Charlie Byrer
(Charter Member) Arthur Henry, LLC
Charlie Byrer spent 34 years as Project Manager in the Coalbed Methane Program at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory. During that time, he presented research at conferences throughout the U.S. and in over 15 countries around the world including Australia, Poland and China.
He earned a Bachelors of Science from Fairmont State College, and a Masters degree in Geology from West Virginia University.
After retiring from the Department of Energy, Charlie was elected to the Morgantown City Council as the Third Ward Representative, and played an integral role in opening up natural gas development within Monongalia County.
He is currently the Managing Partner with ArthurHenry LLC, a West Virginia-based title research and leasing company focused on the Appalachian Basin Marcellus Shale region.
Joseph D'Amico P.E.,
D'Amico Technologies Corporation
Mr. D'Amico is the founder and President of D'Amico Technologies Corp (DTC). For 20 years DTC has been a leader in the Natural Gas and Coal Industry for the development and utilization of Unconventional Gas.
Mr. D'Amico has led the successful development, construction and operation of Coal Mine Methane Recovery projects, Shale Gas Hydrocarbon Dewpoint Control and NGL Recovery projects along the Appalachian Mountain range, and Helium Recovery Projects along the Rocky Mountains.
Within the last 15 years, Mr D'Amico was a joint venture partner with RAG Coal / Foundation Coal / Alpha, and ultimately became the Vice President of Gas Technology & Marketing for Alpha Natural Resources until 2013.
Mr. D'Amico holds more than half a dozen patents relating to Gas Processing and enrichment of low BTU unconventional natural gas. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ontario Canada. With over 40 years of engineering and gas processing experience, he has been the President of a number of Energy start-up companies, author of text books, and speaker at numerous conferences.
Mr. D'Amico is an Engineering graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) with Bachelor of Science degrees in multiple engineering fields.
Gary DuBois
Target Drilling
Gary earned a B.S. in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University. Since starting in the industry Gary is a PA registered professional engineer. He has held numerous salaried positions in his nearly 30 years working in the industry at several large underground Mines in southwestern Pennsylvania. Gary manages one of TDI's CM commercialization projects and sealing of CBM boreholes with gel.
John Duda
U.S. DOE/NETL
Mr. Duda is a Supervisor with the Research and Innovation Center at the U.S. Department of
Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory. John earned a Master of Science Degree
in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from West Virginia University and has thirty-six years of
industry experience – the last thirty-two as a R&D professional in DOE's Office of Fossil Energy
and Office of Environmental Management. Prior to his assignment with the Laboratory's research
organization, Mr. Duda served as Director of the Strategic Center for Natural Gas and Oil and was
responsible for planning and implementing the Department's oil and natural gas-related R&D
program – a portfolio of research activities primarily focused on domestic unconventional resources.
Prior to joining the Energy Department, John held various engineering and managerial positions in
the private sector including assignments in South and East Texas developing low permeability
natural gas reservoirs.
Craig Eckert
EQT Production
Craig is currently Geoscience Advisor for EQT Production Company in Pittsburgh, PA. He has more than 35 years of seismic interpretation and prospect generation experience in the petroleum industry, having worked both domestic and international plays. Domestically, Craig has worked extensively on nearly all of the Palaeozoic plays in the Appalachian basin including CBM in western Virginia’s prolific Nora field, and has studied and evaluated most of the shale gas basins in North America. Graduating with a BS in Geology from WVU in 1979, Craig began his career with Consolidated Gas in WV, and then went on to work for CNG Development Company, Ashland Exploration, and EQT, as well as several smaller independents. In his career he has drilled over 1000 wells, made significant discoveries, and was responsible for the first horizontal well ever drilled in Virginia. Presently he is involved in identifying new and overlooked plays above and below currently active resource plays in numerous North American basins.
He is an active member of AAPG, AIPG, SEG, GSA, is a Certified Professional Geologist, and is a Registered Professional Geologist in KY. He is past-President of both Geophysical Society of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Geological Society, and is currently President of Eastern Section AAPG. He has presented numerous papers at local, sectional and national meetings of AAPG, NACBM and other geological societies, is also the 2003 recipient of the Ralph L. Miller Best Paper Award, ES-AAPG.
