The UW School of Energy Resources is pleased to host the Rocky Mountain Professional Landman Conference. The forum seeks to bring together industry professionals and PLM alumni in the rocky mountain region to showcase the esteemed profession, and discuss career paths & opportunities for future graduates.
Learn more about our prestigious speakers, panelists and moderators for the conference.
President of Masonboro Energy & President of the American Association of Professional Landmen
Nancy McCaskell, CPL, is president of Masonboro Energy LLC, a consulting firm focused on energy and landwork. During more than three decades of managing and leading acquisitions, divestitures and negotiations, she has held leadership positions with Pitts Oil Company, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., J-W Operating Co. and Coda Energy Inc. Her experience stretches across the Barnett, Haynesville, Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Eagle Ford, Permian, San Juan, Fayetteville and Anadarko basins. In addition, McCaskell has acted as a liaison with state oil and gas associations and regulatory bodies. She counts working with the Louisiana Office of Conservation to create new policies allowing for cross unit wells as a career highlight. Active in leadership roles at the local and national level, McCaskell sits on the Dallas Association of Petroleum Landmen board of directors and serves as AAPL’s president — only the second female in the association’s 70-year history to hold the role. Among her honors, she was named DAPL’s 2023 Landman of Year and received AAPL’s 2020 Blankenship Family Horizon Award, which recognizes an exceptional female land professional and role model. Additionally, McCaskell is an advisory member to the University of Oklahoma College of Law MLS and LLM programs in energy and natural resources, and she has served on several community nonprofit boards. She and her spouse, the Rev. Mary Stewart Hall, live in Dallas and enjoy traveling, art and music.
Executive Director, UW School of Energy Resources
Holly Krutka is the Executive Director of the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming. She came to the university after serving as the Vice President for coal generation and emissions technologies at Peabody, the world’s largest private-sector coal producer. Dr. Krutka has spent much of her career focusing on technology and policy pathways to advance carbon capture as well as identifying nontraditional coal-consumption opportunities. Before joining Peabody, she worked as a senior research and development analyst for Tri-State Generation and Transmission, an electric generation and transmission cooperative based in Westminster, Colo.; as executive editor of Cornerstone, The Official Journal of the World Coal Industry, employed by the Chinese state-owned energy company Shenhua Group; and as a research scientist and senior research engineer with ADA Environmental Solutions in Highlands Ranch, Colo., where she was tasked with launching a carbon capture research program.
Associate Dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and a Wyoming Excellence Chair at the University of Wyoming
Temple Stoellinger is the Associate Dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and a Wyoming Excellence Chair at the University of Wyoming. She holds a dual appointment in the Haub School and the College of Law, where she co-directs the Gina Guy Center for Land and Water Law. She also leads the Haub School’s JD/MA program in Environment and Natural Resources and teaches courses in wildlife law, public land law, environmental law, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Professor Stoellinger’s research focuses on a broad spectrum of environmental and natural resource law and policy issues, including wildlife conservation, endangered species protection, energy development, and public and private land management and conservation. Her work often emphasizes the unique challenges and opportunities within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the American West.
Before joining the University of Wyoming, she served as a natural resource advisor to Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, legal counsel for Shell International B.V., and natural resource counsel for the Wyoming County Commissioners Association.
She currently serves as an at-large Trustee for FNREL, a member of the ABA SEER NR&E Editorial Board, and co-chair of the ABA SEER Biodiversity Committee. Additionally, she is a Senior Fellow with PERC and an adjunct faculty member with the School of Energy Resources.
Esq., Managing Member, The Law Office of Aaron D. Bieber, PLLC
Aaron Bieber is a Natural Resources and Real Estate Law attorney in Sugar Land, Texas. With nearly two decades of experience in legal practice, he manages a firm dedicated to oil & gas and energy law, land, ranch and agriculture, and real estate. He graduated from the University of Wyoming where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Sciences as well as a Master of Public Administration before attending the UW College of Law for his Juris Doctor. He is licensed to practice law in Wyoming and Texas.
Certified Professional Landman
Jerris Johnson is a seasoned Certified Professional Landman with extensive experience in the energy sector. As an AI strategist and consultant, Jerris develops and implements innovative solutions for the land profession and energy industry. He is the co-host of “The Real Deal Landman Show” podcast and an active volunteer with the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), dedicated to advancing the profession and supporting his peers.
