TCU Global Energy Symposium

Dr. Dawn Buckingham’s family were among the first settlers to Texas nine generations ago, and that tough, independent, pioneer spirit is deeply rooted in her personality.

True to her Texas roots, Dawn’s commitment to service began early, serving as a volunteer firefighter, and attending the Texas A&M Fire School. She is also an avid hunter, outdoorswoman, and steward of the land.

Dawn made history in 2016 as the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County, and the first woman to represent Senate District 24. She later made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become our state’s first female Land Commissioner.

Dawn came from humble roots – growing up on a ranch near the Texas coast. However, she has never settled for less than her dreams. Wanting to attend college, but without the money to do so, Dawn lived at home, working two jobs to pay her own way through UT-Austin. With endurance of spirit, she graduated Magna Cum Laude and debt-free.

During college she met the love of her life and husband of 33 years, Ed Buckingham. Dawn and Ed both went on to receive medical degrees from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston before having two children and starting successful medical practices within their specialties.

Dawn Buckingham truly embodies the American Dream. Through hard work, a “never quit” attitude and perseverance, she has risen above her circumstances to become a self-made small business owner, serving others in her profession and as an elected official, and always giving back to her community.

Dawn describes herself as “the happiest Land Commissioner ever,” as every day she defends our state’s rich history, oil and gas industry, and our national border with Mexico.

As the chief steward to thirteen million acres of state land, Dawn acts as the largest land owner and mineral owner in the state in her capacity as Land Commissioner. The oil and gas revenue generated by mineral rights on these lands fund education and many veteran programs.

In her role as Land Commissioner, she is also vital to Texans recovering from disasters, and to the health of our coast.

Dawn’s greatest love is the Shrine of Liberty, the Alamo. Every day she works tirelessly on a large project to make a visit to the Alamo worthy of the significance of the events that happened there and to ensure the Alamo is standing proudly for years to come so our future generations can know and love our proud history.

Bio to come

Reid Calhoon is the CEO and Founder of ClimateWells, a carbon credit project developer focused on the early decommissioning of aging oil and gas infrastructure. Previously, Reid was the CEO of RunTitle, the largest mineral title database in the U.S.. Reid has over a decade of experience in energy transition systems. He and his family live in Austin, Texas.

Talal Debs is the Founder and CEO of Zefiro Methane and Founder and Managing Partner of X Machina Capital Strategies (“XMC”).

Prior, he spent 15 years at J.P. Morgan. With extensive energy and commodities experience, he served as chair of the bank’s oil and gas price deck committee, as well as in leadership roles covering infrastructure and commodities credit, insurance, and reservoir engineering and technical analysis. His finance background covers M&A and advisory, equity and debt capital markets, commodity trading and finance, risk, corporate and private equity-backed lending, physical and financial derivatives, and insurance.

Talal has over eight years’ experience as a researcher and lecturer within the technically demanding field of the foundations of quantum mechanics and relativity theory. He has served as a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University and on the teaching faculties of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the American University of Beirut.

Talal earned his AB in physics and the history of science from Harvard College, his MPhil in history and the philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge, and his PhD in the foundations of modern physics from the University of Cambridge.

Monte Dobson recently completed a 31-year career with ExxonMobil leading their business activities in India. In India, ExxonMobil is building on a long heritage including a pioneering role in establishing the India LNG market and growing chemicals and lubricants business. In the last decade, ExxonMobil has been leveraging the abundant talent ecosystem in India to build a rapidly-growing business that is providing technical and business services across the globe. The assignment has given Monte first-hand experience in how emerging governments and economies prioritize energy security, affordability, and emissions.

Monte is a passionate student of and innovator in the global energy industry. Monte spent over a decade in the shale business, rising to Senior Vice President of ExxonMobil-affiliate XTO Energy. He led a talented team there to build a world-class unconventional oil portfolio in over $10 billion of transactions. He subsequently formed and led a technology team which developed innovative technical solutions to make unconventional oil and gas more affordable and cleaner. Earlier leadership assignments included subsurface teams in Angola and the US.

Monte is an avid traveler and runner, having completed over 15 marathons including two Boston Marathons. He joined ExxonMobil in 1994 as a researcher in the ExxonMobil Production Research Company, and has led business and technical teams focused on Upstream assets from across the globe. Monte has a B.A. in Physics from Centenary College, B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mike Eros has over 18 years of experience building subsurface interpretations and leading multifunctional technical teams in the energy industry, most recently as Chief Geoscientist for a Houston-based startup geothermal and energy storage company, Sage Geosystems. Prior to Sage he developed energy and carbon capture assets in onshore and deepwater U.S., West Africa, and Guyana for over 10 years with ExxonMobil. With an MSc degree from the University of California, Davis in Geology and a BA in Geosciences from William College, Mike has also led public policy research for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and is a licensed Professional Geologist (P.Geo.) in Texas.

