Executive Leadership

H₂O Midstream is led by an experienced and innovative management team with over 250 years of combined experience across the energy industry. We have a proven ability to design, build, operate and execute sustainable water management solutions to create value for our investors and customers.

Jim Summers

Chief Executive Officer

Jim Summers- Chief Executive Officer

• 30+ years of energy industry experience.
• Co-founded H₂O Midstream after holding senior leadership positions at Conoco, BP, and privately held water recycling, renewable energy, and environmental services firms.
• Recognized industry expert in the design, integration and operation of sustainable water solutions for the oil and gas sector. Experience in engineering, operations, project management, trading, and origination, across multiple commodities including, gas, power, natural gas liquids, renewable energy, and produced water.

Darrell Bull

Chief Commercial Officer

Darrell Bull- Chief Commercial Officer

• 32+ years of energy industry experience.
• Co-founded H₂O Midstream after holding numerous leadership, technical and commercial positions with Mobil, Williams, and Crestwood.
• Leads business development, legal and land functions focused on developing relationships with clients to create win-win solutions and grow the asset base.
• Experience in engineering, operations and business development within the midstream sector with a focus on produced water, natural gas, crude oil, natural gas liquids, and petrochemicals.

Gauri Potdar, CFA

Chief Sustainability Officer & SVP Strategy and Analytics

Gauri Potdar, CFA- Chief Sustainability Officer & SVP Strategy and Analytics

• 17+ years of experience in the energy and commodity markets.
• Co-founded H₂O Midstream after various roles at S&P Global Platts, Element Markets, and Deloitte Consulting.
• Creates sustainable water management solutions focused on bringing value to clients.
• Experience in business development, strategy, finance, structuring, research, trading, and analytics across multiple commodities including energy, environmental credits, renewable power, biogas and renewable fuels.

Gerardo Rivera

Chief Operating Officer

Gerardo Rivera- Chief Operating Officer

• 34+ years of domestic and international experience in the upstream and midstream sectors with exposure to multiple commodities – natural gas, NGLs, LNG, crude oil and heavy oil.
• Leads all engineering, operations, health, safety, environmental, and regulatory functions for the company.
• Prior to joining H₂O Midstream, served in various leadership roles at ConocoPhillips, Southcross Energy, and Vemillion Energy focused on operations, engineering, project execution and business development.

Frank Olmsted

Chief Financial Officer

Frank Olmsted- Chief Financial Officer

• 33+ years of accounting and finance experience in the midstream, upstream and retail energy sectors.Oversees accounting, finance, tax, risk management, human resources, information technology, and administration.
• Prior to joining H₂O Midstream, served in various accounting and finance roles with El Paso Corporation and its subsidiary, EP Energy Corporation, Spark Energy and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Barry Ballard

Senior Vice President, Operations

Barry Ballard- Senior Vice President, Operations

• 40+ years of experience in the oil and gas industry in both upstream and midstream sectors.
• Drives the operations team in safely operating and maintaining produced water assets. Works with producers in coordinating flowback and water supply requirements to meet customer needs.
• Previously held leadership roles with Mobil Oil, Enogex, Enable, OG&E and EnLink.

Engineering, Operations & Business Management

Dennis Schmitt

VP, Facilities Engineering

Dennis Schmitt- VP, Facilities Engineering

• Oversees design, project management, and all engineering functions related to disposal wells, storage, and other surface facilities.
• Has over 25 years of technical and leadership experience spanning reservoir engineering, drilling engineering, facilities engineering, and gas midstream. Registered PE in TX, CO, and UT. BSME and MSME degrees from Colorado State University.
• Previously held multiple engineering or technical roles at Encana and EP Energy, Hewlett Packard and Agilent Technologies.

Yasin Ali

VP, Pipeline Engineering

Yasin Ali- VP, Pipeline Engineering

• Oversees design, project management and all engineering functions related to pipelines including business development support.
• With PE and over 23 years of project management, engineering, and technical experience, including design, procurement, hydraulic modeling, and planning for pipeline, facilities, and engineering projects.
• Previously held roles at TRC/Wilbros Pipeline Services, STV, and Enbridge.

Matt Tate

Director, Business Development

Matt Tate- Director, Business Development

• Responsible for assessing M&A opportunities and market trends, handling customer relationships, and managing trucking operations.
• With over 10 years of experience in banking and the oil & gas industry, Matt previously held roles with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Credit Suisse, where he was responsible for evaluating the MLP/midstream sector and managing relationships between company leadership and public investors.

Gloria Park, CPA

Controller

Gloria Park, CPA- Controller

• Oversees accounting, tax, financial reporting, treasury and cash management.
• A CPA with over 20 years of accounting and financial reporting experience in the midstream and upstream sectors.
• Prior to H₂O Midstream, Gloria held accounting or finance roles at El Paso Corporation, EP Energy and Riviera Resources, Inc.

Héctor Sánchez

Director, HSE&R

Héctor Sánchez- Director, HSE&R

• Leads the HSE&R program while ensuring that Federal, State, and Local safety laws are observed. Responsible for creating and implementing safety & regulatory strategies for the company.
• With over 17 years of experience in the oil & gas industry, holds multiple HSE credentials from BCSP, TEEX, and UTA.
• For the last 14 years, driven HSE&R responsibilities for companies such as Mitchell Energy Services, Targa Resources, Energy Transfer, and Apache Corporation.

