Senior Management & Independent Directors

J. Darby Seré
Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer

J. Darby Seré has served as a Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of GeoMet, Inc. since December 2000. Mr. Seré was elected Chairman of the Board in January 2006. Mr. Seré has over 37 years of experience in the oil and gas business, including 18 years as Chief Executive Officer of two other publicly held exploration and production companies. Mr. Seré served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a Director of Bellwether Exploration Company from 1988 to 1999, where he also served as Chairman of the Board from 1997 to 1999, and was a co-founder and President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Bayou Resources, Inc. from 1982 to 1987. Mr. Seré was Manager of Acquisitions, Vice President–Acquisitions and Engineering and Executive Vice President of Howell Corporation / Howell Petroleum Corporation from 1977 to 1981. Mr. Seré began his career as a staff reservoir engineer for Chevron Oil Co. in 1970. Mr. Seré currently serves as a director of Gateway Energy Corporation, a publicly held gas gathering, transportation and distribution company. Mr. Seré holds a Bachelors degree in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University.  

William C. Rankin
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

William C. Rankin has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GeoMet, Inc. since 2000. Mr. Rankin has 40 years experience as an accountant and financial manager, including 34 years as a financial officer with publicly and privately owned energy companies. He began his career as an auditor with Deloitte & Touche from 1971-1975. He served as Director of Internal Audit of Kerr-McGee Corporation from 1975-1977, Controller of Cotton Petroleum Corporation from 1977-1980 and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Cayman Resources Corporation from 1980-1985. Mr. Rankin joined Hadson Corporation in 1985 as Vice President and Controller, became Vice President and Treasurer in 1988 and last served as Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hadson Energy Resources Corporation from 1989-1993. In 1994 he became Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Contour Energy Company (and its predecessors) where he served until 1997. In 1997, he became Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Bellwether Exploration Company. Mr. Rankin is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelors degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas.

Philip G. Malone
Senior Vice President—Exploration and Director

Philip G. Malone has served as our Senior Vice President—Exploration since January 2006 and has served in executive positions with GeoMet since he participated in founding the Company in 1985. Mr. Malone has been a member of our Board of Directors since 2005. He has over 35 years experience as a professional geologist; one year at the Geological Survey of Alabama, ten years at USX Corporation and the remainder at GeoMet. From 1976 to 1985, he was a geologist with USX Corporation and served as chief geologist for the last three years of his tenure with responsibility for supervising exploration and development work related to coal and coalbed methane for USX Southern District. Mr. Malone has authored and co-authored numerous technical papers and is a recognized speaker worldwide on coalbed methane topics. Mr. Malone holds a Bachelors degree in Geology from the University of Alabama. 

Tony Oviedo
Vice President—Chief Accounting Officer and Controller

Tony Oviedo was the financial reporting manager for GeoMet from March 2006 through October 2007 and has served as the Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller from that date forward. Mr. Oviedo has over 27 years of energy experience with both private and public companies. Prior to joining GeoMet, he was Compliance Director at Resolution Performance Products, LLC and held positions as Chief Accounting Officer, Controller, and Director of Financial Reporting with various companies in the oil and gas industry.  Mr. Oviedo is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting and tax from the University of Houston.

James C. Crain
Director

James C. Crain has been involved in the energy industry for over 35 years, both as an attorney and as an executive officer. Since 1984, Mr. Crain has held officer positions with Marsh Operating Company, an investment management firm focusing on energy investments, including his current position, President, which he has held since 1989. In addition, since 1997, Mr. Crain has acted as a general partner of Valmora Partners, L.P., which invests in various oil and gas businesses, among other things. Prior to joining Marsh in 1984, Mr. Crain was a Partner in the law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist. Mr. Crain currently serves on the boards of directors of Crosstex Energy, Inc. and Approach Resources, Inc. Mr. Crain holds a Bachelors degree in Accounting, a Masters of Professional Accounting in Taxation degree and a Juris Doctorate degree, all from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Robert E. Creager
Director

Robert E. Creager has over 38 years of public accounting and industry experience. Until his retirement in 2009, Mr. Creager served in positions of increasing responsibility with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, starting as an Audit Senior Manager in 1980, being named an Audit Partner in 1982 and serving as the Audit Practice Leader of the Houston office from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Creager served as Chief accounting Officer of Security Savings from 1978 to 1980. Mr. Creager began his career with KPMG in 1971, serving progressively as an Audit Associate, Audit Senior and Audit Manager until 1978. Mr. Creager holds a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland.

