Board of Directors

Travis Stice
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Stice has served as our Chairman of the Board since February 2022, as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2012 and as a director of Diamondback since November 2012.  Mr. Stice has also served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a director of the general partner of Viper Energy Partners LP (Nasdaq: VNOM), one of our publicly traded subsidiaries, since February 2014 and as the Chief Executive Officer and as a director of the general partner of Rattler Midstream LP (Nasdaq: RTLR), another of our publicly traded subsidiaries, since July 2018. Prior to these positions with Diamondback and the general partners of Viper and Rattler, he served as our President and Chief Operating Officer from April 2011 to January 2012.  From November 2010 to April 2011, Mr. Stice served as a Production Manager of Apache Corporation, an oil and gas exploration company.  He served as a Vice President of Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Inc., an oil and gas exploration and production company, from September 2008 to September 2010 and as a Development Manager of ConocoPhillips/Burlington Resources Mid Continent Business Unit, an oil and gas exploration company, from April 2006 until August 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Stice held a series of positions of increasing responsibilities at Burlington Resources until that company was acquired by ConocoPhillips in March 2006. He started his career with Mobil Oil in 1985.  Mr. Stice has 37 years of industry experience and over 28 years of management experience. Mr. Stice graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering. Mr. Stice is a registered engineer in the State of Texas, and is a 37-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He also serves on industry boards for the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, American Exploration and Production Council, the National Petroleum Council, the Texas A&M Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board, the All-American Wildcatters and the American Petroleum Institute.  Additionally, he is on local community boards for Manor Park Retirement Center in Midland, the Midland Memorial Hospital, the Midland Chamber of Commerce and the Dynamic Catholic Institute.
    Vincent K. Brooks
    Director
    Vincent “Vince” Brooks has served as a director of Diamondback since April 2020.  He is a career Army officer who served in the U.S. Army for over 42 years, retiring from active duty in 2019 as a four-star general. General Brooks spent his final seventeen years as a general officer and in nearly all of those years in command of large, complex military organizations in challenging situations. Most recently, from 2016 until his retirement, he was the commander of all Korean and United States forces in the Republic of Korea. In the two positions prior to Korea he served as the commander of all United States Army forces throughout the Indo-Asia Pacific region from 2013 to 2016 during the strategic rebalancing to Asia, and as the commander of all United States Army forces in the Middle East and Central Asia from 2011 to 2013 during the reduction of forces in Iraq and the buildup of forces in Afghanistan, as well as the phenomenon known as “the Arab Spring.” During his tenure in the Army, he gained uncommon experience in leading through complex, ambiguous situations with significant national security interests and risks at stake. He handled crisis management, public communications, risk management and mitigation, budgetary assessment, leadership and management, international relations and interactions, cyber defense and protection, congressional engagement and strategic planning. Since 2020, General Brooks has also served as a director and a member of the compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee of Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (NYSE: J) and as a director of Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq: VRSK). General Brooks has also served on the board of the Gary Sinise Foundation since March 2019 and on the board of the Korea Defense Veterans Association since February 2020. General Brooks is also a visiting Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Texas with both the Clements Center for National Security and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, an Executive Fellow with the Institute for Defense and Business, and the President of VKB Solutions LLC. General Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Military Art and Science from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from the New England School of Law and an honorary Doctor of Humanities from New England Law | Boston. General Brooks qualifies as an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards.
    Michael P. Cross
    Director

    Mr. Cross has served as a director of Diamondback since October 2012. Mr. Cross is  owner of Michael P. Cross, Inc., an independent oil and natural gas producer, and serves as its President, a position he has held since January 2007. Mr. Cross also currently serves as a director of Warren Equipment Company, a position he has held since 2002. Mr. Cross  served as a member of the executive committee of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board from February 2005 until March 2014, where he was a member of the executive committee from 2007 until 2014. Mr. Cross also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association for over 18 years, and was inducted into its Wildcatters Hall of Honor. Mr. Cross served on the Board of Directors for OGE Enogex  GP LLC from October 2007 to October 2008. Mr. Cross also served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Windsor Energy Resources, Inc. from December 2005 until December 2006. Mr. Cross served as President and Manager of Twister Gas Services, L.L.C., an oil and gas exploration, production and marketing company, from its inception in 1996 until June 2003 and served as President of its predecessor, Twister Transmission Company, from 1990 to 1996. Mr. Cross graduated from Oklahoma State University  with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. We believe that Mr. Cross’s strong oil and gas background and executive management experience qualify him for service on our board of directors.

