John Mingé was named president BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Jan. 1. In this role he is responsible for BP's oil and gas exploration, development and production activities in Alaska, as well as its interests in the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. During his 25-year career with BP, he has held various executive and engineering posts around the globe. This includes assignments as president of BP Indonesia, head of BP's Asia Pacific Unit, and president of exploration and production for Vietnam and China. Mingé started his BP career in the Gulf of Mexico as a drilling engineer. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University.

Ken Sheffield was named president of Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska 2003. Sheffield has worked for Pioneer since 1998, serving as vice president and general manager in the Gulf Coast Division and in Canada, and as president in Canada. He previously worked with Mesa Inc., from 1982 to 1997, starting as a staff engineer in drilling, production and reservoir, and working his way up to vice president of acquisitions and development. Sheffield holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University.

Pete Slaiby began working with Shell in New Orleans in 1980 in the Gulf of Mexico as a petrophysical field engineer. He later moved into a surveillance engineering role in the Gulf of Mexico and completed his assignment in New Orleans working on frontier development concepts in the Florida Gulf. In 1984, Slaiby moved to the Shell subsidiary, Pecten International. He was later assigned the role of asset manager for the Southern North Sea gas business in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and in 2004, assumed responsibility as Brunei asset manager. In May 2008, Slaiby assumed his current position as general manager of Shell's Alaska business, where he manages Shell's exploration and production activities in Alaska. Slaiby holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Pat Pourchot is the special assistant to the secretary for Alaska Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior, a position he began in May. Previously, Pourchot served as senior policy representative to Audubon Alaska, and as interim executive director for the Alaska Conservation Foundation. From 2000 to 2002, Pourchot served as the commissioner for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. He also served as legislative director under the Knowles administration. Pourchot served terms as a state senator and representative. He also has experience working on a variety of land issues, notably under the Alaska Native land laws. Pourchot holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a master of public administration from Harvard University.

Matthew Nicolai, president of Calista Corp., the second-largest Alaska Native regional corporation. Nicolai serves on the board of the Alaska Federation of Natives, is a member of the Association of Regional Corporation Presidents/CEOs, and is a director of Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska. He attended the University of Alaska and Westfield State College before earning a bachelor's degree in economics from George Washington University.

Marie Greene, president and CEO of NANA Regional Corp. Greene serves on the boards of several regional organizations, including OTZ Telephone Cooperative and the advisory committee for Wells Fargo Bank, the Alaska Federation of Natives and is co-chair of the Northwest Arctic Workforce Development and Higher Education Consortium and the Northwest Arctic Leadership Team. She holds a bachelor's degree in rural development.

Jeff Leppo is the managing partner of Stoel Rives' Seattle office and a member of the Resources, Development and Environment practice group. His practice is focused on environmental, wildlife and natural resources law. Leppo counsels on Endangered Species Act issues. He also has experience involving NEPA process, ESA listing decision, ESA consultation requirements and compliance, Magnuson-Stevens Act claims, among other issues.

Tom Henderson is the general manager and vice president for Coeur Alaska's Kensington Gold Project in Juneau. Henderson started his career as a miner in the underground silver mines of North Idaho's Silver Valley with Hecla Mining Co. He later earned his bachelor's degree in mining engineering from the University of Idaho and holds an master's in business administration from Regis University in Denver. He has worked for both Barrick Gold and Quadra Mining Co. developing mines in Nevada. Henderson has been with the Kensington Project for Coeur Alaska for the past three years.

John Shively earlier this year was named chief executive officer of the Pebble Partnership. Previously, he served as vice president, government and community affairs for Holland America Line. He is a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, a former chief of staff to Gov, Bill Sheffield, and served 17 years with NANA Regional Corp. He was actively involved with NANA in obtaining the land selection rights for the area in which the Red Dog Mine is currently located.

Ralph Samuels is the current vice president for government and community affairs for Holland America Line. Prior to working for Holland, Ralph was employed at PenAir. Samuels served three terms in the State House. He served as Majority Leader in the House as well as chair of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, where he was tasked with overseeing the Alaska Stranded Gas Development Act. He attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Drue Pearce is the federal coordinator for the Office of the Federal Coordinator for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects, reporting directly to the president. Pearce has served in the State House and State Senate, serving twice as Senate President. In 2001, was sworn into service as Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton's Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs, where she provided counsel in the development of the Department's policies affecting Alaska. She also served as policy coordinator for the department's efforts to be prepared for permitting and construction of an Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline. She graduated from Indiana University, holds a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University and graduated from The Executive Program at the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.

