Event Date: March 31 – April 1, 2026
Event Time: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. MST
Location: Loews Ventana Canyon
7000 North Resort Dr
Tucson, AZ 85750
The EWTC Annual Meeting is the premier gathering of senior executives from across the energy services and technology sector. More than 200 top leaders convene each year for the industry’s most strategic conversations and most valuable networking, bringing together CEOs, COOs, division presidents, and innovators shaping the future of energy.
Hosted in Tucson, the 2026 conference theme Energizing the Future: Leadership. Innovation. Performance reflects the direction of EWTC Board Vice Chair Ron Gusek, CEO, Liberty Energy. The agenda highlights the sector’s leadership in supplying power, driving AI-enabled transformation, and delivering the performance that underpins U.S. energy strength.
This year’s program features top E&P leaders sharing their forward outlook, giving service-sector executives unmatched insight into capital priorities, operational needs, and emerging opportunities across the value chain.
From the golf tournament to leadership breakfasts and evening events, EWTC’s Annual Meeting is the most effective setting for senior executives to connect. Members will have dedicated time to engage with peers, exchange insights, and build relationships that support long-term business growth and collaboration across the sector.
Partner, Quantum Capital Group
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council is proud to present Chuck Davidson with the Platinum Award in recognition of his contributions to our industry and the workforce behind it.
Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Devon Energy
Energy Workforce & Technology Council is excited to honor Rick Muncrief, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Devon Energy, at this year’s 2026 Annual Meeting with the Platinum Award.
Vice President of Supply Chain, Talos Energy
Sivaram (Siva) Gollakota is Vice President of Supply Chain at Talos Energy, where he leads enterprise-wide supply chain strategy and operations to support a growing Gulf of Mexico-focused E&P portfolio from the company’s Houston headquarters. A global operating executive and Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program graduate with an INSEAD MBA, Siva has spent more than two decades driving large-scale transformation, portfolio growth, and operational excellence across the energy value chain.
Before joining Talos, Siva held various roles at Shell, including leading the global deepwater and the U.K. supply chain teams, managing Business Transformation for Upstream & Integrated Gas and overseeing Strategy & Portfolio for both Global Exploration and Upstream Americas. His earlier career includes management consulting at BCG, Booz & Co. and Schlumberger Business Consulting and engineering and operational roles at Siemens Energy & Automation, and ABB, giving him a uniquely integrated view of technology, operations, and commercial strategy in energy.
Siva is passionate about building high-performance, diverse teams and for leading through disruption with a focus on safety, resilience, and value creation across complex global supply chains.
President, SOGC, LLC
Jamie Benard is the President of SOGC, LLC, formerly known as Sinclair Oil & Gas Company. SOGC is a privately held upstream exploration and production (E&P) company operating assets in the Williston and Permian Basins. Before joining SOGC, Jamie was President & COO of Summit Discovery Resources LLC, a subsidiary of global fortune 500 Sumitomo Corporation, where he managed Sumitomo’s upstream E&P business. Earlier in his career, Jamie held roles including Chief Financial Analyst with PrimeEnergy Corporation, a publicly traded E&P company, and Project Engineer with Horizon Offshore where he worked on domestic and international offshore oil & gas development projects.
Jamie earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he was a Varsity Hockey Player. He has been an active volunteer with Spindletop Charities, the Houston Food Bank Foundation, the Star of Hope Foundation and is a member of the Board of Directors for Snowdrop Foundation.
Corporate Vice President, Energy and Resources Industry, Microsoft
As Corporate Vice President for Microsoft’s Energy & Resources Industry, Darryl Willis leads digital transformation strategy across the energy value chain. He drives the development of innovative solutions and builds strategic relationships with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders—helping meet today’s energy needs while shaping the systems of tomorrow.
Before joining Microsoft, Willis served as Vice President of Oil, Gas, and Energy at Google Cloud; President and CEO of BP Angola; Head of Deepwater Horizon claims for BP; and Senior Vice President of Subsurface at BP.
Committed to advancing a sustainable energy future with equitable access for all, Willis holds an MS in Business from Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MS in Geology and Geophysics from the University of New Orleans, and BS in Chemistry and Literature from Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
Managing Director, Daniel Energy Partners
Blake is an energy industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in capital markets, finance, strategy, communications, and executive leadership. He spent 16 years at Simmons & Company, leaving in 2016 as a Director in the Institutional Sales group. He then held various senior leadership roles at EQT Corp, including Director of Finance and SVP of Strategy, Communications, and Investor Relations. He went on to roles as the CEO of Ambyint, an energy technology company, and CFO of Wyre, a wireline services provider. Blake holds a Finance degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Head of Energy & Infrastructure, Palantir Technologies
Tristan Gruska is Head of Energy & Infrastructure at Palantir Technologies, where he leads engineering and commercial strategy across energy, utilities, and EPC. A member of CEO Alex Karp’s office, Tristan has spent five years scaling Palantir’s energy business into a market leader – partnering with Fortune 500 clients to deploy AI and big data solutions that modernize the grid, strengthen supply chains, and transform how critical infrastructure is being built and operated. Originally from France and based in New York City, Tristan holds a Master in Management from HEC Paris and has studied at Singapore Management University and Stanford University’s International Honors Program.