CPL, Wyoming Senate
Vice President of the Land at Samson Energy Company
Will serves as Vice President of Land at Samson Energy Company. He is responsible for leading all aspects of land management, including A&D and due diligence efforts, asset planning and development, and strategic negotiations. With over 15 years of experience in the energy industry, Will has been involved in upstream E&P transactions amounting to over $8 billion over the course of his career. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Will manages investments for his family office, achieving a 4.2X MOIC since 2021. Recognized as a member of Ingram's Magazine 2023 class of 40 Under 40, Will holds B.B.A. degrees in Energy Management and Finance from the University of Oklahoma. He is based in Mission Hills, KS, and enjoys an active lifestyle with his wife and four children (all under the age of 7), including playing and watching sports, traveling, and community involvement.
Student, President for the Student Chapter of Energy Resources
Kendall Klos is a senior in the UW School of Energy Resources Professional Land Management program set to graduate in May 2025. Kendall currently serves as the President for the Student Chapter of Energy Resources (SCER) to finish out her four years of involvement and serving as four different officers in the student organization. She also volunteers her time to the Navigators campus ministry on campus and Albany County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team in town. During the summer of 2023, Kendall interned with ConocoPhillips as a Land Negotiator in Midland, Texas and represented the University of Wyoming at AAPL’s Annual Meeting in Huntington Beach, California. Kendall has also represented the School of Energy Resources at NAPE, Petroleum Association of Wyoming Annual Conference, DAPL’s Landman Institute, always serving SER well as a representative. Kendall now is an intern with Shanor & Franklin LLC and has been nominated as the University of Wyoming’s AAPL’s Outstanding Graduate. Kendall is currently a finalist of all nominated students at accredited AAPL schools.
Shareholder Attorney at Beatty & Wozniak, P.C
Jacob (Jake) T. Haseman is a Shareholder Attorney at Beatty & Wozniak, P.C. in Sheridan, WY. A 2007 graduate of the University of Wyoming College of Law, Jake maintains an active energy and natural resource-based legal practice focused on oil, gas, and water; particularly regulatory and administrative work in front of various state and federal regulatory bodies, title examination and curative, litigation surrounding oil and gas, real property, contracts, and title issues, real estate transactions, eminent domain, and various title and contractual surface issues for a variety of parties in the energy and natural resources sector. Jake also serves as the current Board Chair of the University of Wyoming’s Professional Land Management Industry Advisory Board.
Shareholder at Williams, Porter, Day & Neville, P.C.
Will Reese earned his J.D.from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2011.
Will worked at Beatty & Wozniak, P.C. starting in 2011 and focuses his practice primarily on the Oil and Gas Industry with a special emphasis on title examination, acquisitions and divestitures and representing clients in front of the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Will joined Williams, Porter, Day & Neville, P.C. in 2015.
Will is an active participant in the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation including authoring chapters in the Landman’s legal handbook and the Law of Federal Oil and Gas Leases.
CPL and co-founder and partner at Tall Cotton Energy, LLC and Rising Star Energy Partners LLC
Jason Maloy, CPL, is co-founder and partner at Tall Cotton Energy, LLC and Rising
Star Energy Partners, LLC, both based in Dallas. He earned undergraduate and graduate
degrees from AAPL-accredited programs at the University of Oklahoma and later worked
as a Landman for Encana and RSP Permian. He has worked on more than $17 billion worth
of acquisition and development deals while assembling and managing hundreds of thousands
of prime acreage across the U.S. His latest operating company is exploring for, and
producing, oil and gas on the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin, where they recently
eclipsed the one-million-barrel production mark. He is a proven energy executive,
sourcing deals, developing assets, and exiting while returning capital to partners.
He has worked many states, regions and facets of the energy industry while creating
value and managing assets and staff for successful energy companies, including working
in both the traditional and transitional energy space.
He and his wife, Dr. Lezlie Maloy, enjoy participating in philanthropic events and
created the MP Foundation for ALS Awareness to honor a co-worker who died with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis. In 2008 he completed Ironman Florida to help raise more than $56,000
for a scholarship at OU in memory of a fellow landman and DAPL member. To date he
has completed more than 90 multisport events, including six Ironman Triathlons and
over 20 marathons. In the fall he enjoys traveling to Norman to watch football with
his wife and sons.