Gillian Flick
Steptoe and Johnson
Gillian Flick has been a part of a team consistently since she started playing soccer at age 10. The lessons on teamwork that Gillian has learned throughout her years as a soccer player and now a coach are just a few of the ingredients that make Gillian a successful lawyer and trusted colleague. Gillian uses her skills to help clients in the energy industry in Appalachia, as well as higher education
institutions in Pennsylvania.
Gillian started her career in the energy industry and has grown to love the challenges that the fluctuating energy market provides. Clients appreciate that Gillian is nimble, responsive, and efficient, and therefore a good steward with their resources. Gillian works with oil and gas developers on their transactional matters, including title examinations and title opinions and due diligence for acquisitions.
In addition, she assists oil and gas clients in the preparation and review of all documents relating to mineral title ownership, including easements, deeds, leases, and other transactional contracts and documents.
As a member of the firm's Higher Education Team, Gillian is ready and able to defend colleges and universities in grievances, faculty tenure matters, and employment matters. Gillian's belief that "we win as a team and lose as a team" makes her a valued partner who helps her clients navigate the unknown, strengthen their teams, and come out with a win.
Qin He
Saint Francis University
Qin He, assistant professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA. She Received the B.Sc degree (Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering) from China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China in 2006, M. Sc degree (Geochemistry) from Guangzhou institute of geochemistry, China in 2009, M. Sc degree and Ph.D. degree (Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering) from West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV in 2016. Dr. Qin He joined Saint Francis University in Fall 2016 after she received her Ph.D. degree.
Qin He has been actively involved in the research area of reservoir simulation on both conventional and unconventional reservoirs (Coalbed Methane, Shale Gas) using traditional and Artificial Intelligence/Data Mining techniques. Her recent research focuses on "Real Time Reservoir Simulation Techniques for Supporting Effective Reservoir Management in Shale Reservoir Development" and "Real Time Monitoring of CO2 Migration in Un-mineable Coal Seams". Her teaching interests include Reservoir Engineering, Drilling Engineering, Numerical Reservoir Modeling and Simulation, Shale Gas and Coal Bed Methane Modeling, Oil and Gas Property Evaluation, Engineering Problem Solving, etc.
Greg Kozera
C&J Energy Services
Greg Kozera is the Southern Appalachian Business Development Manager for C&J Energy Services. He is also immediate past President of the Virginia Oil and Gas Association and is a member of the Board of Directors for the West Virginia Oil and Gas Association. He is a member of the National Speakers Association, National Federation of High School Soccer Coaches and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Mr. Kozera attended West Virginia University for his Engineering BS and after a break of 20 years got his MS in Environmental Engineering from Marshall University. Mr. Kozera is a registered professional engineer. He has written four books and numerous technical papers and articles. He is also a regular industry and newspaper columnist, radio personality as well as a professional speaker. In just the last year, Greg, who has been called “The Fracking Expert”, has been a guest on over 100 radio programs nationwide from Boston to Sacramento and Houston to Fargo, ND. Greg’s recent book Just the Fracks Ma’am, The TRUTH about hydrofracking and the next great American boom is available at all major online outlets, like Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Books a Million.
Morgan "Mike" Mosser
NETL
Since 2000, Mike has served as a Project and Portfolio Manager for the Mining Industries of the Future Program and is currently the Project Manager for a $251 million, 5 year Gasification/Carbon Capture Project with Southern Services Company at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Department of Energy complex in Morgantown, WV. His career started in the Southwestern Pennsylvania coal fields for US Steel Corporation. His career advanced through various management positions and companies before becoming VP of Operations at Philippi Development for Anker Energy. During his 28 years experience in the coal industry, he has developed, operated and managed 12 surface/underground coal mines. While at Philippi Development he served on the WVCA committee to develop diesel regulations in West Virginia underground coal mines. Nine years ago he joined DOE - NETL as a project manager for the mining technology program. He completed a BS in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University and a MBA from Waynesburg College and became a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP). Six of the projects under his management at NETL were selected for the prestigious R&D 100 Awards. He currently serves as a team member of the US/India Coal Working Group exchanging technology information with the mining experts of India and as a Board Member for the International Coal Bed Methane and Shale Symposium.