Senior VP, Marketing & Contracts, Noble
Mr. Denton was named Senior Vice President of Marketing and Contracts of Noble in October 2022. Previously, he served as Director of Marketing and Contracts for Noble from January 2017 until assuming his position as Vice President in March 2020, where he led Noble’s marketing and contracts efforts for the Middle East and India while based in Dubai. Prior to that, Mr. Denton served as our Project Director from March 2012 to January 2017 based in Korea and Houston, and as Project Manager from August 2010 to March 2012 based in Singapore. Before that, he led Noble’s newbuild project electrical engineering efforts for dynamically positioned drilling assets as a consultant based first in Houston and then in Singapore. Before joining Noble, Mr. Denton worked for a Houston-based electrical integration company supplying power generation and controls equipment primarily to the marine and drilling industry worldwide.
Mr. Denton Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering.
Former Senior Vice President, Strategic Projects & Innovation and Chief Technology & Data Officer, Colonial Pipeline
In his most recent role as Senior Vice President, Strategic Projects & Innovation and Chief Technology & Data Officer at Colonial Pipeline, the largest refined products pipeline in the US, Afshean led information technology, operations technology, cybersecurity, data, AI, physical security, innovation, and large-scale enterprise initiatives. During his tenure at Colonial, he also led Operations Support, which included Power & Optimization.
Prior to Colonial Pipeline, Afshean led Digital Innovation & Enterprise Architecture at Magellan Midstream Partners, including digital, enterprise architecture, innovation, data, cloud, and AI functions. Earlier in his career, he held both leadership and technical roles at Vital Energy and Chesapeake Energy, spanning corporate and strategic planning, analytics, and AI & data science programs.
Vice President and Chief Transformation and Information Officer, Williams
Naveen Pandrangi is Vice President and Chief Transformation and Information Officer at Williams, where he leads enterprise transformation and information technology initiatives aligned to strategic business priorities.
He brings over 20 years of experience, having held leadership roles at Valero, ConocoPhillips, and Phillips 66, with expertise spanning energy operations, retail, mergers and acquisitions, and technology research. Naveen is recognized for integrating business strategy and technology to drive sustainable value and organizational change.
Managing Director, PPHB
Mr. Wicklund is a Managing Director for PPHB, a Houston based Energy investment bank. Prior to joining PPHB, he was a Managing Director and Senior Banker in the Energy Group at Stephens Inc. He spent 15 years in the oil & gas industry, working in geophysics, reservoir engineering and operations around the world, living in Australia, Singapore, Milan, London a few times and of course Houston many times, with Western Geophysical, now part of SLB (Schlumberger), Sun Oil Company, McCord-Lewis, and Exploration Consultants Ltd (ECL).
He spent several years as an equity research analyst and Head of Energy Research at Rauscher Pierce, Banc of America and Credit Suisse as well as working as the energy portfolio manager at Carlson Capital, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund. He has been ranked #1 in Institutional Investors, WSJ Best on the Street, Greenwich #1 in Industry Knowledge and several other recognitions and awards. He is a member and past symposium chair of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), on the boards of the National Offshore Industry Association (NOIA), the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, the Energy ESG Council, Merit Advisors, Preng & Associates and the Maguire Energy Institute Advisory Board, at SMU his alma mater.
EVP Upstream, EQT
Sarah Fenton, P.E., is Executive Vice President – Upstream at EQT Corporation, where she leads drilling, completions, production operations, and all subsurface science and engineering for the company’s 7.5 Bcf/d Appalachian Basin platform and $2 billion program. With more than 20 years of experience spanning upstream and midstream operations, she has held leadership and technical roles at EQT, Rice Energy, Sundance Energy, Newfield Exploration, and EnCana, building a track record of top-quartile operational performance, disciplined capital allocation, and value creation across major U.S. basins. A registered Professional Engineer in Texas and Colorado, Sarah holds an Executive MBA from the University of Oklahoma, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Colorado State University, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. She is a frequent industry speaker and capital markets participant, recognized for advancing operational excellence, technical rigor, and innovation across the energy value chain.
