you were done, you were done.’ We actually stayed in touch for a number of years, and are even still in touch with some folks.”

The Kriegers’ connection to UW might grow even stronger in the coming years, as their daughters begin to consider different universities. Their oldest, now in high school, recently visited UW’s Laramie campus, attending a STEM camp last summer.

“There’s a magic about being up there in the summertime with that lovely weather, beautiful scenery and great facilities,” Kim says.