Tony Palmer is vice president for Alaska business development for TransCanada, leading efforts on the Alaska Highway pipeline project. Palmer is also CEO of Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd., a subsidiary of TransCanada. Foothills owns the Canadian section of the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System. TransCanada and Foothills own the Alaskan segment. Palmer joined Foothills in 1985 and worked in NOVA Gas International Ltd. from 1994 to 1998. Since then, he has held several senior positions in business development, strategy and transmission planning at TransCanada. He holds a bachelor's degree from Concordia University in Montreal and is a graduate of the executive development program at the University of Calgary.

Bud Fackrell was appointed president of Denali - the Alaska gas pipeline in June 2008. Denali is a 50/50 joint venture between BP and ConocoPhillips. Prior to his appointment to Denali, he was serving as the senior vice president of BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. with accountability for managing BP operations on the North Slope of Alaska. Fackrell has 33 years of experience in the oil and gas business around the world. Prior to moving to Alaska in 2006 he served as the chief executive officer and general manager of the Abu Dhabi Marine Operation Co., a large joint venture operating all of the offshore concessions on behalf of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., BP, Total and the Japan Oil Development Co. in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Fackrell graduated with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Wyoming.

Gatan Caron was designated chair and CEO of the National Energy Board of Canada in September 2007. Prior to assuming that role, Caron was vice chair of the board, having been appointed in 2005. In 2003, he was appointed member of the board. Caron joined the staff of the board in 1979. He has assumed a number of responsibilities there, including those of chief engineer and director, financial regulation. From 1994 to 2003, he held the position of chief operating officer. He holds a bachelor's degree in rural engineering from Laval University and a master of business administration from the University of Ottawa in 1987. He is a member of the Qubec Order of Engineers and of the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada. He serves as Past Chair of the Canadian Association of Members of Public Utilities Tribunals. He serves as co-vice chair of the Committee on International Relations of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He was a member of the board of directors of the Calgary United Way from 2002 to 2009.

North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta is an Inupiat whaler and hunter whose employment experience includes oversight of large construction projects, business development and community liaison work. Over the past two decades, he has served in a variety of leadership positions for the regional government. He has held management and liaison positions for subsidiaries of Arctic Slope Regional Corp. He was president of LCMF Inc. He served on the board of directors of UIC and of Eskimo's Inc. Itta was trained as an electronics technician at the Griswold Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, and in the U.S. Navy. His first job took him to Prudhoe Bay, where he was an oil field roustabout in the earliest days of Prudhoe development.

Capt. Michael D. Inman is chief, Response Division, 17th Coast Guard District, where he oversees all Coast Guard search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime environmental response and intelligence operations in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Northern Pacific Ocean. He also has oversight for both the Coast Guard's Air Stations and the majority of its cutters and small boats in Alaska. He previously served as commander, Sector Juneau. Inman has served aboard five Coast Guard cutters and one U.S. Navy ship, has served in Miami and Puerto Rico. Inman is a 1980 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a bachelor's degree in marine science. He subsequently earned a master's degree in telecommunications systems management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. While serving aboard USS Brewton, Inman earned designation as a Navy Surface Warfare Officer.

Neal Fried is an economist and the supervisor of Anchorage office of the Alaska Department of Labor's Research and Analysis Section. His primary duty is to produce analysis on a variety of economic issues facing the Alaska. He is a primary author of articles appearing in the monthly magazine Alaska Economic Trends, covering a variety of the state's economic issues. Fried is known for his annual economic forecasts for Anchorage and forecasts for a variety of other communities in the state published in Trends and other publications. He also produces industry employment estimates for Anchorage, and Anchorage/MatSu on a monthly basis. Fried conducts dozens of presentations on variety of economic topics each year, both in the Anchorage area and around the state. He has served on the Governors Oil and Gas Policy Task Force, Anchorage Economic Development Committee, the Governors Technology Task Force and others. Fried holds a degree in economics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Helene E. Harding is vice president, North Slope operations and development, for ConocoPhillips Alaska. Harding began her career with ARCO in 1982 as a reservoir engineer, working onshore South Texas. In the 1990s, she spent nine years working for ARCO International in various roles, including finance director for the former Soviet Union and Worldwide New Ventures as engineering manager. After BP acquired ARCO in 2000, she became the western Gulf of Mexico shelf asset manager. Harding joined Conoco in 2001 as Lobo asset manager. Following the ConocoPhillips merger in 2002, she became manager of the South Texas business unit in upstream, Lower 48. In 2003, she was named manager of the Gulf Coast business unit for exploration and production, which includes South Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. In June 2005, she was named general manger, subsurface technology. Harding assumed her current position in January 2008. Harding was born in Torrance, Calif., in 1960. She holds a bachelorÕs degree in chemical engineering. She graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas