Dr. Jennifer Miskimins

2026 SPE President

Jennifer L. Miskimins is a professor and the department head of the petroleum engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), where she holds the F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair.

She has over 30 years of experience in the petroleum industry, starting with Marathon Oil Company as a production engineer. Miskimins began teaching at Mines in 2002 and has held various appointments since then. From 2013–2015, she held a part-time appointment at Mines while working at Barree & Associates. In 2016, she returned full-time to the university.

Miskimins served as the first Completions Technical Director on the SPE International Board of Directors. She was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2010–2011 and 2013–2014. She was awarded the 2014 SPE Completions Optimization and Technology Award, and in 2022, she received the SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty.

Miskimins has served on a variety of conference organizing committees, including chairing the 2023 and 2024 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Conference and Exhibition, and as a technical editor for SPE journals, including serving as the executive editor of Production & Operations for 3 years. She was the editor in chief for the 2019 SPE Monograph update “Hydraulic Fracturing: Fundamentals and Advancements.” Miskimins has served on the AIME Board of Trustees since 2018 as an SPE trustee and was the 2022 AIME president.

Miskimins holds a BS from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology and MS and PhD degrees from the Colorado School of Mines, all in petroleum engineering.

Susan Howes

2027 SPE President

C. Susan Howes, PE, PHR, is president at Subsurface Consultants & Associates LLC (SCA) leading the firm’s consulting, recruitment, and training services with a commitment to technical excellence. Howes’ prior experience includes roles of increasing responsibility at Anadarko and Chevron in reservoir engineering, business development, corporate engineering, HR, organizational capability, and reservoir management. She is recognized as an industry leader in petro-technical talent attraction, development, and retention. She has coauthored papers and articles on the topics of ethics, uncertainty management, risk management, and talent management.

Howes chaired the 2024 Program Committee for SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE), received the SPE DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal, is an Honorary Member of SPE, and served as a 2019–2020 SPE Distinguished Lecturer. She is a member of the Advisory Council at the Jackson School of Geoscience at the University of Texas (UT). Howes holds a BS degree in petroleum engineering (PGE) from the UT and was named a 2024 PGE Distinguished Alumna.

JP Warren

JP Warren is a seasoned strategist and connector with nearly 20 years of experience in global operations, business development, and sales across the energy industry. He is the founder of Crüe Club, a premier, invitation-only roundtable series that has brought together over 1,500 E&P operators for strategic, solution-driven conversations across six markets including Houston, Midland, OKC, DFW, Austin, and Denver. Crüe Club fosters intentional connection and trusted dialogue among senior decision-makers, creating space for authentic exchange on what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.

In tandem, JP leads Connection Crüe, a training and consulting firm that helps companies differentiate their message, align their customer approach, and rise above the industry noise. From refining sales messaging to sharpening customer communication strategies, JP equips teams to move from transactional pitches to trust-based conversations that drive long-term value.

Prior to launching his ventures, JP held leadership roles at Noble Drilling, Archer, Pinnergy, and Capital Petroleum Consultants, giving him a 360° view of the upstream ecosystem—from rig site to boardroom. His unique ability to translate operational insight into commercial impact has made him a trusted advisor to both operators and service companies.

A certified CTA Coach, JP holds a Master’s degree from Texas A&M’s Mays Business School and an M.S. in European Business from EDHEC (France). He also earned a certificate in Negotiation Strategy from the University of Michigan and serves as a course instructor on SAGA Wisdom, a premier knowledge platform for energy professionals.

Whether in a boardroom, classroom, or Crüe Club roundtable, JP’s mission remains clear: help individuals and teams communicate with confidence, lead with authenticity, and build relationships that unlock opportunity.

Divya Shah

Divya Shah is a CCUS Consultant at Wood, specializing in flow assurance and subsurface engineering to optimize CO₂ transport and storage performance across carbon capture and hydrocarbon projects.

Divya holds a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Pandit Deendayal Energy University, India.

He is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and serves as Roughneck Camp Co‑Chair for the SPE Gulf Coast Section Young Professionals Board, helping lead one of its flagship day‑long conferences for young professionals.

