Alaska Oil & Gas Congress Expert Speakers
Senior government officials, industry executives, and subject-matter experts shaping Alaska's energy future.
Speakers
The Alaska Oil & Gas Congress brings together an unparalleled lineup of decision-makers and thought leaders. Hear directly from the officials and executives responsible for shaping Alaska's energy landscape.
Ken Alper serves as Director of the Tax Division at the Alaska Department of Revenue, overseeing Alaska's oil and gas taxation system and providing fiscal policy guidance to the state government on energy revenue matters.
Paul Basinski is the Founder and CEO of BURGUNDY Xploration, an Alaskan exploration company focused on unconventional oil opportunities on the North Slope. He is the visionary behind Project Icewine, an ambitious shale oil exploration program targeting the HRZ formation.
Bud Cribley serves as State Director of the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska State Office within the U.S. Department of the Interior, overseeing federal land management including onshore oil and gas leasing programs across Alaska.
Mark Van Dongen serves as Port Director and Port Engineer at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, overseeing the development and operations of this strategically located port facility that supports oil and gas logistics and industrial development in the region.
Kirk Bailey is Executive Vice President of Operations at the Alberta Energy Regulator, where he has been instrumental in the AER's transformation into a streamlined, single-window regulatory body managing energy development across Alberta — a model of regulatory efficiency that Alaska has studied closely.
Cathy Foerster serves as Chair and Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC), the state agency responsible for preventing waste, protecting correlative rights, and ensuring public safety in oil and gas development. She is a leading voice on Alaska's technical and regulatory requirements for responsible resource development.
Benjamin Johnson is President of BlueCrest Energy, an independent oil and gas company focused on the development of Cook Inlet resources. Under his leadership, BlueCrest has pursued innovative approaches to revitalizing Cook Inlet production and ensuring continued natural gas supply to Southcentral Alaska.
Sara Longan serves as Executive Director of the Office of Project Management and Permitting within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, coordinating state permitting for major resource development projects and working to streamline the regulatory process for energy development.
Patrick Galvin serves as Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel at Great Bear Petroleum, bringing legal and commercial expertise to the company's pioneering North Slope unconventional oil development program.
Brian Murkowski serves as Vice President and General Manager at Resources Energy Inc., overseeing the company's Alaska operations and government relations. He is a well-known figure in Alaska's energy policy community with extensive experience in both industry and government affairs.
Eiji Maezawa is Director and Executive Vice President/COO of Resources Energy Inc., bringing Japanese investment and operational expertise to Alaska's North Slope. His dual perspective — as both an operator and a representative of Japanese LNG demand — provides unique insight into Alaska's export potential.
Larry Persily serves as Oil and Gas Special Assistant to the Kenai Peninsula Borough, bringing decades of experience in Alaska energy policy, journalism, and government affairs. A respected analyst and commentator on Cook Inlet and LNG issues.
Deepa Poduval is a Director at Black & Veatch Management Consulting, specializing in energy markets, LNG strategy, and natural gas infrastructure. Her expertise in global LNG market analysis provides critical context for Alaska's export ambitions.
Hanh Shaw serves as Program Manager for the EPA's Alaska Operations Office within Region 10, overseeing the agency's permitting and regulatory oversight responsibilities for oil and gas activities in Alaska.
Matt Vickers is CEO of G7G Railway Corporation, the developer of an ambitious rail transportation project connecting interior Alaska resources to Pacific tidewater. The G7G Railway would provide new transportation options for oil, gas, and other commodities, potentially opening new development economics for remote Alaska resources.
Bill Popp serves as President and CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, providing economic analysis and forecasting for Alaska's business community. His insights on oil and gas's role in Alaska's broader economy are invaluable for understanding the stakes of energy policy decisions.
Mead Treadwell is President of Pt Capital and a former Lieutenant Governor of the State of Alaska and former Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. A leading authority on Arctic policy and development, he brings a unique combination of political insight and business acumen to discussions of Alaska's energy future.
