Richard L. (Rich) Smith brings over 40 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, with a career spanning technical and managerial roles at Exxon and Dominion E&P. For the past 16 years, Rich held executive positions at Stone Energy, Venari Resources, and Red Willow Production. His primary focus was leading efforts in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, as well as U.S. Shale Play initiatives. Rich has served on the Boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana and the Houston Petroleum Club. He is currently on the Board of Alta Mar Energy and the Advisory Board for the Department of Geology & Geophysics at Texas A&M University. Rich graduated from Texas A&M with a B.S. in Marine Sciences and an M.S. in Geology and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2009. He lives with his wife, Kate, in The Woodlands, TX.