Conducting Our Business With Integrity
Board of Directors
Self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur, Chris Wright serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Liberty Energy. Chris is a dedicated humanitarian with a passion for bringing the benefits of energy to every community in the world. This passion has inspired a career in energy working not only in oil and gas but also fusion, solar, and geothermal. Chris embraces all sources of energy if they are abundant, affordable, and reliable.
Chris has become a bold advocate, bringing rational thought to the energy dialogue. He has spoken on energy and the merits of the Shale Revolution to the UK House of Lords, and state and federal lawmakers, with multiple appearances on network TV, documentaries, and podcasts. Recently, Chris’ #ThankYouNorthFace campaign went viral with over 5 million views, forcing a sober discussion on the multiple uses of oil and gas in products.
Chris completed an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and graduate work in Electrical Engineering at both UC Berkeley and MIT. Chris founded Pinnacle Technologies and served as CEO from 1992 to 2006. Pinnacle created the hydraulic fracture mapping industry and its innovations helped launch commercial shale gas production in the late 1990s. Chris was Chairman of Stroud Energy, an early shale gas producer, before its sale to Range Resources in 2006. Additionally, Chris founded and serves as Executive Chairman of Liberty Resources and Liberty Midstream Solutions and also sits on the Board of Directors for Urban Solutions Group, and the Federal Reserve Bank, Denver Branch.
Chris grew up and currently lives in Colorado with his wife, Liz. He is a passionate father, skier, cyclist, climber, and outdoor enthusiast. He serves on the board of numerous nonprofits including PERC, ACE Colorado, ACE Montana, PRI, and the YCCF.
William (Bill) Kimble retired from KPMG LLP in February 2015, one of the largest audit, tax, and advisory services firms in the world. While at KMPG, Bill served as Office Managing Partner for the Atlanta office and Managing Partner – Southeastern United States, where he was responsible for the firm’s audit, advisory, and tax operations from 2009 until his retirement. Bill was also responsible for moderating KPMG’s Audit Committee Institute and Audit Committee Chair Sessions. Until his retirement, Bill had been with KPMG or its predecessor firm since 1986. During his tenure with KPMG, Bill held numerous senior leadership positions, including Global Chairman of Industrial Markets. Bill also served as KPMG’s Energy Sector Leader for approximately 10 years and was the executive director of KPMG’s Global Energy Institute. Bill Kimble received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Peter Dea has been the Executive Chairman of Confluence Resources LP since September 2016. He has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cirque Resources LP, a private oil and gas company, since May 2007. From November 2001 through August 2006, Peter was President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of Western Gas Resources, Inc. (a public natural gas company that was sold in 2006 for approximately US$5.3 billion). Peter joined Barrett Resources Corporation (a public natural gas company that was sold in 2001 for approximately US$2.7 billion) in November 1993 and served as Chief Executive Officer and director from November 1999 and as Chairman from February 2000 through August 2001. Prior to that, he held several managerial and geologic positions with Exxon Company, U.S.A. Skills and Qualifications. Peter brings over 30 years of oil and gas exploration and production experience and involvement in state and national energy policies to the Board. Peter Dea has a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Western State Colorado University and a Masters of Science in Geology from the University of Montana.
Gale Norton was appointed to our Board in July 2019. Gale has been the President of Norton Regulatory Strategies, a consulting firm, since 2011. From 2007 to 2010, she served as General Counsel, Unconventional Oil, of Royal Dutch Shell, an international oil and natural gas company. Prior to joining Shell, Gale served as the Secretary of the Interior of the United States under President George W. Bush from 2001 until 2006 and as the Attorney General of the State of Colorado from 1991 until 1999. Gale holds Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Denver. Gale is a director of American Transmission Company, a private company in the electric utility industry. She is a Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Simon Ayat has served as Senior Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer for Schlumberger, an international oilfield services and technology company, since January 2020. From March 2007 until his retirement in January 2020, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Schlumberger. Simon has held several financial and operational positions in Schamberger, where he commenced his career in 1982. He was based in Paris, Houston, and Dallas, as well as in the Middle East and Far East regions, serving as group treasurer, controller, Geomarket manager for Indonesia, and drilling regional vice president for Asia Pacific. Simon is also a member of the board of directors of Tenaris S.A., a manufacturer of pipes and related services for energy and industrial applications, and Eurasia Drilling Company, the largest provider of drilling services in Russia. He is a French and Lebanese citizen.
Ken Babcock is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Abaco Energy Technologies, a private Houston-based company that was formed by Riverstone in 2013 to focus on opportunities in manufacturing and services related to North American drilling, completion, production, and associated infrastructure. Prior to joining Abaco, Ken was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Titan Specialties, a Riverstone portfolio company, from 2008 until its sale to Hunting PLC in September 2011. Following the sale, he remained at Titan until June 2012. Prior to joining Titan, from 2005 until 2008, Ken served as President and Chief Executive Officer of International Logging, Inc. (“ILI”), also a Riverstone portfolio company, where he took a narrowly focused mud logging company of over 300 employees to a diverse well site services organization of over 1,800 employees spread over 60 countries in a little over two years. Prior to joining ILI, Ken was Director of Strategic Sales at Baker Hughes INTEQ and Vice President of Business Development at Noble Technology Services. Ken began his career with EXLOG in 1980. Ken Babcock has a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Florida State University.
James R. McDonald has been Senior Vice President of Investor Relations for SLB, an international oilfield services and technology company, since April 2023. Previously, he served as SLB’s President, Americas Land from June 2020 – April 2023 and President, Well Services from April 2018 – June 2020. Throughout his more than 20-year career at SLB, James has held global leadership positions spanning line management, operations, quality and safety, and business development in both land and offshore environments. His assignments spanned North America, South America, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. He is actively engaged within the industry and community, also currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Permian Strategic Partnership, and is a member of the Upstream and Service Supply and Technology Committees for the American Petroleum Institute. James holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ms. Robertson has served as the co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Franklin Mountain Energy, LLC, a private oil and gas company operating in the Permian Basin since September 2018. She also serves as a co-founder and Managing Partner of Copper Trail Partners, LLC, a private equity platform based in Denver since November 2017. From 2005 to 2016, she served as a Partner and Senior Managing Director at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. Prior thereto, she was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs & Co. Ms. Robertson has been a Director of Bonanza Creek Energy, LLC since January 2020 and served on the board of directors of Extraction Oil and Gas, LLC from September 2019 to January 2021. She has served on the boards of several private companies and not-for-profit organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California.
Cary has been a Managing Director at Shea Ventures, an investment firm, since October 2014. From 2007 to 2014, Cary served as a Managing Director at the Oakmont Corporation, an investment firm. Cary is also a director at Liberty Resources and is a Chartered Financial Analyst® charter holder. Cary Steinbeck has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Employee Ownership ▸
~15% Employee Owners
Liberty fosters an entrepreneurial workplace where employees have the autonomy to take ownership of their work and grow professionally. As part of our annual goal-setting and professional development programs, we offer restricted stock units to attract, engage, retain, and reward our employees. Employee ownership aligns our employees’ work with Liberty’s strategic decisions, supporting both our long-term business model and our people.