Mike Mason serves as President and CEO of Great Bear Petroleum, leading the company's efforts to unlock the North Slope's unconventional shale oil potential. Great Bear's innovative exploration approach positions it at the forefront of Alaska's next generation of oil development.
Mark Griffin is a Senior Project Manager at Arcadis U.S. Inc., with expertise in environmental engineering and project management for energy and infrastructure projects in Alaska.
Paul Fuhs is an Alaska-based consultant specializing in project development strategies and government relations, with extensive experience navigating Alaska's complex regulatory and political landscape for energy and infrastructure projects.
Speaker FAQ
The Congress features an impressive roster of senior government officials, executive-level industry leaders, and subject-matter experts from across Alaska's oil and gas sector. Government representatives include commissioners and directors from the Alaska Department of Revenue, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Industry speakers represent both established operators and pioneering explorers active in Alaska's North Slope and Cook Inlet. International perspectives are provided by executives from companies with Japanese energy interests, reflecting the importance of Asian LNG markets to Alaska's export potential. Financial and infrastructure experts round out the program.
Conference chairs are selected from senior industry figures who can moderate productive discussions while bringing their own expertise and networks to the event. The quality and seniority of speakers at the Alaska Oil & Gas Congress is consistently cited by attendees as a primary reason for attending year after year.
Speakers are selected based on their relevance to the Congress's core themes, their seniority and expertise, and their ability to provide new information or perspectives that attendees cannot obtain elsewhere. The organizing team works with advisory boards, industry associations, and government partners to identify the most impactful voices for each conference cycle.
Priority is given to speakers who can discuss active projects and real-world decision-making, rather than purely theoretical presentations. This practical orientation ensures that delegates leave with actionable intelligence that can directly inform their own business and policy decisions.
Government officials are invited to present on regulatory developments directly relevant to the industry, providing delegates with authoritative updates and the opportunity to ask questions of the officials responsible for permitting, taxation, and conservation decisions that affect their operations.
Alaska LNG expertise at the Congress comes from multiple perspectives — operators with active North Slope gas resources, financial analysts tracking global LNG market trends, government officials overseeing LNG project permitting, and international energy company representatives from LNG-importing nations like Japan.
Speakers like Deepa Poduval from Black & Veatch bring deep analytical capability to LNG market forecasting, while executives from Resources Energy Inc. provide both operational updates on North Slope gas resources and direct insight into Japanese LNG demand requirements. This combination gives Congress delegates a 360-degree view of Alaska LNG's prospects.
Larry Persily, with his extensive background covering Alaskan LNG policy and economics, provides critical analysis of the competitive landscape facing Alaska LNG projects, helping attendees realistically assess timelines, costs, and market opportunities.
Unconventional oil development is increasingly prominent in the Congress program, reflecting growing industry interest in Alaska's shale oil potential. Paul Basinski of BURGUNDY Xploration presents on Project Icewine, a pioneering exploration program targeting the HRZ shale formation on Alaska's North Slope that could represent a major new production source.
Mike Mason and Patrick Galvin of Great Bear Petroleum discuss the company's unconventional shale oil development program, sharing technical findings, economic modeling, and their assessment of the conditions required for viable North Slope shale production. These presentations offer Congress delegates early access to information that could significantly impact Alaska's future production profile.
The regulatory context for unconventional development is addressed by AOGCC Commissioner Cathy Foerster, who provides updates on technical regulations governing well completion and production practices relevant to horizontal and unconventional drilling operations in Alaska.
The Congress creates numerous opportunities for delegates to connect directly with speakers during networking sessions, breaks, and post-session Q&A periods. Many speakers are actively seeking business development opportunities, regulatory dialogue, or investment conversations that begin at the Congress and continue afterward.
The Congress facilitates networking by providing attendee directories and scheduling structured networking sessions that maximize the opportunity for productive one-on-one and small group conversations. Many of the most valuable relationships formed at the Congress develop through informal interactions during meals and receptions.
For ongoing engagement with Alaska's oil and gas community, the Congress recommends participating in industry associations active in Alaska and monitoring developments through official regulatory and company communications channels.