Director of Permitting Services at Uintah Engineering & Land Surveying
Amy Doebele is the Director of Permitting Services at Uintah Engineering & Land Surveying (UELS, LLC), where she manages a team of permitting and regulatory consultants for clients and industry operators across the Rocky Mountain region. She earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Wyoming, School of Energy Resources in Energy Resource Management/Development in 2013 and began her career working in regulatory affairs in Wyoming, Colorado & Texas. She has worked in the energy industry in multiple capacities, ranging from private operations, state regulating authority and now as an industry consultant. She works closely with oil & gas operators to navigate local, state and federal regulation changes and planning & permitting practices throughout Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico & Texas.
Director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Angi Bruce is the director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. She has been a key figure in the department since April 2019, when she previously served as the deputy director of external affairs. Her work has been instrumental in addressing complex fish and wildlife management issues, including oversight of significant projects such as migration corridors and sage grouse policy. Her career includes previous roles as the Game and Fish habitat protection supervisor and assistant wildlife bureau chief with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. She is the first female director in the department’s 51-year history.
Executive Director of Development for NextEra Energy Resources
Ryan Fitzpatrick serves as Executive Director, Development for NextEra Energy Resources and has been developing renewables in Wyoming and the West since 2008. As a Cheyenne native and University of Wyoming graduate (BS Marketing, 2004, MBA, 2007), Ryan takes great pride in developing projects that deliver value to the residents of Wyoming. During his career, he has managed the development of over 3 gigawatts of solar, storage and wind projects now operating across the Mountain West region. Ryan currently lives in Fort Collins and spends his free time chauffeuring kids to youth sports and attending Wyoming basketball and football games.
Manager of Stakeholder Engagement for Enbridge
April Holdren is the Manager for Stakeholder Engagement with Enbridge leading a team covering seven states with liquids pipeline assets in Wyoming. She is also responsible for stakeholder engagement for Enbridge’s wind and solar projects in the U.S. Throughout her career, she has worked extensively with and within industry developing and implementing management systems to measure social performance with communities and Native Nations to identify and implement mutually beneficial community development projects as part of mitigation for development projects.
Manager of Environmental and Land for DISA
Fred is the Environmental Land Manager for DISA Technologies in Casper, responsible for managing land operations for mine reclamation. His responsibilities include determining ownership, developing and managing landowner relations, drafting agreements, initial site inspection & preliminary sampling. He works closely with the legal, engineering and regulatory components of our reclamation business. Prior to joining DISA, he was the Senior Manager Land-West, for Peabody Energy, responsible for the management of land and leases at 7 different mine sites in 4 states. Before joining Peabody to that he was a Realty Specialist with the General Services Administration in Ft. Worth TX, and a Subject Mater Expert with Boeing in the field of Hyperspectral Imagery. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BS Energy Resource Management & Development, with a concentration of Profession Land Management. He is also a proud 13-year Air Force Veteran. Freed is on the Industry Advisory Board for the UW School if Energy Resources – Professional Land Manager concentration. He is a Registered Landman with the American Association of Professional Landmen.
Senior Land Advisor Devon Energy Corp. & Board Memember for the Wyoming-Montana Safety Council
Preston T. Farnsworth is a fourth generation Wyomingite, born in Laramie, and raised in Newcastle where he graduated High School. He attended the University of Nebraska-Kearney and graduated with a BS in Journalism in 2003, he also attended the University of Wyoming College of Law, graduating in 2007 with his Juris Doctor. For the past decade plus, Mr. Farnsworth has worked as a Senior Land Advisor for Devon Energy Corporation, where he has overseen surface and regulatory issues in the Rockies Business Unit. He is also an active board member for the Wyoming-Montana Safety Council.
Land Manager at Uranium Energy Corp
Montgomery Hughes serves as the Wyoming Land Manager at Uranium Energy Corp (UEC), where he is responsible for managing and expanding the company’s land position in the state. He is instrumental in securing both surface and mineral rights essential for the delineation and development of uranium deposits, contributing to the successful advancement of UEC’s uranium production operations. Mr. Hughes earned his Registered Landman (RL) certification in 2024 and is a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) and the Wyoming Association of Professional Landmen (WAPL). Montgomery holds a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Land Management from the University of Wyoming, where he graduated in 2023. During his time at the university, he served as President of the Student Chapter of Energy Resources, Student Liaison for the Wyoming Association of Professional Landmen, and as a Senator for the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming, representing the School of Energy Resources.
