LEADERSHIP TEAM

William O’Brien is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Performance Operating Partners. Prior to forming Performance Operating Partners, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of O’Brien Energy Company until September 2019. He joined O’Brien Energy Company in 2010 as Vice-President of Acquisitions, Planning & Development, and was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2013. During his tenure, William led the company’s transition into horizontal oil development, expanded its operations to new basins, directed the successful generation of new exploitation assets, and effectively managed the company’s strategy, planning, and execution. He was instrumental in raising equity capital, bringing in new institutional partners, renewing and expanding the credit facility, and managing the company’s hedging program. William also helped navigate an 18-month long recapitalization and restructuring process which ultimately resulted in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in September 2019. William began his career as a Petroleum Engineer with Devon Energy. During his three-year employment, he rotated through all PE disciplines (Drilling, Completion, Production, Reservoir & BD) in STX & ETX. William is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering in 2006. Additionally, he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an Energy Finance and Accounting Certificate from the University of Houston. Outside of the E&P business, William has investment and executive management experience in almost all aspects of the energy business including services, minerals, midstream, renewables, power generation development, and direct Lithium extraction (“DLE”) development, serving as Chairman of the Board, Director, and/or an Executive Officer in each situation. Outside of the energy business, William serves as a director for the Miami International Options Exchange and has investment and executive management experience in the commercial real estate and restaurant industries. William has served and supported many community organizations throughout the years including Holy Angels, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Petroleum Club of Shreveport, and Community Renewal International.

Mr. Valdez is a Co-founder and Managing Director of Performance Operating Partners. Mr. Valdez also serves as President of VSO Petroleum Consultants, a position held since June 2011, where he specializes in providing consulting engineering and advisory services to E&P and financial firms, with a focus on property evaluation, drilling prospect evaluation and field and play studies. Prior to joining VSO, Mr. Valdez served Quantum Energy Partners as Vice President of Engineering, where he provided technical, operational, strategic and financial due diligence for existing and potential portfolio companies located in all the major producing basins of the United States and Canada. Prior to Quantum, Mr. Valdez served in various production, facilities and reservoir engineering roles with Devon Energy Corporation, Texas Petroleum Investment Company, and Huddleston & Company. Mr. Valdez is a 1996 graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. Degree in Petroleum Engineering, and is a Registered Professional Engineer.

Mr. Skrobarczyk is a Co-founder and Managing Director of Performance Operating Partners. Mr. Skrobarczyk is also Managing Director at VSO Petroleum Consultants where he provides consulting engineering services with a focus on property evaluation, completion methodology, drilling prospect evaluation and field and play studies. Prior to joining VSO Petroleum Consultants in 2012, Mr. Skrobarczyk served NFR Energy as Exploitation Manager, where he guided drilling, completion, acquisition and exploration programs in South and East Texas. Prior to NFR Energy, Mr. Skrobarczyk served in various reservoir, production, drilling and completion engineering roles with Devon Energy Corporation. Mr. Skrobarczyk is a 2004 graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. Degree in Petroleum Engineering.

Mr. Olsen is a Co-founder and Managing Director of Performance Operating Partners. Mr. Olsen also serves as Managing Director at VSO Petroleum Consultants where he provides consulting services with an emphasis on reservoir engineering studies and oil & gas property evaluations. Prior to joining VSO Petroleum Consultants in 2012, Grant served in various Reservoir and Production Engineering roles with Encana Oil & Gas (USA) and Devon Energy, and as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Olsen obtained his B.S. (2004, Magna Cum Laude) and M.S. (2010) Degrees from Texas A&M University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Texas, a Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and a Member of the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE). Mr. Olsen has co-authored three SPE technical papers on the topics of oil & gas reserves and petroleum economics.

Mr. Hill joined Performance Operating Partners as Chief Operating Officer in March 2023. Before joining Performance Operating Partners, he served as Drilling & Completions Manager at Brammer Engineering, Inc. Prior to Brammer Engineering, he joined O’Brien Energy Company in 2013 as an Operations Engineer and was promoted to Vice President – Engineering in 2015. During his time at O’Brien, he played an integral role in developing the company’s horizontal drilling & completion program. Chad began his career as a Drilling Engineer with Chesapeake Energy where he played a significant role in the company’s Haynesville Shale drilling program. During his seven-year tenure at Chesapeake, he worked in drilling, completions, and production operations with increasing roles of responsibility. Chad earned his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2005.

Kristin Laux is a seasoned accountant with experience in both public accounting and oil & gas accounting. She began her career performing third-party audits before Joining O'Brien Energy Company in 2009. While at O’Brien Energy, she was promoted to management and named Controller. Kristin joined Performance Operating in 2019 as Controller, where she is responsible for all revenue accounting, joint interest billing, financial reporting, and collaborating with external auditors and tax firms for annual reporting. Kristin is a member of the Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies (COPAS) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Professional Accountancy from Louisiana Tech University and has been a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 2011.

Ellis Rech joined Performance Operating Partners in 2019 and serves as a Senior Staff Engineer. Prior to joining Performance Operating, Ellis grew his skill set at O'Brien Energy Company from 2017 to 2019. Ellis uses his strong background in reservoir engineering, production engineering, drilling/completions, and accounting to provide engineering guidance, using his technical foundation to provide Performance’s clients with the highest quality of service. Ellis holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University, graduating in 2017.