Whitney Landress is a geologist with 13+ years of experience in the energy industry, specializing in reservoir modeling, emissions monitoring, carbon offset strategy, and well-site data management. As CEO of Carbon X Credits and Director of Carbon Strategy at True Methane Technologies, Whitney has been at the forefront of the carbon offset space, contributing to the development and execution of projects under all three major carbon registries’ protocols for legacy well plugging.

Whitney’s career highlights include pioneering emissions measurement methodologies before the publication of official protocols, as well as her involvement in successful carbon offset projects. Her collaborations with organizations like the EPA, USGS, DOE, and NETL have established her as a thought leader in emissions monitoring and carbon offset strategy. Whitney’s expertise ensures that Carbon X and True Methane provides high-quality data that enables clients to meet compliance standards and achieve climate goals.

She earned a Master of Science (M.S) in Geosciences from the University of Tulsa and a Bachelor’s in Geology from Oklahoma State University. Her deep understanding of oil and gas operations has positioned her group as a key player in the carbon offset industry.

Scott Mitchell serves as CEO of Deep Blue, a JV between Five Point Energy and Diamondback formed in 2023, and the largest commercial water management company in the Midland Basin. He co-founded Deep Blue in 2020 with a vision to improve water management practices in the energy sector. Prior to Deep Blue, Scott co-founded and served as CEO of Waterfield Midstream. He also served in various upstream and midstream roles at Anadarko Petroleum and Western Midstream during his 13-year tenure there. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master's degree in geology from Brigham Young University. In addition to his role at Deep Blue, Scott has served as an advisory committee member for TexNet, a governor-appointed position, since 2020.

Megan Hays is a Managing Director on Kimmeridge’s public investment team. She has 15 years of experience working in various roles in investor relations, strategic communications, M&A, capital markets and ESG within publicly and privately held E&P companies. Prior to joining Kimmeridge, Megan served as the Vice President of Investor Relations at Cimarex Energy Co., where she led ESG engagement and reporting efforts and helped the company navigate its $19 billion merger with Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation. Previously, she was Vice President of Investor Relations and Public Affairs at Concho Resources, Inc., where she led investor relations in addition to developing and driving the company’s ESG strategy. During Megan’s tenure at Concho, she supported the company’s capital markets and A&D/M&A activities, including Concho's $9.5 billion acquisition of RSP Permian in 2018 and Concho's ultimate sale to ConocoPhillips for $10 billion in January 2021.

Megan holds a certificate for the Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She received a B.A. in Political Science (International Relations) from Texas Christian University, where she currently serves on the advisory board of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute at the Neeley School of Business.

Paul Riley received his Bachelor’s degree in Geoscience from Franklin and Marshall College in 2004. He then received a Master’s degree (2006) and a Doctorate degree (2010) in Structural Geology from the University of Wisconsin. He joined ExxonMobil in 2011, where he began working production opportunities in West Africa. From 2011-2018, he worked basins across Africa, South America, and the Middle East. In 2018, he became West Africa New Opportunities Supervisor, and has gone on to hold various leadership positions in business analysis, strategy, and operations. He is currently the Guyana Basin Exploration Manager, with his team generating and testing new ideas across northern South America.

Professional Experience
Keith Shoemaker has served as SVP of Commercial since March of 2020. At EQT, Keith leads all Commercial activities including Strategy, Physical and Financial Trading and Fundamental Analysis.

Prior to EQT, Keith led Rice Energy’s Marketing effort. Keith has managed trading teams at Louis Dreyfus, Phibro and Sempra Energy Trading and commodity desks at JP Morgan, BNP Paribas and Citizens Bank.

Education
Mr. Shoemaker holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from the University of Houston.

Industry/Community Leadership
Mr. Shoemaker serves on the board of Laurel Mountain Midstream and represents EQT at the AGA and LNG Allies.

Dr. Mike Slattery is chair of the department of environmental sciences and director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at TCU. Originally from South Africa, Slattery is an internationally trained geographer and environmental scientist. He holds a BA from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, an M.S. from the University of Toronto, Canada, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, England. He has written more than 100 scientific articles on a range of environmental issues, from human impacts on river systems to the socio-economic and environmental impacts of utility-scale wind farms. Slattery has testified before the United States Congress on mercury contamination from coal-fired power plants.

Slattery has worked in diverse landscapes across the world and has led several conservation programs in Costa Rica, including establishing a research station in the cloud forest and a program to protect the Green Macaw. In 2014, he launched the TCU Rhino Initiative, a collaboration with several nonprofit organizations and rhino conservationists in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, focused on saving this species in wild. The initiative was awarded the Senator Paul Simon Award by the Association of International Educators.

Kirby Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Harnyss, a global leader in hydrogen storage technologies. With over 25 years of executive leadership in operations, manufacturing, and sales, he has spearheaded groundbreaking advancements in renewable energy.