Senior Environmental Technician at Peabody
As a Senior Environmental Technician at Peabody’s North Antelope Rochelle Mine, Paul’s current position allows him to focus on all aspects of the planning, implementation, and husbandry of more than 14,500 acres of successful and sustainable reclamation so far. As the reclamation practitioner at the world’s largest surface coal mine, he works closely with Peabody’s landman to implement post mine land uses including leases for domestic grazing and wildlife habitat. With more than 33 years of experience in the reclamation of semi-arid ecosystems, he has implemented over 7500 acres of final bond release at NARM. He has also successfully reclaimed thousands of miles of infrastructure and locations of energy resources in the southwest US. While he utilizes best management practices and best available technology, he understands that failures can improve your results. He strives for excellence in others with knowledge and experience transfer at industry conferences and university lectures.
Facilities Engineer at Devon Energy
Beau Hill is a Facilities Engineer at Devon Energy with 13 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with a water resources emphasis, from the University of Wyoming, earned in 2006.
Throughout his career, Beau has specialized in water management and process design, contributing to innovative solutions that optimize water sourcing, conveyance, management, and recycling in oil and gas operations. His expertise has positioned him as a trusted resource on sustainable water use and its critical role in the life cycle of oil and gas wells.
In addition to his professional achievements, Beau is passionate about sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and supporting the development of efficient resource management strategies.
Outside of work, Beau enjoys fly fishing, golf, and exploring his love for cars. As a proud University of Wyoming alumnus, he is an avid supporter of UW athletics and takes great pride in staying connected to the Cowboy community.
Owner, Shanor & Franklin LLC
Caroline founded Shanor & Franklin, LLC in 2014, where she focuses on transactional and title matters for the energy and mining industries. Her practice emphasizes complex oil and gas title issues, including federal exploratory units. Caroline also has extensive experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts in oil and gas, mining, and real estate transactions, and she enjoys serving as an expert witness in cases involving title and real property rights. She earned her undergraduate degree from Columbia University and her J.D. from South Texas College of Law. Caroline is licensed to practice law in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. In addition to her professional practice, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources and serves on the Board of the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission.
Oil and Gas Program Manager, Center for Economic Geology Research in the School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming
Dr. Fischer recently joined the Center for Economic Development in the School of Energy Resources as the Oil & Gas Program Manager after a 12-year career at Chevron in Houston, TX. As a member of the Chevron Technology Center, he worked as a senior research scientist and petrophysicist with a focus on core-to-log integration and the petrophysics of unconventional reservoirs. He has studied and analyzed rocks and logs from unconventional plays worldwide and led major research projects on pore structure characterization and how variability in rock properties alters wireline log responses.
Prior to joining Chevron, he worked at Miami University on electron microscopy of clay-bacteria interactions, a continuation of his graduate work at Penn State on the crystallographic evolution of oxide minerals in near-surface environments. He also conducted undergraduate research at the University of Arizona on the carbon isotope disequilibrium in cave air and soils.
Natural Resource Manager at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
Joe Scott serves as the Natural Resources Manager at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. He has worked for the Commission for 9 years covering a wide range of duties. He is responsible for managing Underground Injection Control, compliance and enforcement, spils, sage-grouse executive order implementation. He is also heavily involved in policy decisions and rule making, tracking state and national legislation and litigation, and interagency coordination with state and federal agencies. Prior to working at the Commission Joe spent 10 years in environmental consulting at Intertech E&E, LLC/Apex Environmental and Tetra Tech working a variety of environmental tasks for a multitude of industries. Joe Scott earned his Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University.
Valuation Analyst at Shell Oil Company
AAPL Outstanding Graduate of the Year in 2018
Samuel Mallory works at Shell Oil Company as a Valuation Analyst, leading economic and financial analysis to support new business development projects across the Shell portfolio. Since joining in 2018, Sam has been in Shell’s Upstream and Integrated Gas commercial leadership development program working roles across the business to develop a broad knowledge of the energy industry and a comprehensive skillset to become a future leader. Sam holds a bachelor of science degree, graduating summa cum laude, from the University of Wyoming in Energy Resource Management and Development with a concentration in Professional Land Management and minor in the Honors Program. He was the recipient of the American Association of Professional Landmen’s Outstanding Graduate award and a finalist for the University of Wyoming’s Tobin Memorial Outstanding Graduate award.
https://www.landman.org/resources/becoming-a-landman/undergraduate-graduate-resources
