West Texas Energy Institute

William Burford

Partner, Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP

William B. Burford is a partner in the Midland, Texas, office of Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975, and is a 1978 graduate of the University of Texas Law School, where he was a member of the Texas Law Review.  He has practiced in Midland since his graduation, primarily in the area of oil and gas title and transactional matters.  He has served, since its inception, on the editorial board for the development of title examination standards established by the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law (REPTL) and Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law (OGERL) Sections of the State Bar of Texas and is a past chair of the OGERL Section.  He is the Texas reporter for the quarterly Mineral and Energy Law Newsletter published by the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (formerly the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation) and has served as a trustee of the Foundation. 

Jerris Johnson, CPL

Landman and Technology Advocate

Jerris Johnson, CPL, has more than 20 years of practice as a land professional in the oil, gas, and renewable energy industries. He advises companies on blending traditional workflows with improved data systems, technological advancements, and AI to help land departments and professionals maximize productivity and efficiency. He is grateful for opportunities to present and educate at regional and national conferences and corporate events. Jerris also co-hosts the Real Deal Landman Show podcast, available on all major streaming platforms.

Vincent Whisker

Senior Director, Commercial Development, Crusoe Energy Systems

Vincent Whisker is Senior Director of Commercial Development at Crusoe, the Denver-headquartered AI infrastructure company, where he leads origination and execution of AI data center campuses representing tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure investment. His focus is energy and power: structuring gas-fired generation, grid interconnection, utility and independent power producer partnerships, and long-term power supply agreements that unlock hyperscale compute sites across North America.

Vincent began his career in upstream oil and gas before pivoting to digital infrastructure, where he applies that energy background to the power-first logic of modern data center development. He holds a B.S. from the Colorado School of Mines and an M.B.A. from Regis University, and lives in the Denver area with his family.