People

Feb. 1, 2014
Watford
Miller

The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) has named Mike Watford as chairman and Mark Miller as vice-chairman for the 2013-15 term. Watford has been chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Houston-based Ultra Petroleum since 1999, and Miller is president of Merlin Oil & Gas, a small onshore operation based in Lafayette, La. Watford and Miller assumed their positions at the IPAA Board of Directors meeting on Nov. 7.

IPAA President and CEO Barry Russell said the distinct but complementary backgrounds of Watford and Miller, combined with great records of civic engagement, will amplify IPAA's voice as the organization advocates for independent producers in Washington and beyond.

Chazen

Stephen Chazen has been elected to serve a 1-year term as chairman of the American Petroleum Institute's Board of Directors, effective on Jan. 1, 2013.

Chazen, president and CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corp, is succeeding Clarence Cazalot, executive chairman of Marathon Oil Corp. Chazen has more than 40 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry. He first joined Occidental in 1994 as executive vice-president of corporate development. Chazen holds a PhD in geology from Michigan State University, a master's in finance from the University of Houston, and a bachelor's in geology from Rutgers College.

FieldPoint Petroleum Corp. has appointed Philip Roberson to serve as president in addition to his role as chief financial officer. Roberson took over the company's operations in early 2013 after the passing of founder Ray Reaves. Before joining FieldPoint, Roberson was a founder of oil and gas independent AEG Operating LLC, where he took part in funding, acquisition, and operations. He also served as a director of energy investment banking at Tejas Securities Inc.

Penn Virginia Corp. has promoted John Brooks to executive vice-president and chief operating officer. Brooks played an important role in the development and expansion of the company's Eagle Ford shale position and has held several operational management roles at the company since 2002, most recently serving as executive vice president of operations. Brooks holds a bachelor's in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.