    David L. Houston
    Director

    Mr. Houston has served as a director of Diamondback since October 2012.  Since 1991, Mr. Houston has been the principal of Houston Financial, a firm providing wealth management services with a focus on the energy sector.  Since 2000, Mr. Houston has managed a mineral trust with approximately 9,200 net acres in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico, which includes responsibility for leasing and production matters. Mr. Houston served on the board of directors as Chairman of the Board and a memberof the executive committee of Deaconess Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from January 1993 until December 2008 and was involved in negotiating a merger for the hospital.   Mr. Houston  served as a director of Gulfport Energy Corporation fromJuly 1998, and as  Chairman of its Board from June 2013, in each case, until June 2020.  Mr. Houston also served on Gulfport’s nominating and governance, audit and compensation committees. He  served as a director of Bronco Drilling Company from May 2005 until December 2010 and was a member of its audit committee. Mr. Houston received a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Oklahoma State University and a graduate degree in banking from Louisiana State University. He is Chairman-Elect of the Oklahoma State University Foundation and was recognized as a Top 100 Graduate of the Last 100 Years by the Oklahoma State University College of Business. In 2020, Mr. Houston was recognized as a Significant Sig by the Sigma Chi fraternity. We believe that Mr. Houston’s financial background and his executive management experience qualify him for service on our board of directors.

    Rebecca A. Klein
    Director
    Rebecca “Becky” Klein has served as a director of Diamondback since July 2022. Ms. Klein is currently the Principal of Klein Energy, LLC, an energy consulting company based in Austin, Texas. Over the last 25 years, she has worked in Washington, D.C. and in Texas in the energy, telecommunications, and national security arenas. Ms. Klein’s professional experience also includes service with KPMG Consulting (now Deloitte) where she headed the development of the company’s Office of Government Affairs and Industry Relations in Washington, D.C. She also served as a Senior Fellow with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Ms. Klein was the Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. She has served as chair of the board of the Lower Colorado River Authority, a public power utility owning generation, transmission, and water services across the central Texas area. In addition, she sits on the boards of Avista Corporation (NYSE: AVA), a publicly traded utility in the Pacific Northwest; GroupNIRE, a privately held company focused on developing energy resources from early-stage technologies to commercial deployment; and Aiqueous, a privately held water and power software company. Ms. Klein also sits on the board of SJW Group (NYSE: SJW), a publicly traded water company which operates in California, Texas, Connecticut, and Maine. She is also the Founder and a director of the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute. She earned a Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Klein also holds a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University, a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Stanford University, and a Master of Business Administration from MIT. Ms. Klein is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas. Ms. Klein qualifies as an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards.
    Stephanie K. Mains
    Director
    Ms. Mains has served as a director of Diamondback since April 2020.  She has over 30 years of experience across diverse industry segments, including aviation, energy and transportation. Within the last 15 years, Ms. Mains has been building and expanding global businesses serving the oil and gas, utility, distributed power, and electrification spaces. In 2020, she held the interim CEO role for GE Power Conversion, a $1B advanced electrification and digital solutions business, leading the business to a profitable turnaround through COVID-19. From 2015-2019, she served as the President and CEO of Industrial Solutions, a GE and later ABB company.  She led Industrial Solutions, a $2.7B GE business delivering technologies that distribute, protect and control electricity, through a transformation and divestiture to ABB.   From 2013-2015, Ms. Mains served as President and CEO of GE Distributed Power Global Services, where she integrated and grew a $2.2B global business platform, servicing technologies that provide at the point of use power to the oil and gas, utilities, mining, and industrial segments.  From 2006 until 2013, she held positions of increasing responsibility in GE Energy from General Manager to Vice President.  During this time, she led the global build-out and transformation of a $4B service operation providing power equipment and services to utility and oil and gas customers.  Prior to joining GE Energy, she spent 16 years across multiple GE businesses in financial and leadership positions, including CFO of GE Aviation Services-Contractual Services and Material Solutions, a $4B aviation material services business.  Ms. Mains is currently the CEO of LSC Communications-MCL, a portfolio company of Atlas Holdings, LLC.   She serves as a director and audit committee member of Gates Industrial Corporation (NYSE: GTES),  a director, audit and compensation committee member of LCI Industries (NYSE:  LCII), and is a member of the board of managers for Stryten Manufacturing, a privately held portfolio company of Atlas Holdings, LLC. Ms. Mains holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Kentucky. Ms. Mains qualifies as an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards.
    Mark L. Plaumann
    Director

    Mr. Plaumann has served as a director of Diamondback since October 2012. He is currently a Managing Member of Greyhawke Capital Advisors LLC, or Greyhawke, which he co-founded in 1998. Prior to founding Greyhawke, Mr. Plaumann was a Senior Vice President of Wexford Capital. Mr. Plaumann was formerly a Managing Director of Alvarez & Marsal, Inc. and the President of American Healthcare Management, Inc. He also was Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Plaumann served as a director and audit committee chairman for ICx Technologies, Inc. from 2006 until 2010, served as a director and a member of the audit and compensation committees of   Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. from 2002 until 2017 and currently serves as a director of several private entities. Mr. Plaumann also has served as a director, an audit committee chairman and a member of the conflicts committee of the general partner of Rhino Resource Partners LP, a coal operating company,  from2010 until 2016. Mr. Plaumann holds an M.B.A. and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida, where he currently serves on the Foundation Board and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Business. We believe that Mr. Plaumann’s service on the boards of other public companies and his executive management experience, including previous experience as chairman of audit committees, qualifies him for service on our board of directors.

