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IPAA Board of Directors Appoints President Barry Russell to CEO Role

Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President Barry Russell has been named chief executive officer by IPAA's Board of Directors. Mr. Russell has served as president and chief operating officer since March of 2000 where he has been responsible for IPAA's day-to-day operations. In addition, he has served as IPAA's chief legal and financial officer since 1988.

“For almost three decades, Barry has dedicated himself to IPAA and its mission of securing a strong, viable domestic oil and natural gas industry,” said Buddy Kleemeier, chairman of IPAA’s board of directors and president and CEO of Kaiser-Francis Oil Company, Tulsa, Okla.  “Under his leadership, IPAA has prospered financially and in its role as the leading national trade association dedicated to the upstream industry.” 

Immediate Past Chairman Michael Linn, president and CEO of Linn Energy, Houston, Texas, said," Over the last several years, Barry has worked with over thirty state and national associations to create IPAA's grassroots network  made up of over 50,000 individuals. This network helps the industry express important policy positions to Congress and Washington policymakers. In addition, Barry developed the IPAA Education Center which is dedicated to teaching students at various levels about energy policy and careers in the industry.”
IPAA represents more than 5,000 American oil and natural gas companies, most of them small, independent businesses, which develop 90 percent of the oil and natural gas wells in the United States.
 
Mr. Russell currently serves on the board of the IPAA Educational Foundation, the Business Industry Political Action Committee, and the National Energy Education Development Project. In the past he has served on the Board of the North American Prospect Expo (known as NAPE®), the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council and the Jefferson Energy Foundation.
 
Russell began his career in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of General Counsel and Enforcement, where he represented EPA in civil and criminal actions against some of the nation's largest utilities and industrial concerns. Prior to joining IPAA, Russell worked for several management consulting firms including Booz, Allen and Hamilton. During this period, he specialized in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate turnaround assignments, serving as the CEO of companies that were near bankruptcy. He was also active in international business, traveling to over 40 foreign countries during this period.

He received his law degree with honors from George Washington University Law School, and he graduated with distinction and honors from Penn State University with a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in economics. He has also completed courses in environmental mediation and negotiation at Harvard University and MIT.

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IPAA is the national trade association representing oil and natural gas producers that drill 90 percent of the nation's oil and natural gas wells. These companies account for 68 percent of America's oil production and 82 percent of its natural gas production.