Appalachian Land Institute

Gretchen Addington, MS, CE

Project Manager, Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Ms. Addington is an ecologist and plant biologist with over 15 years of experience spanning primary research and regulatory compliance, specializing in threatened and endangered plant surveys, invasive species management, and comprehensive compliance strategies. She has supported permitting and regulatory coordination for projects across oil and gas, utility‑scale and community solar, electric infrastructure, and real estate development throughout much of the United States, with focus areas including PA, OH, WV, NY, IL, IN, VA, NC, SC, LA, TX, and OK. Her regulatory background includes work with FERC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, multiple U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts, and numerous state and local agencies, developing successful strategies that address Water Quality Certifications, Public Service Commission requirements, species protection regulations, water use and discharge standards, and local ordinances while collaborating closely with community stakeholders.

Bridget Furbee

Member, Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC

Bridget Furbee is a member in the Bridgeport office of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC and former Practice Group Leader in the firm’s Energy Department. She is a member of EMLF and formerly served on the Board of Trustees. Bridget has extensive experience in major transactions as well as litigation and regulatory proceedings in the oil and gas industry and has represented production and midstream clients in transactional, operations, and litigation matters, including class action claims. With over 30 years in the industry, Bridget brings a practical perspective to find legal solutions to various types of contract disputes, including joint operating agreements, farmouts, leases, and gas contracts. She is also recognized as The Best Lawyers in America® for Energy Law, Commercial Litigation, and Oil and Gas Law.

Andrew Graham

Member, Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC

Andy Graham has practiced energy and mineral law with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC over the last 22 years in Texas and West Virginia, focusing on title examinations, assisting clients buying or selling mineral, midstream and renewable energy assets, and handling surface use issues arising from energy development. He also teaches energy land management at West Virginia University, writes about energy law developments for the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law’s Mineral and Energy Law Newsletter, and serves as a trustee of the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation.  He has been included in Woodward/White’s The Best Lawyers in America® for Real Estate Law every year since 2012.  He graduated from Shepherd College and the West Virginia University College of Law, and he is admitted to practice law in West Virginia, Texas, and Ohio.

Ashley Neptune

Project Manager, Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Ms. Neptune is a civil and environmental engineer with over 10 years of experience in the natural gas industry, commercial and residential development and in the municipal sector throughout much of PA, OH, and WV. She has worked across all stages of a project’s life cycle, from due diligence and planning, to permitting and design, then to construction. Over the years she has worked on numerous permit applications for earth disturbance, stormwater management, streams and wetlands, and erosion and sediment control. Her knowledge and experience in permitting has allowed her to establish positive professional relationships with the agency reviewers in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, WV DEP, and numerous local agencies and municipalities.

Kevin Pierson

Broker and Owner, Blue Duck Resources

Kevin Pierson is an accomplished Energy Professional, Entrepreneur, and second-generation Landman based in Morgantown, West Virginia. As the founder of Blue Duck Resources, his extensive expertise covers a full range of professional land services, project management, and corporate staffing across multiple industries, including Oil & Gas, Coal, Renewables, and other specialized acquisition-based projects. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Kevin is deeply committed to industry leadership, education, and mentorship. He currently serves as President of the Michael Late Benedum Chapter of the AAPL (MLBC) and maintains active affiliations with the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), the International Right of Way Association (IRWA), the Ohio Oil & Gas Association (OOGA), and the West Virginia Oil & Gas Association (GO-WV). Additionally, Kevin owns and operates Concezio Capital Corporation LLC (CCC, LLC), specializing in real estate investment properties.

Kyle Reynolds

President, AAPL

Kyle Reynolds, CPL, is a managing member for RBG Permian LLC. He previously worked for Chesapeake Energy in Oklahoma City in the Permian, Eagle Ford and New Ventures groups as well as led a number of cross-functional steering committees. He then moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to lead Energen Resource Corp.’s business development team and served as manager over Permian and mineral assets.

He also co-owns several companies: Benjamin Lee Bison, a direct-to-consumer meat business; Fair-Weather Friend, an Oklahoma City brewpub; and Greenway Capital Partners, a real estate investment firm.

Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Arts in writing from the University of Central Arkansas and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law. He is an active member of the American Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association, Oklahoma Bar Association, Permian Basin Landmen’s Association, Fort Smith Association of Professional Landmen and Urban Land Institute. Over the years he has served in many AAPL leadership roles, including first vice president in 2024-25, treasurer in 2020-21, Black Warrior Association of Professional Landmen director and chairman of the Marketing Committee, the Sustainability Taskforce, and  the Bylaws, Policy and Procedures Rewrite Taskforce. He also has served as a member of the Blankenship Student Awareness Initiative, Finance Committee, Investment Advisory Committee and NAPE Operators Committee.

Reynolds and his wife, Amy, have three beautiful children: Lila, Anne Douglas and Hardin. He enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, and all things Razorbacks sports, including writing weekly articles for The Pig Sty.

Bruce Tague

Executive Director, Ohio Natural Energy Institute

Bruce L. Tague was named the Executive Director of the Ohio Natural Energy Institute in 2023. Tague brings over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sector to his newest role. He worked for years in public policy, state, and federal government. This includes his important work with the construction and completion of the NEXUS pipeline. When he is not traveling across Ohio to educate the public on the state’s immense natural resources or serving as President of the Ohio Geological Society (OGS), he enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and attending Dirt Track racing events. Bruce resides in Knox County, Ohio with his wife and two sons along with their dogs Condi and Maggie.