Jason Pearce

President, Uinta Wax Operating

Jason received a BS in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1998. He began his career with Conoco Inc. in Lafayette, LA where he held both Reservoir and Production engineering positions. Mr. Pearce joined XTO Energy in Fort Worth, TX in 2003 where he held positions in Reservoir Engineering before being named Reservoir Development Manager for the Freestone Trend asset in 2010. He then joined CH4 Energy, an NGP Portfolio company, in November 2011 where he held positions in Completion Operations, Corporate Reserves and Business Development. He was a part of the executive management team that took WildHorse Resource Development public in 2016 and eventually sold to Chesapeake in 2019.  Since CH4 Energy Six acquired the Uinta Basin assets from Crescent Point Energy in October 2019 he has served as President of Uinta Wax Operating.

Juan Nevarez

President, Scout Development Partners

Juan Nevarez serves as president and managing director for Scout Development Partners.

Nevarez has dedicated over 25 years to working in the oil and gas business. Previously, he worked for Texaco, Chevron and other companies. In 2011, he joined Scout Energy Partners as the vice president of business development, before moving to senior vice president in 2017, and currently executive vice president.

In May 2024, Nevarez was appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Nevarez serves on the Petroleum Industry Advisory Executive Board at Texas Tech University, and he is a member of the Texas Tech College of Engineering Dean’s Council. Additionally, he is a member of the Matador Society and the Engineering Key Society. Juan has also been a CASA (court appointed special advocate) mentor/volunteer for several years and also serves on the Dallas CASA board.

Nevarez graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in 1995 and California State University with a master’s degree in finance in 2001. In recognition of his achievements and contributions in the industry, he was inducted into the Petroleum Engineering Academy at Texas Tech.  He also received the Whitacre College of Engineering Distinguished Engineer Award in 2023.

Nevarez and his wife Emma share four children, Justin, Joshua, Sienna and Milan, and they reside between Dallas, Texas and their farm in Anthony, New Mexico.

Rikki Hrenko-Browning

President, Utah Petroleum Association

Rikki Hrenko-Browning is the President of the Utah Petroleum Association (UPA). UPA is a Utah based, statewide petroleum trade association representing companies involved in all aspects of Utah’s oil and gas industry focused on the responsible development of Utah’s natural resources and manufacture of fuels that drive Utah’s economy. Prior to leading UPA, Rikki lived in Estonia and came to Utah as the CEO of Enefit American Oil, the Estonian company’s oil shale project in Eastern Utah. Rikki has a Masters in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon and an undergraduate degree in botany and environmental science. She has been appointed by the Governor to the Utah Watersheds Council, the SITLA Nominating Committee, serves on DNR’s Species Protection Account advisory board, the US Global Leadership Coalition, and other boards and advisory panels. Rikki was honored as a Utah Business 2020 Woman of the Year and in their 30 women to watch series in 2014. 

James Lebeck

Executive Vice President, SM Energy Company

James B. Lebeck serves as Executive Vice President – Chief Corporate Development Officer, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM), an independent oil and gas producer focused on onshore U.S. production. In this role, he oversees the company's land, environmental and regulatory, legal, corporate and business development, and external and government affairs functions.

James has more than 18 years of eexperience in the oil and gas industry. He rejoined SM Energy in 2023 after serving as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Encino Energy from 2018 - 2023. Before Encino, he spent seven years at SM Energy in roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately serving as Deputy General Counsel. He began his legal career as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver, before practicing at Vinson & Elkins in Houston and Davis Graham & Stubbs in Denver.

He holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.