Chief Executive Officer,
Commodore Offshore Operating
John Seeger is the Chief Executive Officer of Commodore Offshore Operating. Commodore is an oil and gas company that currently contract operates over 15k BOEPD in offshore production. John overall has a diverse oil and gas resume spanning over 20 years. John has spent the majority of his career in offshore oil and gas but also has significant L48 onshore experience managing production optimization, field development and decommissioning. John is a Marine officer veteran and has a BS from Stephen F Austin State University.
Retired Four-Star General & Former Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea
General Vincent K. “Vince” Brooks (U.S. Army, Ret.) is a retired four-star general who commanded U.S. Forces Korea, United Nations Command, and the Republic of Korea–U.S. Combined Forces Command, overseeing more than 650,000 American and Korean personnel. Earlier, he served as the public face of U.S. Central Command during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and commanded the U.S. Third Army during major Middle East transitions including the Arab Spring and force realignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Across more than four decades of service, Brooks held senior leadership roles from tactical units to global operations, including assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Army Pacific, and the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. A West Point graduate and former First Captain, he later became one of the few African Americans to attain the rank of four-star general.
A combat veteran and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Brooks speaks widely on leadership, strategy, national security, and building high-trust organizations. He holds degrees from West Point and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies and completed a National Security Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Carol.
Managing Director, WestRiver Group
Craig Lange joined WestRiver Group (WRG) in October 2025 as Managing Director leading the firm’s launch of the Disruptive Growth Fund focused on hard disruptive technology innovations in energy and power systems, applied life sciences and healthcare and advanced manufacturing and production.
Prior to WRG, Craig was Vice President – Strategy and Corporate Development,
Energy & Transportation at Caterpillar Inc, the $28 B (2024) segment of the company providing the world’s power, solutions, and services across construction, general industrial, marine, mining, oil and gas, power generation and rail markets. He also led the long-range planning, strategic collaborations, venture capital investing, and mergers & acquisitions in the segment and across the enterprise.
Craig spent 37 years with the company, moving through technical services, product development, sales & marketing, operations, and distribution roles of increasing responsibility into general management. Before becoming a Vice President in the company, Craig held senior leadership roles in Caterpillar’s Oil and Gas business, including leading the Digital and Technology business; and, serving as Managing Director for the business in Eurasia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Before his 12 years in Oil and Gas, Craig held leadership roles in the Electric Power, Industrial, On-highway, and Marine businesses. He is a global professional who has resided in the United States, Egypt, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Craig previously served on numerous boards of Caterpillar invested firms and is currently on the Board of Energy & Workforce Technology Council and a member of the Oil Club of London.
Craig holds two degrees from Eastern Illinois University; a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Business, majoring in Finance and Marketing. He also holds a degree at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the Advanced Management Program.
Craig and his wife, Amy, live on Treasure Island, Florida, and have three grown children.
Global Innovation Lead, Accenture
Adam is Accenture’s Global Innovation Lead and responsible for functions across R&D, ventures and advisory services as well as a worldwide network of innovation hubs. He holds more than twenty patents in the field of software engineering and has published research articles in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Adam is a frequent speaker on the subjects of Quantum Computing, Disruptive Technology Trends and Artificial Intelligence.
Prior to his current role, Adam led Accenture’s largest business segment in North America, overseeing the fastest growth period of Technology Services in twenty years. Adam has delivered many pioneering technology engagements over his more than three decades with Accenture, including establishing the world’s largest wholesale electricity market, building a true network-effect platform business for a global insurer and using advanced AI and knowledge graphs to transform a legacy claims application for a large healthcare company.
Previously, Adam led Accenture’s Intelligent Cloud & Engineering practice both globally and within Asia-Pacific where he was based. This organization focused on accelerating Accenture’s growth in cloud and custom solutions, setting a new market standard for truly integrated, full-stack cloud and engineering capabilities. A pioneering business area for Accenture at the time, the practice provided world-class cloud technical architects and custom system engineers to Accenture clients as well as incubating next-generation capabilities related to blockchain, artificial intelligence and similar disruptive technologies.
Adam joined Accenture in 1992 and became a managing director in 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. His background also includes graduate studies in Fault-Tolerant digital systems design and current research focus areas include the Commercialization of Space, Imitation Learning for Robotics, and Large Reasoning Models.
EVP Operations, Diamondback Energy
Mr. McAllaster has served as Executive Vice President of Operations for Diamondback Energy since September 2024. Prior to his current position, he served as Senior Vice President of Development at Endeavor Energy Resources, L.P. from January 2023 to September 2024 and Vice President of Southern Basin Asset Development & Supply Chain from December 2019 to December 2022. Prior to joining Endeavor, Mr. McAllaster worked in various roles at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation from January 1998 to September 2019. Mr. McAllaster received his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver.
