IPAA Seeking New CEO as Eshelman to Take New Role

The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is searching for a new president and CEO, the group’s chairman, Mike Hillebrand, told members in a June 11 email.

Current President and CEO Jeff Eshelman II “plans to remain with IPAA in a new role, aiding with the transition and advising on advocacy and IPAA's Energy in Depth program,” Hillebrand wrote.

The news comes as U.S. oil and gas producers are reportedly increasingly divided on President Trump’s initiatives, such as encouraging more global oil production, which has taken up to $15 off oil prices. The administration’s tariffs also stand to increase U.S. producers’ oilfield cost in addition to creating a potential for global economic decline that would result in reduced oil and gas demand.

IPAA’s CEO search is for “a visionary, dynamic leader who understands the unique challenges and opportunities facing our diverse membership,” Hillebrand wrote.

Hillebrand took the IPAA chairman post at year-end from Steve Pruett after Pruett's two-year term.

Pruett is president and CEO of Permian Basin-focused producer Elevation Resources. Hillebrand is the CEO and majority shareholder of Marcellus Shale-focused Olympus Energy, which EQT Corp. plans to buy in the third quarter for $1.8 billion.

The IPAA’s annual membership meeting will be held June 18-19 in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The new CEO will prioritize member outreach and engagement, Hillebrand told members, as well as what affects the organization’s modern-industry operators “while appreciating the forces facing our legacy asset operators.”

Hillebrand also aims to focus the IPAA on having “strategic influence with policymakers, rooted in representation for all 34 oil and gas producing states” and to be diverse in “thought and regional insight, critical to maintain a credible national voice.”

“Our new CEO must not only lead IPAA on all fronts, but reflect on the strength, resilience and ingenuity of the independent producer community,” he concluded in his message.

To the organization’s members, he added, “Together, we can ensure IPAA continues to thrive as the leading voice for all independents, no matter how small nor how large. …

“We must unite and not divide ourselves within our industry and the IPAA is the only Washington, D.C., organization that appreciates each of your ongoing concerns.

“Your interest, combined with the interests of other independents, must be understood to represent ourselves effectively at all fronts.”

Eshelman was named CEO in 2022 upon the retirement of 22-year IPAA chief Barry Russell.

In 2009, Eshelman founded the IPAA’s Energy in Depth newsletter, research and communications entity., after beginning his career in oil and gas in 1994 as the IPAA’s press secretary.