Speakers
Nancy McCaskell
Kelli Roach
Laurie Wizeman
Education Session
There is no single path to leadership in the energy industry. Through personal stories and lessons learned, this panel will explore the experiences, challenges, and pivotal moments that shaped the careers of accomplished leaders and offer guidance to professionals at every stage of their journey.
Nancy McCaskell, CPL, is president of Masonboro Energy LLC, a consulting firm focused on energy and landwork. During more than three decades of managing and leading acquisitions, divestitures and negotiations, she has held leadership positions with Pitts Oil Company, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., J-W Operating Co. and Coda Energy Inc. Her experience stretches across the Barnett, Haynesville, Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Eagle Ford, Permian, San Juan, Fayetteville and Anadarko basins. In addition, McCaskell has acted as a liaison with state oil and gas associations and regulatory bodies. She counts working with the Louisiana Office of Conservation to create new policies allowing for cross unit wells as a career highlight. Active in leadership roles at the local and national level, McCaskell sits on the Dallas Association of Petroleum Landmen board of directors and served as AAPL’s president 2024-2025 — only the second female in the association’s 70-year history to hold the role. Among her honors, she was named DAPL’s 2023 Landman of Year and received AAPL’s 2020 Blankenship Family Horizon Award, which recognizes an exceptional female land professional and role model. Additionally, McCaskell is an advisory member to the University of Oklahoma College of Law MLS and LLM programs in energy and natural resources, and she has served on several community nonprofit boards. She and her spouse, the Rev. Mary Stewart Hall, live in Dallas and enjoy traveling, art and music.
Over more than 20 years, Kelli has built a career of broadening leadership across the energy industry, serving in various roles such as General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, Vice President of Land, and executive board member, with leadership extending beyond the legal, land, and administrative functions to operational matters such as ESG and surface infrastructure build-out.
Most recently, she served as General Counsel of Black Mountain Sand and was instrumental in its merger with Covia Energy to form Iron Oak Energy. Previously, she co-founded a private equity-backed upstream oil and gas company, serving as General Counsel, VP of Land, and Corporate Secretary.
Building upon her extensive leadership and industry experience, Kelli founded Roach Law Group, a fractional general counsel practice, on the premise that companies thrive when they have a strategic legal partner in the room as decisions are made, shaping outcomes rather than reacting to them. And getting that competitive advantage does not require the cost of a full-time, in-house position many are not yet ready to carry.
Kelli has been recognized as General Counsel of the Year by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Texas Lawbooks, received the In-House Impact Award from Texas Lawyer, and been a finalist for multiple prestigious corporate counsel awards. She holds a J.D. from Southern Methodist University and an M.A. in International Management and B.A. in Government and Politics, both from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Laurie brings more than 20 years of oil and gas industry experience, primarily as a Landman. In that role, she negotiated leases, managed stakeholder relationships, and developed a deep understanding of the industry’s complexities and challenges. Her expertise in negotiation and legal frameworks allowed her to secure agreements that balanced the interests of energy companies and landowners. Recognizing the growing importance of informed policy decisions in a rapidly evolving energy landscape, Laurie transitioned into policy, drawing on her academic background and practical experience to advance approaches that support economic growth and environmental stewardship.
As a Policy Advisor, Laurie collaborates with government agencies, industry stakeholders, and advocacy organizations to help shape energy policies that promote the responsible and sustainable development of oil and gas resources. She is committed to building consensus and advancing initiatives that strengthen industry standards while safeguarding community interests.
Laurie holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business from the University of Colorado, as well as a Master of Science in Natural Resources Law and Policy from the University of Denver.
