John Farina provides petroleum engineering consulting and technical training services to the international and domestic petroleum industry. He has over 30 years experience in production and reservoir engineering, working on projects in Texas, Oklahoma, the North Sea and Siberia. John has a BS in petroleum engineering from West Virginia University, and has previously worked for Shell Oil and Sneider and Merkel Associates. John was a distinguished lecturer for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in 1989 on the subject of formation damage and its effect on well evaluation and performance, and is an active member of SPE, serving on the Gulf Coast Section Continuing Education Committee.

Ron Hinn is the "Knowledge Management Lead" within Oxy.  A 1977 petroleum engineering graduate of the University of Tulsa, he has held various engineering and supervisory positions throughout his career. Ron is very active within the SPE, having served in positions at the worldwide, regional, and local levels.  Ron, a veteran instructor of the GCS Oil Patch Orientation, has a strong interest in sharing unique insights and facts associated with the E&P industry -- giving particular emphasis to its importance within the worldwide economy.  

Susan Howes is the former Learning and Organizational Development Manager at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Since joining Anadarko in 1982, she has had various engineering assignments in Denver and Houston, including responsibilities in recruiting and career development for engineers, managing acquisition and divestment projects, economic evaluation, reservoir studies and reservoir simulation of conventional and unconventional reservoirs. Susan has a BS in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas and is a registered professional engineer in Texas. She is the SPE Regional Director for the Gulf Coast North America Region, and has served as Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Director, Membership Committee Chair, Scholarship Committee Chair, and Community Services Committee Chair of the SPE Gulf Coast Section. Susan received the 1997 Society of Petroleum Engineers Young Member Outstanding Service Award, and the 2003 Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Member Award.