Judy Wang, CPA

Accounting Manager

Judy Wang, CPA- Accounting Manager

• Manages external accounting related communication and leads FP&A activities.
• 9 years of experience at in financial reporting at EP Energy and as an Audit Associate at KPMG.

Board of Directors

Jim Summers

Chief Executive Officer,
H₂O Midstream

Jim Summers- Chief Executive Officer

• 30+ years of energy industry experience.
• Co-founded H₂O Midstream after holding senior leadership positions at Conoco, BP, and privately held water recycling, renewable energy, and environmental services firms.
• Recognized industry expert in the design, integration and operation of sustainable water solutions for the oil and gas sector. Experience in engineering, operations, project management, trading, and origination, across multiple commodities including, gas, power, natural gas liquids, renewable energy, and produced water.

Patricia B. Melcher

Managing Partner / Co-Founder,
EIV Capital

Patricia B. Melcher- Managing Partner/Co-Founder

• Patti Melcher is the Managing Partner and co-founder of EIV Capital, LLC, a Houston based private equity firm focused on providing growth capital to businesses in the midstream sector of the energy industry. Ms. Melcher has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry. She began her finance career as an investment banker with Simmons & Company International and then joined newly formed SCF Partners, a private equity fund focused on the oilfield service industry. She subsequently formed Allegro Capital Management, Inc. to provide consulting services and to make private equity investments in energy companies. During her tenure there, she served as Interim Chief Executive Office for Petrocom Energy, Ltd. Since founding EIV Capital in 2009, Ms. Melcher has been responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and investment program. In addition to serving on the boards of EIV Capital portfolio companies, Ms. Melcher has served as a director and audit chair of Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (NYSE: HOS) since 2002.
• Ms. Melcher is also active in the non-profit community. In 1997, she co-founded and then served as President and Board Chair (now Trustee Emeritus) of The Joy School, a non-profit K-8 school focused on meeting the educational needs of children with learning differences. She currently serves as a Trustee of the University of Virginia School of Engineering and on the boards of Da Camera of Houston and Workshop Houston.
• She earned her BS degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and MBA from Harvard University.

David Finan

Partner, EIV Capital

David Finan- Partner

• David Finan serves as a Partner of EIV and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He is actively involved in firm strategy and is responsible for originating and stewarding investments across EIV’s areas of focus. David has more than 15 years of experience including energy finance in upstream, midstream, oilfield service and power sectors. David most recently served as Director for Quantum Energy Partners, where he participated in investment activities across upstream, midstream and oilfield sectors; including portfolio company board participation and monitoring, evaluating and sourcing new investments, due diligence and transaction structuring and execution.
• In 2006, David joined GSO Capital Partners, a division of the Blackstone Group, where he served as Vice President of the energy investment team and provided credit, equity and special situation capital across the energy value chain. His responsibilities included negotiating and executing private investments, participating in syndicated offerings and monitoring ongoing investments within GSO and Blackstone’s credit and special-situation hedge funds. Prior to that, David held positions at JPMorgan and Credit Suisse’s investment banking Natural Resources Group, focusing on mergers, acquisitions and capital market transactions. David received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance and Management Information Systems from Baylor University, graduating cum laude.

Michael J. Rose

Director/Partner, Investments – Private Markets, GCM Grosvenor

Michael J. Rose- Director/Partner

• Mr. Rose is a member of the Private Markets Investment Department and specializes in energy, infrastructure and real assets, primarily in North America. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Mr. Rose was a Partner in the Customized Fund Investment Group of Credit Suisse Group AG, which he joined in 2004. Mr. Rose received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History with high distinction from the University of Michigan in 1995 and his Master of Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 2004. For additional information, please visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

John Jensen

Independent Director

John Jensen- Independent Director

• With over two decades of energy experience, John held a variety of roles in the upstream and midstream business including operations, engineering, finance, strategy, government affairs, business development and planning at EP Energy, El Paso Corporation and Conoco. John served as Executive Vice President of Operations for EP Energy (NYSE: EPE) where he provided leadership for drilling, completions, field operations, supply chain management, health, safety, environment and regulatory. John also served on the executive team during EP Energy’s separation from El Paso (2012) and initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange (2014).
• John received his BS degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. In addition to his role as independent board member of H₂O Midstream, John also serves on the board of Kids Across America, which reaches urban youth through its sports camps. John and his wife, Cathy, grew up in Colorado and have two daughters.

Lara Banks

Managing Director, Makena Capital Management

Lara Banks- Managing Director

• Lara Banks is a Managing Director at Makena Capital Management, a global, multi-asset class investment manager providing a range of pooled investment vehicles with the objective of long-term, risk adjusted capital appreciation. She is responsible for portfolio management and manager selection for the Traditional and Sustainable Natural Resources portfolios. In addition to her duties in running the Natural Resources portfolios, Lara leads the firm’s sustainability efforts as it relates to investment diligence and oversight.
• Prior to joining Makena, Lara worked at GE Energy Financial Services, a financial division investing across the capital structure of energy assets. At GE, Lara focused on investments in domestic and foreign oil & gas assets. Prior to GE, Lara was a power markets analyst at DC Energy, a proprietary energy trading firm.
• Lara earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics and Government from Cornell University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.