    Melanie M. Trent
    Lead Independent Director
    Ms. Trent has served as a director of the Company since April 2018. Ms. Trent previously served in various legal, administrative and compliance capacities for Rowan Companies plc, from 2005 until April 2017, including as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative officer from 2014 until April 2017, as Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Company Secretary from 2011 until 2014, and as Vice President and Corporate Secretary from 2010 until 2011. Prior to her tenure at Rowan, Ms. Trent served in various legal, administrative and investor relations capacities for Reliant Energy, Incorporated, served as counsel at Compaq Computer Corporation and as an associate at Andrews Kurth LLP. She serves on the Board of Arcosa, Inc. (NYSE: ACA), a provider of infrastructure-related products and solutions, and serves on the Audit and Governance and Sustainability Committees. From February 2021 through October 2022, Ms. Trent served on the Board of Noble Corporation, a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. During Ms. Trent’s tenure as director of Noble Corporation, she was a member of its Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee and was the Chair of its Compensation Committee. From January 2019 through October 2021, Ms. Trent served on the Board of Frank’s International N.V., a global tubular and oil and gas services company, which merged with Expro Group Holdings N.V in October 2021. During Ms. Trent’s tenure as a director of Frank’s International N.V., she was a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees and served as Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee. Ms. Trent holds a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and a Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center. We believe that Ms. Trent’s strong legal and executive management experience, diverse background and knowledge of oil and gas and energy industries qualify her for service on our board of directors. In particular, we believe Ms. Trent’s strengths in the following core competencies provide value to our board of directors: Corporate Governance; Finance/Capital Markets; Financial Reporting Experience; Government, Legal & Regulatory; Industry Background; Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability; Executive Experience; Executive Compensation; and Risk Management.
    Independent Director
    Frank D. Tsuru
    Director
    Frank Tsuru has served as a director of Diamondback since July 2022. Mr. Tsuru currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors of Momentum Midstream, LLC, a privately held midstream company, which he cofounded in 2004. From 2016 through 2021, Mr. Tsuru served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors of Indigo Natural Resources, LLC, which was acquired by Southwestern Energy Company in 2021. In 2002, Mr. Tsuru founded Aka Energy, which was a midstream company focused on acquiring midstream assets off of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe (SUIT) Reservation. Prior to that, Mr. Tsuru ran SUIT’s midstream company, Red Cedar Gathering, from 1995 to 2002. In 1990, Mr. Tsuru founded Southwestern Production, an upstream company focused on coal bed methane development in the San Juan Basin, which was sold to ConocoPhillips. He began his career as a drilling and production engineer for TXO Production Corp. in Denver, Colorado where he was part of the team that evaluated the company’s reserves and provided mergers and acquisitions support. Mr. Tsuru holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Kansas. He serves on the Board of Trustees of KU Endowment. Mr. Tsuru also sits on the boards of the Boy Scouts of America and the Yellowstone Academy, a private Christian school. Mr. Tsuru qualifies as an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards.
    Steven E. West
    Director

    Mr. West has served as a director of our company since December 2011. Mr. West served as our Chairman of the Board from October 2012 to February 2022 and as our Chief Executive Officer from January 2009 to December 2011. From January 2011 until December 2016, Mr. West was a partner at Wexford Capital LP, or Wexford Capital, focusing on Wexford Capital’s private equity energy investments. From August 2006 until December 2010, Mr. West served as senior portfolio advisor at Wexford Capital. From August 2003 until August 2006, Mr. West was the chief financial officer of Sunterra Corporation, a former Wexford Capital portfolio company. From December 1993 until July 2003, Mr. West held senior financial positions at Coast Asset Management and IndyMac Bank. Prior to that, Mr. West worked at First Nationwide Bank, Lehman Brothers and Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co., the predecessor of KPMG LLP. Since February 2014, Mr. West has also served as Chairman of the Board of the general partner of Viper Energy Partners LP (Nasdaq: VNOM), one of our publicly traded subsidiaries, and since May 2019, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Rattler Midstream LP (Nasdaq: RTLR), another of our publicly traded subsidiaries. Mr. West holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Chico. We believe Mr. West’s background in finance, accounting and private equity energy investments, as well as his executive management skills developed as part of his career with Wexford Capital, its portfolio companies and other financial institutions qualify him to serve on our board of directors.