Michael C. Linn – Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Linn currently serves as Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the largest national trade association of independent oil and gas producers. In addition, he is a member of the Natural Gas Council and the National Petroleum Council and sits on the board of the Natural Gas Supply Association. Mr. Linn was recently inducted into the 25 Year Club of the petroleum industry. Mr. Linn regularly appears on behalf of the oil and gas industry before state and federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy, Department of the Treasury, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. He has testified on behalf of the oil and gas industry before the various committees and subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He is regularly quoted and has published various articles for oil and gas trade publications and newspapers. In addition, he is frequently a guest on radio and television programs representing the oil and gas industry. Mr. Linn is a former President of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania and Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia. Mr. Linn was President of Allegheny Interests, Inc., a private oil and gas investment company, from 2000 to 2003. Previously, Mr. Linn was President and Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Exploration Corporation, a private oil and gas company which operated in both the Appalachian and Permian Basins, until its sale in 1999. Mr. Linn graduated cum laude from Villanova University in 1974 with a BA in Political Science. Subsequent to completing his undergraduate degree, Mr. Linn entered the University of Baltimore School of Law and graduated cum laude in 1977. Following graduation, Mr. Linn went on to practice law for the law firm of Ecker, Ecker, Zofer and Rome until 1980, when he joined Meridian Exploration as General Counsel.
Kolja Rockov – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Before joining Linn Energy in March 2005, Mr. Rockov served as Managing Director and Head of U.S. Exploration and Production for RBC Capital Markets' energy group in Houston. With his extensive background as an energy investment banker for over twelve years, Mr. Rockov identified Linn Energy as an excellent candidate for the first IPO of a limited liability company in the exploration and production sector. Following the Company's success, additional oil and gas companies have gone public in similar structures. In his role at Linn Energy, Mr. Rockov oversees all finance and accounting functions including budgeting, financial reporting, business development, financings and investor relations. He also plays a key role in sourcing and evaluating potential acquisitions. Mr. Rockov is the primary corporate contact with bankers, lenders and private capital providers to obtain new sources of capital to finance growth and execute the Company's hedging activities. Prior to September 2000, Mr. Rockov held various senior positions with Dain Rauscher Wessels and Rauscher Pierce Refsnes, Inc., predecessors of RBC Capital Markets. He received a BBA in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University.
Mark E. Ellis – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mr. Ellis has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, most recently serving as President, Exploration and Production, Lower 48 for ConocoPhillips. Prior to joining ConocoPhillips, Mr. Ellis served as Senior Vice President of North American Production for Burlington Resources. In 2000, he was named President of Burlington Resources Canada Ltd. in Calgary. Mr. Ellis joined Burlington Resources in 1985 and also held the positions of Vice President of the San Juan Division, Vice President and Chief Engineer and Manager of Acquisitions. He began his career at Superior Oil, where he served in several engineering positions in the Onshore and Offshore divisions, and holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M; University. Mr. Ellis is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a past board member of the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association. While in Calgary, he was a member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and served on the Foundation Board of the Alberta Children's Hospital. Mr. Ellis currently serves on the Board of The Center for Hearing and Speech in Houston, Industry Board of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M; University and the Visiting Committee of Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.
Lisa D. Anderson – Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer Ms. Anderson oversees the Company's accounting, financial reporting and internal control functions. Her career spans over 20 years of financial accounting and consulting experience and includes previous leadership positions with international risk consulting firms and as an audit partner with a major international accounting firm, where she specialized in the oil and gas industry. Before joining Linn Energy in July 2006, she was the Managing Director leading the Financial Reporting Risk Services practice for Protiviti. From January 2002 to August 2005, she served as a Managing Director with Jefferson Wells, and prior to 2002, she was an Assurance Partner with KPMG LLP. Ms. Anderson is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Louis University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of CPAs and the Institute of Internal Auditors. In addition, she has served on the Presidential Advisory and the Educational Curriculum Committees of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants and has published articles related to financial reporting trends and value-added internal auditing.
Thomas A. Lopus – Senior Vice President – Eastern Operations Mr. Lopus has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has previously held senior management positions with Equitable Resources, where he was responsible for the largest oil and gas operation in the Appalachian Basin, and FINA, where he was in charge of all operations in the United States. In addition, Mr. Lopus currently serves on the Penn State University Industry Advisory Board for Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering and has also served on the University of Texas Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board. He has held a number of elected and appointed positions with the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Independent Petroleum Association of America and American Petroleum Institute and is active in many civic organizations, including the United Way and March of Dimes.
Arden L. Walker, Jr. – Senior Vice President – Western Operations Mr. Walker has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He joined Linn Energy in February 2007 to oversee our Western operations, which includes our California, Oklahoma and Texas assets. In addition, Mr. Walker serves in the capacity of chief engineer, responsible for our future reserve review and booking processes. From April 2006 until he joined Linn Energy, Mr. Walker served as Asset Development Manager, San Juan Business Unit for ConocoPhillips Company. Since June 2004, Mr. Walker served as General Manager, Asset Development in San Juan Division for Burlington Resources. Mr. Walker began his career with El Paso Exploration Company in 1982. Mr. Walker is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has served on the Board for Farmington Boys and Girls Club since 2004.
Charlene A. Ripley – Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Ms. Ripley is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Linn Energy, LLC. Most recently, she served as Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Ms. Ripley joined Norcen Energy Resources Limited, a predecessor to Anadarko Canada Corporation, in 1997 as Senior Counsel and was named Vice President for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in January 2003 and assumed the role of chief legal officer for the company in November 2003, the role of Corporate Secretary in September 2004 and the role of Chief Compliance Officer in February 2006. Before joining Anadarko, Ms. Ripley was in-house counsel for Amoco Canada Petroleum Company Ltd. from 1990 to 1997. Prior to that she was an attorney for a law firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ms. Ripley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, with distinction, from the University of Alberta. She earned her Law Degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a member of the Texas State Bar, Law Society of Alberta, Canadian Bar Association, Association of Corporate Counsel, and the Executive Women's Partnership of the Greater Houston Partnership. She helped found and is the President of The Woodlands Bar Association and the Texas General Counsel Forum. Ms. Ripley serves on several non-profit and advisory boards including: the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the American Heart Association - Montgomery Division and the Mayor's (Houston) International Affairs and Development Council/Canada. She is a frequent speaker at legal conferences on the topic of Legal Department Management.
Roland "Chip" P. Keddie – Senior Vice President – Administration Mr. Keddie has over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He currently serves as a board member of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania and is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen, the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia and the Independent Petroleum Association of America. From January 2001 to April 2003, Mr. Keddie was Project Landman with EOG Resources, Inc. and was responsible for various land services in the Appalachian Basin. Mr. Keddie formed Gateway Resources Management, LLC, a professional land services business, in October 1999 and was its sole member and President until January 2001.