Meet Jay LeBeau

Onshore Subsurface Manager, Red Willow Production Company

HOW DID YOU END UP INVOLVED IN THE GEOSCIENCES?

My early post high school education was focused on my interest in auto mechanics. Much to the dismay of my parents, I would take apart mechanical items and put them back together just to see how they work. While wrapping up an AAS Degree in Auto Mechanics, I met a geology student who was a summer intern in my mother’s office at the Bureau of Indian Affairs Minerals Division in Denver, working on a Brooks Range thesis. His description of field work in Alaska and goal to work in the petroleum industry changed my plans I decided to pursue a geology degree at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and hopefully a career in the petroleum industry.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

I was born in South Dakota and spent most of my elementary, middle, and high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

My first job was in 10th grade flipping burgers after school and on weekends. My first job after receiving my BS Degree in Geology in 1988 from Fort Lewis College was as a geologic tech in Denver. My first job as a petroleum geologist was with Anadarko Petroleum in Houston after I completed a MS Degree in Geology at the University of Kansas in 1996.

WHAT JOBS HAVE YOU HAD DURING YOUR CAREER?

I am very grateful to my coworkers at Anadarko Petroleum in Houston, where I spent 1996-2004 as an operations geologist learning the business in

Midcontinent Basins and as a development geologist working mature GOM projects above salt. I moved on to Apache Corporation as a Permian Basin exploration geologist from 2004-2006 in Tulsa. Then I had the opportunity to move on from large independent oil companies to a unique small private oil and gas company wholly owned by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Red Willow Production Company, in Ignacio, Colorado, where I have spent the last 18 years. Red Willow has allowed me the opportunity to further my career from a staff geologist to a couple of leadership positions, geology manager and now the Onshore Subsurface Manager. As a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, I especially am grateful to work for Red Willow Production Company, the most successful Tribal owned oil and gas company in the United States.

WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT JOB ENTAIL?

My present position as the Onshore Subsurface Manager provides me an opportunity to collaborate and lead a staff of geologists, geologic tech, and

RMAG’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is featuring a monthly Member Corner. We hope you’ll enjoy learning about the diverse community of Earth scientists and wide variety of geoscience disciplines that comprise our membership. If you would like to appear in an upcoming column, or if there is someone you would like to nominate, please contact staff@rmag.org

Are a young geologic professional, student, or transitioning professional seeking career advice & support?

Are you a seasoned geologic professional (510+ years) interested in helping early career & students expand their networks & grow their career?

APPLY TO BE AN RMAG reservoir engineer as we evaluate investment opportunities for Red Willow’s operated and non-operated projects in the San Juan and Delaware Basins. A management position was initially a career goal of mine. The last few years working with my staff have been so rewarding as I have learned so much from their expertise and varied work styles. Collaboration is the key to success in my present position.

MENTEE/MENTOR!

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED SO FAR?

Don’t get too focused on a small area of investigation; step back and think of how your area of investigation fits into a larger system and keep a list of your assumptions. It’s in these assumptions where solutions can be found.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE ENTERING INTO THE GEOSCIENCES?

If you can, work first for a major or large independent. I worked with a great group of petroleum professionals at Anadarko Petroleum who set high standards for geologic investigations and emphasized teamwork and collaboration.

WHAT BARRIERS HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME ON YOUR PATH TO BECOMING A GEOSCIENTIST?

The barriers I had to overcome were not unique compared to many students of today. I was a non-traditional independent student when I began my college career at 21. Luckily, great friends, who allowed me sleep on a couch for a semester because I couldn’t afford rent, and extended family who also helped were essential to achieve my BS degree. Great people and organizations that along the way provided opportunities for internships, summer work, and teaching assistantships at graduate school, plus encouragement from my thesis advisor at the University of Kansas, were keys to landing my first position as a geologist at Anadarko.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

I am inspired every time I attend AAPG and other industry conferences. I enjoy seeing and hearing about all the great work that professional geologists from all walks of life are doing in areas and fields of study that make up the petroleum industry.

I first pursued an interesting and well-paying job as a young man. With time, I developed an appreciation of the many colleagues I’ve met along the way and most of all a love of geology.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OR PASSIONS OUTSIDE OF WORK?

I did finish my AAS Degree in Auto Mechanics and I completed a full restoration over several years of a 1979 Camaro in my garages in Houston and Tulsa. I’m now building a shop to house my many tools and machines as I have many toys to maintain and fix. My other passion, Kansas Jayhawks basketball, is still going strong, as my wife will attest to as she heads to another room during the games.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?

I enjoy non-fiction history. I most recently read “The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King – The Five Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea” by Walter Borneman.

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Richard (Doug) Elmore is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Karl Johnson is from Arvada, Colorado.

Mitchell Sherry is an Intern at SM Energy in Golden, Colorado.

Sarah Verghese is an Operations Geologist at Occidental Petroleum in Denver, Colorado.

In The Pipeline

JULY 11, 2023

RMAG Women’s Group Coffee.

DERL- 730 17th Street, B-1. 10 AM-11 AM.

JULY 11-12, 2023

Women in Oil and Gas Leadership Conference.

JULY 12, 2023

RMAG Luncheon. Speaker: Walter Nelson. “Pore Styles and Horizontal Drilling Targets in Niobrara-Equivalent Mancos Shales, Northern San Juan Basin .” Online or Inperson at Maggiano’s, Denver. 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.

JULY 15, 2023

On the Rocks-Stories in Stone

The Rocks that Built Denver.

JULY 21, 2023

RMAG Happy Hour. 2990 Brewery Lane.

AUGUST 2, 2023

RMAG Luncheon.