Kirby led the acquisition of Harnyss' hydrogen technology intellectual property in 2019, positioning the company for rapid commercialization and global deployment. Under his leadership, Harnyss has assembled a world-class team of scientists, engineers, and PhDs, while securing venture capital to expand its intellectual property portfolio. His strategic vision and expertise have accelerated the development of advanced solid-state hydrogen storage solutions, transforming energy storage and management worldwide.

A global strategist, Kirby has cultivated high-level partnerships with government and military agencies, facilitating the commercialization of hydrogen storage technologies across the Asia Pacific Rim, Central Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S. He has played a pivotal role in navigating regulatory landscapes, driving product innovation, optimizing manufacturing scalability, and expanding key distribution channels.

Beyond technology, Kirby is known for bridging the gap between scientific innovation and commercial viability. His ability to translate complex hydrogen storage technologies into market-ready solutions has positioned Harnyss at the forefront of the renewable energy sector. His expertise in global operations, supply chain management, and corporate fundraising has solidified Harnyss’ reputation as a disruptive force in sustainable energy.

Luis Suau is the Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Sinclair Digital and an independent Digital Building Consultant through his firm, Luis Suau Consulting LLC.

A 26-year Cisco veteran, Luis previously served as a Technical Leader in Cisco’s IoT Business Unit, playing a pivotal role in the development of Cisco’s Digital Ceiling and Digital Building Solutions. His expertise was instrumental in bringing to life the highly innovative Marriott Sinclair Hotel. After its completion, Luis left Cisco to pursue his passion for expanding Digital Building Systems, with a vision of transforming buildings into DC Microgrids.

Since 2008, he has been dedicated to IT Energy Management for Corporate Sustainability, contributing to initiatives such as Cisco’s EnergyWise protocol, Digital Ceiling, and Digital Building Solutions. He has collaborated with partners to develop PoE-powered building infrastructure, laying the groundwork for DC-based buildings.

Luis is a recognized speaker, having presented at industry events including CiscoLive, IES, NECA, and BICSI. He has contributed to Cisco’s annual Corporate Sustainability Report, helped launch Cisco’s Lab Energy Reduction initiatives, and supported Cisco’s submissions to the Greenpeace Cool IT Challenge. He is also a named inventor on five patents.

His career at Cisco began in 1993 as a Corporate Consulting Engineer, where he worked on groundbreaking technologies in Digital Video Transport, DOCSIS, and IBM Internetworking. With a career spanning back to 1980, Luis holds a BBA in Management Information Systems (MIS) from Florida International University.

Previously, he served on the Technical Advisory Board for DTV America Inc.. Outside of work, Luis enjoys automobiles, photography, and home improvement projects at his residence in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Thor Equities is a real estate focused 30+ year old investor developer with +$20B in AUM. Thor is active across a range of asset classes in Europe, Mexico, and the US. Thor operates a Data Center platform across Europe and the U.S. under the Form8tion Data Center brand.

Raj leads Thor/Form8tion’s Data Center investment and development program across the Americas. Raj previously held roles as lead for Data Center acquisitions across the Americas for Google and global head of Economic and Community Development(ECD).

Notable achievements include:

• Grew Google’s Data Center portfolio by over 2 GW
• Over $10B in Data Center capital assets deployed
• Data Cetner Site acquisition and capacity deployment in 10 Markets across 4 countries, Overseeing Data Center policy and public affairs for 22 markets across 14 countries
• Diligence and market assessments in over 25 countries (including time at Deloitte)

Raj holds a BA in Biology from Denison University and a JD from the University of NotreDame.

Ben Webster is MiQ’s Director of Policy, where he leads federal and state government relations initiatives. Ben has a long history in the energy and environmental policy space. Prior to joining MiQ, he led sustainability initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder, including as a member of the leadership team of CU’s graduate program in environmental management. He has served as a senior staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, as well as in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ben received his PhD, MA, and MPP degrees from Georgetown University, and his BA from Bates College.

Mr. Wesson has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since February 2022. Prior to his current position with us, he served as our Executive Vice President of Operations from March 2020 to February 2022, Senior Vice President of Operations from February 2019 to March 2020, Vice President of Operations from April 2017 to February 2019, our Completions Manager from January 2013 to April 2017 and as an Operations Engineer since joining us in February 2012. Before joining Diamondback, Mr. Wesson served in various operations and engineering roles for BOPCO from 2010 to 2012 and ConocoPhillips from 2007 to 2010.

Mr. Wesson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University and is a member of the Permian Basin Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Taylor is an Executive Director and the Head Operational Decarbonization at JPMorganChase. She is responsible for overseeing the firm's efforts to minimize the environmental impact of its daily operations. In addition, Taylor leads the firmwide operational carbon portfolio strategy, including identifying, evaluating, and sourcing carbon credits to achieve the firm’s sustainability goals. Under her leadership, the firm expanded its science-driven approach to help scale the growth and development of the voluntary carbon market.