Managing Director, Head of Energy, Power & Infrastructure Capital Markets Origination and Public M&A, Piper Sandler
Ryan Tull joined the energy, power & infrastructure investment banking group at Piper Sandler in 2024 and leads the capital markets origination and public M&A for the group.
Tull has 30 years of experience in the energy industry, including 20 years as an investment banker. Prior to Piper Sandler, Tull was head of oilfield services and oilfield infrastructure at J.P. Morgan from 2019 to 2024, and worked for Credit Suisse from 2004 to 2019 where he was promoted to managing director and served as head of oilfield services.
Tull has extensive capital markets and advisory experience, raising more than $50 billion in debt financing, leading more than 20 IPOs as well as many other follow-on equity offerings and having completed approximately $40 billion in M&A deal volume.
Tull is a long-time Houstonian and grew up in New Mexico. He earned a bachelor’s degree in managerial studies and economics as well as a Masters of Business Administration degree, with honors, from Rice University.
Prior to WRG, Craig was Vice President – Strategy and Corporate Development,
Energy & Transportation at Caterpillar Inc, the $28 B (2024) segment of the company providing the world’s power, solutions, and services across construction, general industrial, marine, mining, oil and gas, power generation and rail markets. He also led the long-range planning, strategic collaborations, venture capital investing, and mergers & acquisitions in the segment and across the enterprise.
Craig spent 37 years with the company, moving through technical services, product development, sales & marketing, operations, and distribution roles of increasing responsibility into general management. Before becoming a Vice President in the company, Craig held senior leadership roles in Caterpillar’s Oil and Gas business, including leading the Digital and Technology business; and, serving as Managing Director for the business in Eurasia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Before his 12 years in Oil and Gas, Craig held leadership roles in the Electric Power, Industrial, On-highway, and Marine businesses. He is a global professional who has resided in the United States, Egypt, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Craig previously served on numerous boards of Caterpillar invested firms and is currently on the Board of Energy & Workforce Technology Council and a member of the Oil Club of London.
Craig holds two degrees from Eastern Illinois University; a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Business, majoring in Finance and Marketing. He also holds a degree at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the Advanced Management Program.
Craig and his wife, Amy, live on Treasure Island, Florida, and have three grown children.
VP of Integration, Helmerich & Payne
George is currently leading the integration of KCA Deutag with H&P. Prior to this, he was the VP of Strategic Innovations from 2018, where he established and led the Global Research and Innovation Team, the company’s research division, while also leading multiple software development teams.
George joined H&P in 2002 and spent the first 15 years in various operational roles within the North American Solutions segment. His positions included Roughneck, Operations Engineer, Drilling Superintendent, and District Manager. During his last three years in operations, he served as the Regional VP of the North for US Land, managing over 120 rigs. As H&P started expanding its portfolio by acquiring technology companies specializing in drilling automation and optimization, George worked with the leadership team on mergers and acquisitions to enhance the company’s technology offerings.
George received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and his Master of Business Administration from the Colorado State University.
EVP Operations, Diamondback Energy
Mr. McAllaster has served as Executive Vice President of Operations for Diamondback Energy since September 2024. Prior to his current position, he served as Senior Vice President of Development at Endeavor Energy Resources, L.P. from January 2023 to September 2024 and Vice President of Southern Basin Asset Development & Supply Chain from December 2019 to December 2022. Prior to joining Endeavor, Mr. McAllaster worked in various roles at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation from January 1998 to September 2019. Mr. McAllaster received his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver.
Eligibility
Member Company must have active 2026 status for personnel to attend. Primary member registration is $1,850. Fees do not include hotel expenses or optional activity fees.
Spouse/Guest Registration
Spouses and guests of Member Company personnel are welcome to attend with a registration fee of $700. This fee includes Tuesday evening welcome reception and dinner, Wednesday brunch and awards dinner.
Young Professionals & Emerging Leaders
Energy Workforce offers individuals 35 years of age and under a discounted conference registration fee of $1,550. To receive this discount, please email meetings@energyworkforce.org for a promo code to apply during online registration. Please note this discount does not apply to guests.
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities around this event or any others on the EWTC 2026 event calendar, please reach out to Andy McDowell, President of Upright Digital for additional details. Customized sponsorships can be built to fit your budget to position your brand in the spotlight.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Meeting registrations may be cancelled for a full refund through by February 12, 2026 (minus a $75 processing fee for credit card charges). A 50% refund is available through March 17, 2026. Requests must be submitted in writing by email to the Energy Workforce & Technology Council office.
