Home > 2010 Energy Conference > Session 7
EIA Conference 2010
Session 7: Natural Gas: U.S. Markets in a Global Context
Moderator:

Glen Sweetnam, EIA

Speakers

Michelle Foss, University of Texas
Benjamin Schlesinger, Benjamin Schlesinger and Assoc., Inc.
Andrew Slaughter, Shell

 
  Moderator and Speaker Biographies
Glen Sweetnam, EIA

In October 2005, Glen Sweetnam was named Director of the International, Economic, and Greenhouse Gases Division of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).  This Division produces the International Energy Outlook and two congressionally mandated reports on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Sweetnam has 25 years of leadership experience in the energy industry in both the private and public sectors.  Prior to joining EIA, he worked at senior levels for both energy merchants and exploration and production companies, including Reliant Energy, ARCO, and Fina Oil and Chemical Company.  In the early 1980s, Mr. Sweetnam was the Director of Economic Analysis in the Department of Energy, where he played a significant role in the deregulation of the domestic natural gas industry.   

Mr. Sweetnam received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a M.P.P. from University of California, Berkeley.

Michelle Foss, University of Texas

Michelle Foss is the Chief Energy Economist and Head of the Center for Energy Economics at the Jackson School of Geosciences at University of the Texas at Austin.  Dr. Foss has 29 years of experience in energy and environmental research and consulting (oil and gas, coal, nonfuel minerals, electric power) in the United States and abroad in senior positions with extensive public speaking and publications.  She possesses broad experience in applied energy economics and business development, enterprise strategy and commercial operations, and business-government relationships across the energy value chains.  Dr. Foss has also been involved in numerous executive/senior management planning and scenario-building briefings on global energy issues and trends.

She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston in 1995, her M.S. in Mineral Economics from Colorado School of Mines in 1985, and her B.S. Biology (Geology Minor) from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1976.

Benjamin Schlesinger, Benjamin Schlesinger and Assoc., Inc.

Benjamin Schlesinger, founding president of Benjamin Schlesinger and Associates in Bethesda, Maryland, and Managing Director of the Galway Group in Houston, Texas, is one of North America’s leading independent energy consultants, specializing in gas and electricity marketing, pricing, infrastructure, trading practices, strategic planning and power plant development worldwide.  He has nearly four decades of experience in managing and carrying out engineering/economic analyses of complex energy issues, with particular focus on North American energy commodity movements and pricing, policies and programs.  Dr. Schlesinger has advised over 400 clients in the United States, Canada, and 15 other countries, including the top utility, energy trading and producing, manufacturing, regulatory, educational, private power, and financial services companies. A former vice president of the American Gas Association and member of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) Natural Gas Advisory Committee, Dr. Schlesinger has testified before the U.S. Congress and in 16 states and provinces on the direction of the gas industry, gas supplies and contracting, purchase and sales prices, royalty valuations, market value, hedging and risk management, and related industry practices.

Dr. Schlesinger received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering (now Management Science and Engineering) at Stanford University and his undergraduate degrees at Dartmouth College.

Andrew Slaughter, Shell

Andrew Slaughter currently holds the position of Business Environment Manager for Shell’s Upstream Americas Exploration and Production. Mr. Slaughter is responsible for strategic counseling and analysis relative to North American crude oil and natural gas markets, covering short- and long-term supply, demand, price and other regional market issues in support of investment planning and business strategy. He also works closely with the Shell global scenario team in developing and communicating Shell’s long-term energy scenarios.

Mr. Slaughter currently serves on the Economics and Statistics Committee of the American Petroleum Institute (API); was an active participant in recent National Petroleum Council studies, including the 2007 NPC study “Facing the Hard Truths About Energy;” and is a regular contributor to industry forums.

Prior to joining Shell, he worked in energy industry consulting with DRI/McGraw-Hill (now known as IHS Global Insight), based in Paris, France. Previously he was with management consultants Arthur D. Little, also based in Paris.

Mr. Slaughter began his career with Chevron Oil, in a planning and economic analysis role for Chevron’s downstream oil business.