Board of Directors
James J. Volker
James J. Volker, 62, is President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Whiting Petroleum Corporation. Mr. Volker has been a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation since 2003 and a director of Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation since 2002. He joined Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation in August 1983 as Vice President of Corporate Development and served in that position through April 1993. In May 1993, he became a contract consultant to Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation and served in that capacity until August 2000, at which time he became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Volker was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation in January 2002. Mr. Volker was co-founder, Vice President and later President of Energy Management Corporation from 1971 through 1982. He has over 38 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry. Mr. Volker has a degree in finance from the University of Denver, an MBA from the University of Colorado and has completed H. K. VanPoolen and Associates’ course of study in reservoir engineering.
Thomas L. Aller
Thomas L. Aller, 60, has been a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation since 2003. Mr. Aller has served as Senior Vice President — Energy Delivery of Alliant Energy Corporation and President of Interstate Power and Light Company since January 2004. Prior to that, he served as President of Alliant Energy Investments, Inc. since 1998 and interim Executive Vice President — Energy Delivery of Alliant Energy Corporation since 2003. From 1993 to 1998, he served as Vice President of IES Investments. He received his Bachelor's Degree in political science from Creighton University and his Master's Degree in municipal administration from the University of Iowa.
D. Sherwin Artus
D. Sherwin Artus, 71, has been a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation since 2006. Mr. Artus joined Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation in January 1989 as Vice President of Operations and became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in July 1999. In January 2000, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Artus became Senior Vice President in January 2002 and retired from the Company on April 1, 2006. Prior to joining Whiting, he was employed by Shell Oil Company in various engineering research and management positions. From 1974-1977, he was employed by Wainoco Oil and Gas Company as Production Manager. He was a co-founder and later became President of Solar Petroleum Corporation, an independent oil and gas producing company. He has over 48 years of experience in the oil and natural gas business. Mr. Artus holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Geological Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Mining Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota.
Thomas P. Briggs
Thomas P. Briggs, 60, has been a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation since 2006 and is chairman of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Briggs is an inactive certified public accountant and served as chief financial officer of six private and public companies, primarily in the oil and gas and food industries. Recently, he was chief financial officer of Horizon Organic, an organic foods company until it was acquired in 2004. During the 1980s, he was a chief financial officer and senior officer of two Denver-based independent oil and gas companies. Mr. Briggs spent 10 years with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte as a tax and M&A consultant to oil and gas clients. Mr. Briggs holds an accounting degree from Duke University and a law degree from Georgetown University.
William N. Hahne
William N. Hahne, 57, has been a director since 2007 and is chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Hahne was Chief Operating Officer of Petrohawk Energy Corporation from July 2006 until October 2007. Mr. Hahne served at KCS Energy, Inc. as President, Chief Operating Officer and Director from April 2003 to July 2006, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from March 2002 to April 2003 and in other management positions prior to that. He is a graduate of Oklahoma University with a BS in petroleum engineering and has 34 years of extensive technical and management experience with independent oil and gas companies including Unocal, Union Texas Petroleum Corporation, NERCO, The Louisiana Land and Exploration Company (LL&E) and Burlington Resources, Inc. Mr. Hahne was recommended to our Nominating and Governance Committee by our Chief Executive Officer and elected by our Board of Directors effective November 1, 2007.
Graydon D. Hubbard
Graydon D. Hubbard, 75, has served as a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation since 2003 and is chairman of the Audit Committee. He is a retired certified public accountant and was a partner of Arthur Andersen LLP in its Denver office for more than five years prior to his retirement in November 1989. Since 1991, he has served as a director of Allied Motion Technologies Inc., a company engaged in the business of designing, manufacturing and selling motion control products. Mr. Hubbard is also an author. He received his Bachelor's Degree in accounting from the University of Colorado.
Palmer L. Moe
Palmer L. Moe, 65, has served as a director of Whiting Petroleum Corporation since 2004. He is Managing Director of Kronkosky Charitable Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, a position he has held since 1997. Mr. Moe is an inactive certified public accountant and was a partner of Arthur Andersen & Co. in its San Antonio, Houston and Denver offices from 1965 to 1983. From 1983 until 1992, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer and a director of Valero Energy Corporation. He received his Bachelor's Degree in accounting from the University of Denver and completed the Senior Executive Development Course at the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.