Management Team
Salina Derichsweiler, MBA Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Salina Derichsweiler, MBA Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Salina Derichsweiler, MBA Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
During her 21-year career, Salina has held various roles in technical leadership & management, engineering, and planning in private, public, and energy start-up companies. Salina is sought out for her expertise in reservoir management of water and steam floods, operational planning and execution, and business development. She currently ow
During her 21-year career, Salina has held various roles in technical leadership & management, engineering, and planning in private, public, and energy start-up companies. Salina is sought out for her expertise in reservoir management of water and steam floods, operational planning and execution, and business development. She currently owns her own consulting business providing asset valuations, reservoir and operations engineering support, and expert witness testimony to a variety of clients such as financial investment firms, family trusts, and oil & gas operators. She has worked extensively in environmentally and culturally sensitive areas in California, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Michigan, and New Mexico, with a focus on building strong relationships with stakeholders in government, local communities, and Native Tribes.
Salina overcame great adversity in her life and is a first-generation high school and college graduate. She was the first Native American in Aurora Public Schools in Colorado to graduate valedictorian, and earned the prestigious full-ride, merit-based Boettcher Scholarship. She holds her Bachelors of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining from Colorado School of Mines and an MBA in Finance from Pepperdine University.
Benjamin Burke, MBA, PhD, Chief Technology Officer
Salina Derichsweiler, MBA Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Salina Derichsweiler, MBA Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Ben has a diverse geoscience and business background in oil & gas, environmental consulting, and precious metal consulting—with the common thread being a focus on understanding the source, migration, preservation, and fate of fluids flowing in porous rocks. He was the sole geoscientist and then geoscience manager at Fifth Creek Energy, a
Ben has a diverse geoscience and business background in oil & gas, environmental consulting, and precious metal consulting—with the common thread being a focus on understanding the source, migration, preservation, and fate of fluids flowing in porous rocks. He was the sole geoscientist and then geoscience manager at Fifth Creek Energy, a DJ Basin Colorado-focused startup from 2015-2018. Post acquisition by Bill Barrett Corp to form HighPoint Resources, he stayed on as geoscience manager and advisor. His previous experience includes western US geoscience for Noble Energy and Fidelity Exploration. He has consulted for gold and silver mine operators in Washington State and has also worked international projects for the ExxonMobil Upstream Companies based from Houston. He began his career with Woodard & Curran environmental consultants in Cheshire, Connecticut. He holds an AB in Geology and Russian language magna cum laude from Bowdoin College, an MBA from Texas A&M University, and a PhD in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College.
Johanna Ostrum, Chief Operating Officer
Salina Derichsweiler, MBA Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Johanna Ostrum, Chief Operating Officer
Johanna has fourteen years within the oil and gas industry in a wide variety of positions and basins. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Geological Engineering from Montana Tech. Johanna’s most recent role was Regulatory Manager at Extraction Oil & Gas which allowed her to build critical relationships and be the point contact communicati
Johanna has fourteen years within the oil and gas industry in a wide variety of positions and basins. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Geological Engineering from Montana Tech. Johanna’s most recent role was Regulatory Manager at Extraction Oil & Gas which allowed her to build critical relationships and be the point contact communicating with local communities, municipalities, and state agencies. She also participated in rulemakings in several cities and counties across the front range in Colorado. Johanna began her career as a development geologist in reservoirs in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. She later transitioned to a production engineer, where her focus was on enhancing production from the Codell and Niobrara formations in Colorado. Johanna also spent time working in the Bakken as a Reservoir and Reserves Engineer. Her prior companies include Noble Energy, SM Energy, and Extraction Oil & Gas.
Advisory Board
John Benton
Dr. Amanda Kolker
Dr. Amanda Kolker
Engineering, Water Midstream, Corporate Startups, Regulatory
John Benton has more than 35 years of worldwide oil and gas industry experience, holding positions progressing from technical engineering to senior leadership, leading business units for majors and independents. John served 8 years as a Commissioner with the COGCC, including Chairman for the last 2 years. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and holds a BSc and MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. He is a member of SPE and SPEE, and held Board positions with the Denver Sections. John co-authored three SPE papers and taught industry courses on reservoir engineering, waterflood management, and under-balanced drilling. John cycles over 8,000 miles a year for commuting, exercise, and charity rides.
Dr. Amanda Kolker
Dr. Amanda Kolker
Dr. Amanda Kolker
Geothermal Research Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Amanda Kolker has over 10 years of experience as a geothermal geologist, specializing in resource exploration and sustainable energy production. With a volcanology and geochemistry background but interdisciplinary interests and approaches, Amanda’s current research spans from superhot to low-temperature geothermal resources, and spans applications from power production to direct use to subsurface thermal energy storage. Amanda is aresearcher in the Thermal Energy Science & Technologies research Group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Bill Irwin
Dr. Amanda Kolker
Garen Thomas
Engineering, Surface Facilities, Corporate Startups
Bill Irwin has more than 30 years oil and gas industry experience, including positions in engineering, management, startups, and expert witness. Mr. Irwin is a registered Professional Engineer in Alberta, and is an accepted professional engineering witness in Colorado, North Dakota, and New Mexico. Mr. Irwin is the President of W.L. Irwin Consulting, Inc. which currently is engaged in mineral and asset evaluations, basin studies, project management, and advisory roles. Prior to initiating his consulting business, he was the Vice President of Operations/Engineering with Fifth Creek Energy in Denver. From 2010 thru early 2015, Mr. Irwin as VP Operations with Bakken Hunter, LLC, and he was responsible for developing significant Bakken and Three Forks shale oil assets in North Dakota. Prior to joining Magnum Hunter, Mr. Irwin was the Founder, President, and CEO of Pinon Oil & Gas Ltd. (1997) and Red Mike Energy Inc. (2000). Both private exploration and production companies primarily operated in southern Alberta. He is a former Canadian National Team alpine ski racer.
Garen Thomas
Garen Thomas
Garen Thomas
Geothermal, Regulatory
Garen Thomas understands the goal of sustainable development in regard to natural resources. He has been a member of the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) since 2014 and served as the 2018 – 2019 GRC Student Committee President. In 2014, he attained a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences from Midwestern State University and Master of Science in Environmental Science from Tarleton State University in 2019. The focus of his master’s thesis was electricity generation from co-produced water of active oil wells in Eagleville field, Eagle Ford Shale, Karnes County and Gonzales County, TX. His field experience as a wellsite geologist broadened his knowledge of geological, geophysical, and engineering data. Currently, he is an Environmental Investigator with the Water Section of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Jody Robins
Garen Thomas
Jody Robins
Senior Geothermal Drilling Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Jody Robins is a Senior Geothermal Engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His research ranges in topics from novel drilling devices to low-temperature geothermal resources to geothermal market analyses. In addition, Mr. Robins has more than 20 years of oil and gas industry experience at companies of all sizes, from start-ups to majors. His expertise is primarily focused in drilling and production operations, particularly leading teams, well design, operational supervision, and drilling optimization and efficiency.