Joanne Reilly
Consultant
Joanne Reilly is Manager, Gas Operations for Alpha Natural Resources Coal Gas Recovery LLC affiliate, where she is commercializing coalbed methane and conventional gas reserves. Joanne has over 33 years experience in the coal industry including coalbed methane and conventional gas production, evaluation of coal and gas reserves, surface and underground coalbed methane planning and production, and has and is continuing to work closely with the mine operation staff to maximize production and minimize risk.
Joanne is a registered Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania and Wyoming and a Certified Professional Geologist with the American Institute of Professional Geologists. She is certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Mine Examiner and Assistant Mine Forman. Joanne is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in Erosion and Sedimentation Control for Well Sites. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the North American Coalbed Methane Forum. She is a member of the Geological Society of America.
Gary Rodvelt
Halliburton Energy Services
Gary Rodvelt is a Sr. Technical Services Advisor – Reservoir with Halliburton Energy Services in Charleston, WV, a position he has had since September of 1999. Prior to that, he was an Account Leader in sales for WV and KY for 4 years. He has more than 30 years experience in the petroleum industry, including 3 years as a Technical Advisor in the Illinois basin, and 20 years in the Mid-Continent area with positions in sales, stimulation design, and operations. He holds a BS degree in Nuclear Engineering from Kansas State University and has been a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers since 1980. With an emphasis in coalbed methane projects, he has provided log analysis and a completion recommendation for Devonian and Utica shale plays with a limited number of Marcellus reviews.
Felicia A. Ruiz
Director, Coalbed Methane Outreach Program
U.S. EPA Climate Change Division
Felicia Ruiz has more than twenty years of experience managing global clean energy technology and technical assistance programs, particularly in Asia and Latin America.
At the EPA, Ms. Ruiz is the Director of the Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP), where she works with the coal mining industry in the U.S. and internationally with the goal of reducing methane emissions from coal mining activities. She also has extensive experience working with industry on domestic and international combined heat and power (CHP) and distributed generation projects at the EPA.
Ms. Ruiz is the Co-Chair of the Global Methane Initiative’s (GMI) Coal Subcommittee and serves as the Vice Chair of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane.
Steve Schatzel
NIOSH
Dr. Schatzel is a geologist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of Mine Safety and Health (OMSHR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He initially worked on developing methane control technology for coal mines and led the first successful cross-measure drilling project in the US. Dr. Schatzel’s academic training is in geology and a geochemistry. He earned a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001 while investigating coal geochemistry. Steve has 36 years of mining research experience. His NIOSH research is primarily in the areas of methane control and ventilation for underground coal mines. He has also produced research on the sources of respirable silica in underground coal mines, methane control for underground metal nonmetal mines, and new methane content measuring procedures and instruments. Steve has been serving on the North American Coalbed Methane Forum Board of Directors since 1997 as the NIOSH liaison.
Dave Uhrin
(Charter Member) CBM Consulting
Mr. Uhrin received his Bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Notre Dame and Master’s degree in geology from the Ohio State University. Mr. Uhrin established his roots in coal mining while working at Bituminous Coal Research, Inc. (BCR); prior to working at BCR, he worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U. S. Bureau Of Mines. At BCR, he oversaw practical, applied research for the recovery and use of coalbed methane (CBM), working with member coal companies and the gas industry. Other than occasional teaching, Uhrin has worked in the CBM field for over 30 years, 25 years as an independent consultant. He has provided desorption testing and permeability (slug) estimation services in most of the eastern coal states and the Illinois Basin, including Equitable Production’s Nora District Project in Virginia, and Penn Virginia Oil & Gas Corp.’s West Virginia projects.
Some years ago, Mr. Uhrin was asked to review a Gas Research Institute draft of A Guide to Determining Coalbed Gas Content. Committed to proper and cost effective characterization of coal reserves, he raised concerns over the lack of thorough treatment of narrow diameter, continuous coring as used by the coal industry. At GRI’s request, he wrote a section on such procedures. Based on his years of testing coal cores, Mr. Uhrin characterizes the coals of the Northern Appalachian and northern Central Appalachian coal basins as “blue collar… they are steady, reliable and can produce for decades.”
As one of the three original founders of the highly regarded Pittsburgh Coalbed Methane Forum, now the North American Forum, Mr. Uhrin is committed to development of the CBM resource in the Appalachians. He takes great professional pride in having brought together the coal owners and the producing companies for the two largest and commercially successful CBM projects in southwestern
