Scott Kidwell
In his book, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World, retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven offers this recommendation: if you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle. Three folks that many of you may not know but who have had oars in the water helping the Permian Basin Petroleum Association change the world over the last year are Mike Miller, Dan Hinkle, and Chris Kearney. These three gentlemen, who combined bring nearly a century of experience in the world of government to the table, work for PBPA on a contract basis and are utilized to greatly complement the work of our full-time staff.
PBPA’s full-time employees are jacks of all trades and are called into act no matter the concern. Our contract employees are refined instruments used for precision and to effect. While I have been profiling the employees of PBPA through these columns over the last few months, I would be remiss to leave out Mike, Dan, and Chris. Without their knowledge, experience, and execution, PBPA could have missed out on many opportunities to protect the operations of our members in the Permian Basin.
Mike Miller has worked with PBPA on legislative and regulatory issues in New Mexico for over a decade. His knowledge, relationships, and understanding of the Round House in Santa Fe have been tremendous assets to PBPA and our members throughout that time. Mike, the proprietor of Professional Directions, is a professional in every sense of the word and has helped maintain an unsurpassed level of respect for PBPA in New Mexico. Mike calls Portales, New Mexico, home and currently serves as the city’s Mayor Pro Temp. He was previously the county manager for Roosevelt County, and also served as the City of Portales’ fire chief for nearly a decade, a job which first introduced him to the world of advocacy.
Dan Hinkle has worked with PBPA during the last two legislative sessions, and during the interims, on legislative and regulatory issues, in Texas. His historical knowledge on legislative and regulatory affairs regarding the oil and gas industry has been invaluable to the association and its members during that time. Particularly, his work with Michael and Ben on bill analysis and tracking during session has made PBPA the envy of many other trade associations. Prior to joining PBPA, Dan represented some of the most powerful interests in Texas, including several companies in the oil and gas industry, many of which are members of PBPA. Because of his extensive experience, however, Dan also brings relationships to PBPA in a number of other business sectors that have benefited our members time and time again.
Chris Kearney, a principal with the Ferguson Group, began helping PBPA in Washington, D.C., specifically on issues related to the Endangered Species Act, in late 2019. Since then, while he still spends a good bit of his time for PBPA on such issues, he also has been impactful when it comes to building relationships in the nation’s capital and providing very valuable information regarding congressional actions and opportunities where PBPA can make a difference. Chris is a policy and governmental affairs professional with government and private sector experience in the energy, environment, and natural resources arenas, having previously held positions in the executive branch, the U.S. Senate and House, and the electric utility industry.
Mike, Dan, and Chris each pull a strong paddle for PBPA, and with their help we truly have been able to change the legislative and regulatory oil and gas world. The successes of PBPA come from team efforts and I, among many others, am extremely grateful that we have been able to count these three as members of our team. Thank you each for all you do on behalf of the PBPA and the oil and gas industry of the Permian Basin.