Oil & Gas

Stuart Porter is a Founder, Managing Partner and serves as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer. Stu brings over 29 years of senior investment experience to Denham. Stu serves on the Investment Committee and Valuation Committee.

Prior to founding Denham, Stu was a founding partner of Sowood Capital Management LP and, prior thereto, was employed as a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Harvard Management Company, Inc. where he focused on public and private transactions in the energy and commodities sectors. Stu previously worked for Bacon Investments and at J. Aron, a division of Goldman Sachs. While at J. Aron, he worked on the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index desk. Prior to joining J. Aron, Stu was a self-employed trader at the Chicago Board of Trade and was employed by Cargill Incorporated in Minnetonka, Minnesota in the Financial Markets Division.

Stu received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Jordan Marye is a Managing Partner of Denham Capital where he leads the firm’s Oil & Gas investment effort. He joined Denham in 2006 and is a member of the Investment Committee and Valuation Committee.

Prior to joining Denham, Jordan worked in the Global Energy Group of UBS Investment Bank and the Energy Practice of Huron Consulting Group. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of multiple Denham portfolio companies/investments including  Comstock Resources (NYSE: CRK), Fairway Resources III, Clear Creek Resource Partners, Spire HoldCo, Atlantic Resources I & II, and Rockies Resources.

A native of south Louisiana, Jordan received a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University.

Carl Tricoli is a Founder, Managing Partner and co-heads the firm’s Mining team. He brings 36 years of experience to Denham and is a member of the Investment Committee and the Valuation Committee.

Prior to joining Denham in 2004, he served as President of GeosCapital (a J.M. Huber Corporation), after serving as Vice President for Enron North America, Managing Director of Koch Producer Services, President of Black Hawk Resources and Managing Director of Corporate Finance for NationsBank Capital Markets. Carl serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Tremont Master Holdings, Ltd. and Mining Ventures Brasil Ltda.

Carl received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from Cass Business School in London.

Geer Blalock is a Managing Director, responsible for origination, analysis, structuring and execution of investments for the O&G Deal Team. He joined Denham in 2008.

Prior to joining Denham, Geer was an Analyst at Randall & Dewey, a division of Jefferies & Company, where he focused on the oil and gas exploration and production industry. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Atlantic Resources, Live Oak Resource Partners, Ursa Resources Group II, S&A Resources and Horizon Resources.

Geer received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jason Craig is a Managing Director, responsible for origination, analysis, structuring and execution of investments for the O&G Deal Team. He joined Denham Capital in 2012.

Prior to joining Denham, Jason was a Petroleum Engineer with Newfield Exploration. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Fairway Resources III, Bradford Minerals, Horizon Resources III, and Live Oak Resource Partners.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration with High Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

James Obulaney is a Managing Director at Denham Capital, responsible for origination, analysis, structuring, execution and monitoring of its O&G investments. He joined Denham in 2014.

Prior to joining Denham, James was an Associate in the Energy Private Equity Group at Avista Capital Partners and an Analyst in the Global Energy Group at Morgan Stanley.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Atlantic Resources, Clear Creek, Covey Park, Tall City II, Ursa Resources II and multiple mineral platforms. James earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Steven Smith is a Managing Director, responsible for origination, analysis, structuring, execution and monitoring of investments for the O&G Deal Team. He joined Denham in 2011.

Prior to joining Denham, Steven was an Analyst in the Energy Investment Banking Group of Evercore Partners and an Analyst at GulfStar Group. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of COG Energy, Fairway Resources III, Greene’s Energy Group, Outrigger Energy. WhiteWater Midstream, and Rockies Resources.

Steven graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Texas A&M University.

John McLaughlin is a Technical Director, responsible for technical screening and valuation, risk assessment and portfolio management for the Oil & Gas Team. He joined Denham in 2016.

Prior to joining Denham, John was a Vice President at Ryder Scott Company, an Associate Director / Reservoir Engineer at Macquarie Energy Capital in both Houston and London, and Reservoir Engineer and Reservoir Surveillance Engineer at ExxonMobil.

John earned a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a Masters of Petroleum Engineering from the University of Houston.

Erin Van Volkenburgh is a Technical Director, responsible for technical screening and valuation, risk assessment and portfolio management for the Oil & Gas Team. She joined Denham in 2019.

Prior to joining Denham, Erin was a subsurface asset team lead in the Delaware Basin at Chevron and has 17 years of experience in reservoir management, production operations and drilling across a diverse set of assets at Chevron and ExxonMobil. 

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Masters of Business Administration from Wharton’s executive MBA program in San Francisco.

Anil Pillai is a Vice President at Denham Capital, responsible for analysis, structuring, execution and monitoring of its O&G investments.

Prior to joining Denham in 2014, Anil was an Analyst in the Energy Investment Banking Group of Jefferies LLC.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of multiple Denham portfolio companies. Anil earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from The University of Texas at Austin.

Zac Query is a Vice President, responsible for financial modeling, execution and monitoring of investments.  He joined Denham Capital in 2016.

Prior to joining Denham, Zac was an Analyst in the Energy Investment Banking Group of Evercore Partners and an Analyst in the Energy Investment Banking Group of Raymond James.

Zac earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a second major in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis.  He graduated magna cum laude.

Zack Belski is an Associate, responsible for financial modeling, execution and monitoring of investments. He joined Denham Capital in 2019.

Prior to joining Denham, Zack was an Analyst in the Global Natural Resources Group of the Investment Banking Division of Barclays, where he focused on the oil and gas industry.

Zack earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Princeton University. He graduated cum laude.

Cole Parsons is an Associate, responsible for financial modeling, execution and monitoring of investments.  He joined Denham Capital in 2018.

Prior to joining Denham, Cole was an Analyst in the Energy Investment Banking Group of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

Cole earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance and Honors College Degree from Oklahoma State University and a University Diploma in Management from the Université de Limoges. He graduated summa cum laude.

Caroline Petersen is an Associate, responsible for financial modeling, execution and monitoring of investments. She joined Denham Capital in 2017.

Prior to joining Denham, Caroline was an Associate in the Global Natural Resources Group of the Investment Banking Division of Barclays, where she focused on the oil and gas industry.

Caroline earned a Master of Real Estate and Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Honors at Texas A&M University. She graduated summa cum laude.

Artur Shikhaleev is an Associate, responsible for financial modeling, execution and monitoring of investments. He joined Denham Capital in 2018.

Prior to joining Denham, Artur was an Analyst in the Energy Investment Banking Group of Jefferies LLC.

Artur earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a second major in Statistics from Duke University. He graduated cum laude.

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Matt LeBlanc is a Technical Associate, assisting in engineering analysis, technical due diligence, and data management.

Prior to joining Denham, Matt was a Senior Engineering Analyst at SM Energy and an Engineering Tech at Occidental Petroleum.

Matt attended Northwestern State University in Natural Science and Louisiana State University in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Van Pham is a Technical Associate, assisting in engineering analysis, technical due diligence, and data management.

Prior to joining Denham, Van was a Senior Engineering Analyst at Macquarie Bank and a Petrophysical Technician at Petrophysical Solutions, Inc

Van earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Texas at Austin.