Dr. Mouna Keltoum Benabid

Dr. Mouna Keltoum Benabid is a Geophysicist at bp, where she focuses on reservoir management. She recently earned her PhD in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, where her research focused on the use of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and fiber‑optic technologies for pipeline integrity monitoring. 

Dr. Benabid is an active contributor to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), with multiple technical publications and ongoing participation in the global SPE community. In recognition of her service and technical engagement, she received the 2024 SPE Outstanding Reviewer Award. Prior to her doctoral studies, she completed both her BS and MS degrees in Petroleum Geophysics from the University of Boumerdès in Algeria.

She has also gained industry experience as a Testing Field Engineer with SLB, where she worked on field operations. Throughout her academic and professional journey, Dr. Benabid has remained deeply involved in SPE, serving in leadership roles within the Mines SPE Student Chapter and contributing to initiatives supporting young professionals and students.

Driven by a strong passion for service, mentorship, and community engagement, Dr. Benabid continues to dedicate her efforts to advancing the energy industry and empowering the next generation of petroleum engineers and geoscientists.

Scott Oracheski

Scott Oracheski is a Senior Business Development Representative at Keyera, where he leads commercial negotiations, contract development, and strategic opportunity evaluation across Oilsands and Gathering & Processing assets. His commercial and operational leadership builds on more than 15 years of experience in upstream and midstream oil and gas, including production engineering, field optimization, and long range development planning.

Scott holds a Mechanical Engineering Technology diploma from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads University. He has also completed specialized training in financial modelling, natural gas processing, and artificial lift systems.

He is a licensed Professional Licensee Engineer (P.L.Eng.) with APEGA, a registered member of the Petroleum Joint Venture Association (PJVA), and an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Mike Moncla

Mike is a 1990 graduate from USL (now UL), with a degree in Business Administration. After college, he obtained a job at Reed Tool Company as a drill bit salesman and worked in both Lafayette and Houma.

In 1994, Mike joined forces with his father's business, Moncla Well Service, a workover company with seven workover rigs. For the next 15 years, Mike, his father Charlie, and the rest of the Moncla family grew their family business through 11 acquisitions into the largest privately owned workover company in the United States. Mike was Chief Operating Officer for the business that serviced seven different states. In late 2007, Moncla Companies sold its business to Key Energy Services, where Mike then served as Division Manager for Key Energy's Southeastern US Division. In 2010, Mike, along with his two brothers & uncle, got back into the family business again by purchasing their previously owned 6 workover barge rigs back from Key Energy. Today, Moncla Workover & Drilling operates 27 land rigs with offices in Lafayette, LA, Laurel, MS, Giddings, TX, Victoria, TX, and Seminole, TX.

In 2020, Mike took on the role as President of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association, fighting on behalf of industry at the state Capital for everything oil & gas. Mike currently holds board seats at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Louisiana Business & Industry, and sits on the Advisory Board for the LSU College of Energy Studies. He is the Past Chairman of the Lourdes Foundation, and Past Chairman of the St. Thomas More Foundation. He is a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. He is married to his wife of 27 years, Cathy and has one daughter, Millie.

Keith Smelker

Keith Smelker leads the drilling program for bpx energy, overseeing a multi-basin organization that consistently delivers safe, efficient, and top-quartile well execution. His leadership emphasizes operational discipline, continuous improvement, and building a culture where people grow as leaders and teammates.

Since joining bpx in 2022, Keith has strengthened the company’s drilling performance through a focus on collaboration, empowerment, and technical excellence. He is particularly passionate about equipping engineers, supervisors, and frontline teams to lead confidently, communicate effectively, and elevate each other’s performance.

Keith started at Shell, where he worked across wells engineering, drilling operations, and supply chain in both offshore and onshore environments. His work across multiple U.S. and international shale plays centering on improving drilling and completions efficiency and advancing integrated execution models that unlock consistent, scalable performance.

Keith holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Ipsita Gupta

Dr. Ipsita Gupta is Associate Professor in the Craft and Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering at Louisiana State University (LSU). Her research is at the intersection of geosciences and engineering focusing on subsurface energy and environment from a reactive transport perspective. She studies formation and produced water geochemistry and geochemical rock-fluid interactions. Her recent research spans traditional oil and gas exploration and production to energy transition themes like CCUS, UHS and critical mineral (lithium) characterization from oil field brines. Dr. Gupta’s industry experience (Chevron, ESRI and ONGC) spans strategic research and technology development and technical services and large capital project maturation.

She is a recipient of multiple federal and industry grants, and the 2018 National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Gulf Research Program (GRP) Early Career Research Fellowship. At LSU, she teaches courses on Reservoir Engineering/Reservoir Management, Well Logging, Geologic Aspects of Subsurface Storage, and Reactive Transport Processes for Energy and Environment. Dr. Gupta is Chairperson of the InterPore Communications Committee and serves as Associate Editor for the journal of Geoenergy Science and Engineering (formerly Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering). She received her PhD in Geosciences (Hydrogeology) from the University of South Carolina in 2009.

Mathias Carlsen

Mathias Carlsen is CEO at whitson, a global petroleum engineering software and consulting company. After earning his MSc, Carlsen joined whitson and has been a key developer, conceptual driver and product manager of whitson+ for unconventional reservoir model management.

Through whitson, Carlsen has also supervised and consulted on projects for more than 100 E&P companies. In addition, he researches and teaches industry courses on well performance, advanced pressure, volume and temperature (PVT) studies, phase behavior and gas-based enhanced oil recovery.

Carlsen holds an MSc degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and was a Fullbright Scholar at Stanford University.

Conrad Longman

Conrad Longman is the Cement Technical Manager at ProPetro, where he leads the Company’s cement engineering strategic initiatives. He focuses on technical excellence, innovation, and performance optimization. He oversees engineering and laboratory operations, guides R&D initiatives, and drives the development of advanced cementing solutions for U.S. land customers.

With over 15 years of experience across major U.S. basins, Longman has built a reputation for elevating cementing practices and strengthening operational reliability. He began his career as a Field Engineer with Schlumberger, progressing through roles in engineering, technical sales, and operations management. He later joined Petroplex Acidizing to establish primary cementing operations and increased remedial cement business. Longman then served as District Engineer for West Texas Cementers, supporting both engineering and business development teams.

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Longman holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama. He is recognized for his practical expertise, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to advancing cementing technology and best practices across the industry.

Camden Lang

Camden Lang is a Senior Production Engineer at Fervo Energy, where she applies her expertise in drilling and completions to advance next-generation geothermal energy projects. At Fervo, she focuses on production optimization and asset development, helping transform subsurface heat into reliable, clean power by leveraging proven oil and gas technologies in innovative ways.

Camden’s journey in energy began with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Petroleum Engineering, with a minor in Humanitarian Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Early professional experiences include roles as a development engineer in the oil and gas sector and as an operations engineer in the Bakken, where she gained hands-on expertise in drilling operations and well management.

Driven by a passion for sustainable solutions, she transitioned into geothermal energy, where she has contributed to landmark achievements including the development of horizontal geothermal wells—an important milestone in expanding geothermal’s role in the clean energy transition.

Camden is committed to applying her technical skills to climate-focused energy challenges, demonstrating how petroleum engineering fundamentals can unlock opportunities across the broader energy landscape.

Dr. David S. Schechter

Dr. David S. Schechter serves as Department Chair of the Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering at Louisiana State University (LSU). With more than three decades of leadership in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and CO₂ management, he has built an international reputation in surfactant EOR, wettability alteration, and carbon utilization and storage.

He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Bristol (UK). He began his academic career at Stanford University and later served as Senior Scientist and Interim Director of the Petroleum Recovery Research Center at New Mexico Tech, where he led a $13 million U.S. Department of Energy project on CO₂ injection and sequestration in the Permian Basin. He subsequently held a professorship at Texas A&M University before joining LSU.

Dr. Schechter also serves as Vice President of Reservoir Engineering at EORETC and Chief Technology Officer at Third Wave Production, bridging academic research with field-scale implementation. He has delivered more than 90 industry short courses across 18 countries and has authored over 170 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers.

Dr. Schechter is a 2026 recipient of the SPE Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) Pioneer Award. He is also a Distinguished Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, an honor awarded to fewer than 1% of SPE’s global membership.