The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Board of Directors has elected David H. Welch as Chairman and John Gellert as Vice Chairman for the upcoming 2017-2018 term. Welch and Gellert assumed their positions at the NOIA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Welch becomes the first producer to serve as Chairman in NOIA’s history. In 2004, Welch joined Stone Energy Corporation, an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company. He is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Stone Energy. Welch has also previously served on NOIA’s board of directors.
“As a longtime member of NOIA, I am truly honored by the opportunity to serve as Chairman. With recovering commodity prices and a more energy-aware administration in Washington, D.C., NOIA and its members can now work better with Washington to help forge common-sense policies that allow for the safe development of all offshore energy resources.”
Since 2015, Gellert has led SEACOR Marine Holdings as President. SEACOR Marine is a provider of offshore marine support vessels, serving the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry. Gellert also serves as a co-Chief Operating Officer for SEACOR Holdings.
Gellert said, “It is a great privilege to serve NOIA in this new role. I am looking forward to working with Dave, Randall, and the NOIA membership in this exciting time. We will continue NOIA’s mission to promote the safe development of offshore energy for the continued growth and security of the United States.”
NOIA President Randall Luthi said, “Dave and John assume NOIA leadership during a pivotal time for the offshore industry. Commodity prices are stubbornly creeping up and, after eight years, we finally have an administration that understands the benefits of “all of the above” energy. As we enter what should be a brighter year, we have a true opportunity to make the case for offshore energy, both in the short and long-term. President Trump is looking for ways to kick start the American economy and generate federal revenue. Our industry offers a way to achieve both.
“NOIA will continue our push to increase access to our offshore resources and establish a fair and reliable regulatory environment for our industry. Our industry has a proven track record of providing well-paying jobs, affordable domestic energy for our nation and vital revenue streams for federal, state and local governments. In return, past Federal policies have closed over 94% of the outer continental shelf to oil and natural gas exploration. It is time to reverse that trend and discover the full energy potential of the US offshore.”
Luthi concluded, “The last year brought an unprecedented regulatory deluge, but we were incredibly fortunate to have Kevin McEvoy, Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering International, as our Chairman. Through Kevin’s leadership we were able to weather the storm, and we are in a far better place now than we would be without his leadership.”
Prior to joining Stone Energy Corporation, Welch held executive positions with Amoco and later BP, including Director of Strategic Planning, President of the Amoco Gulf Group, Senior VP of BP North America and President of BP Alaska Canada Gas. He also spent 5 years with the US Geological Survey and one year as an adjunct professor at Tulane University in the graduate school. Welch studied petroleum engineering at LSU and the Colorado School of Mines, economics and chemical engineering at Tulane and studied business at Harvard.
Gellert has enjoyed a long career with SEACOR, where he started as a financial and market analyst after graduating from Harvard College in 1992. He has held a series of international appointments with both marketing and operating responsibilities in Europe, West Africa and South East Asia.