Stanley L. Graves
Director

Stanley L. Graves has over 37 years of experience in the oil and gas business and currently serves as President of Graco Resources, Inc., a coal and energy consulting firm. He served as Chairman of the Board of Graves Service Company, Inc. from 1990 until it was sold in 2006. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Graves was the President of U.S. Clay, L.P., which mined and processed bentonite. Prior to his time at U.S. Clay, L.P., Mr. Graves served as Vice President—Business Development for Ultimate Abrasive Systems, Inc., as President of Eldridge Gathering System Inc., and as Vice President of Energen Corp., the largest coalbed methane producer in Alabama. Mr. Graves holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering from Auburn University.

Charles D. Haynes
Director

Charles D. Haynes has over 47 years in the energy profession as a consultant, academic, researcher, and executive. He retired from The University of Alabama in May 2005, having held faculty and administrative positions since 1991. From 1977 to 1990, he was a senior executive officer and director of Belden & Blake Corporation, an oil and gas drilling and exploration company. He is a licensed professional engineer in Alabama and served on the Alabama Board of Licensure for Engineers and Land Surveyors from 2002 to 2007. He holds Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees from The University of Alabama, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Texas, respectively, in mining and petroleum engineering. He is a Legion of Honor and Distinguished Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

W. Howard Keenan, Jr.
Director

W. Howard Keenan, Jr. has over 35 years of experience in the financial and energy businesses. Since 1997, he has been a Member of Yorktown Partners LLC, a private equity investment manager focused on the energy industry. From 1975 to 1997, he was in the Corporate Finance Department of Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. and active in the private equity and energy areas including the founding of the first Yorktown Fund in 1991. He is or has served as a director of multiple Yorktown portfolio companies, including Concho Resources, Inc. Mr. Keenan holds a Bachelors degree from Harvard College and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University.

Michael Y. McGovern
Director

Michael Y. McGovern has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas business and currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sherwood Energy, LLC and Executive Advisor to Cadent Energy Partners. Mr. McGovern served as the Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Companies from 2002 to 2007, two years of which he also served as the Chairman. Mr. McGovern served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Coho Energy, Inc. from 2000 to 2002. Mr. McGovern served as the Managing Director of Pembrook Capital Corporation from 1998 to 2000. Mr. McGovern served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edisto Resources Corporation from 1993 to 1997 and also of Convest Energy Corporation from the date of the acquisition of a controlling interest in Convest by Edisto in 1994 to 1997. Mr. McGovern served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ironstone Group, Inc. and OXOCO Inc., its predecessor, from 1986 to 1993 and also of American National Petroleum Company, which was acquired by OXOCO, from 1986 to 1993. Mr. McGovern served as the General Partner of Loomis & McGovern Associates from 1984 to 1986. Mr. McGovern served as the Vice President of McMoRan Oil and Gas Company from 1981 to 1984. Mr. McGovern held various management positions with Louisiana Land and Exploration Company from 1975 to 1980. Mr. McGovern served as a staff auditor with Arthur Andersen, LLP from 1974 to 1975. Mr. McGovern currently serves on the boards of directors of Vermillion Bay Exploration, Inc., Tronox, Inc., WestFire, Inc. and Columbia Chemical Company. Mr. McGovern holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Centenary College.

Gary S. Weber
Director

Gary S. Weber has over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas business. Mr. Weber served as the Vice President - Engineering and Acquisitions of SG Interests from 1994 until his retirement in 2005. Mr. Weber served as the Exploration Manager of IP Petroleum from 1987 to 1994. Mr. Weber served as the Vice President – Exploration of Henry Petroleum from 1984 to 1986. Mr. Weber served as the Exploration Manager and Partner of Pinion Exploration in 1984. Mr. Weber served as the Vice President – Exploration of High Plains Exploration from 1981 to 1983. Mr. Weber began his career as a Geologist, Exploration Manager, and Assistant to the President of Houston Oil & Minerals from 1974 to 1981. Mr. Weber holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Texas.