Board of Directors

Forward Looking Statement Disclosure

Commentary on this conference call may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. National Fuel Gas Company (the “Company”) is providing this cautionary statement to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company.

Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding future prospects, plans, objectives, goals, projections, estimates of gas quantities, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions, capital structure, anticipated capital expenditures, completion of construction projects, projections for pension and other post-retirement benefit obligations, impacts of the adoption of new accounting rules, and possible outcomes of litigation or regulatory proceedings, as well as statements that are identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "projects," "believes," "seeks," "will," "may" and similar expressions. All forward-looking statements, whether written or oral and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.

The Company's expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith and are believed by the Company to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished.

In addition to other factors, the following are important factors that, in the view of the Company, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements:

  1. Changes in laws, regulations or judicial interpretations to which the Company is subject, including those involving derivatives, taxes, safety, employment, climate change, other environmental matters, real property, and exploration and production activities such as hydraulic fracturing;
  2. Governmental/regulatory actions, initiatives and proceedings, including those involving rate cases (which address, among other things, target rates of return, rate design and retained natural gas and system modernization), environmental/safety requirements, affiliate relationships, industry structure, and franchise renewal;
  3. The Company’s ability to estimate accurately the time and resources necessary to meet emissions targets;
  4. Governmental/regulatory actions and/or market pressures to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas;
  5. Changes in economic conditions, including inflationary pressures, supply chain issues, liquidity challenges, and global, national or regional recessions, and their effect on the demand for, and customers’ ability to pay for, the Company’s products and services;
  6. Changes in the price of natural gas;
  7. The creditworthiness or performance of the Company’s key suppliers, customers and counterparties;
  8. Financial and economic conditions, including the availability of credit, and occurrences affecting the Company’s ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms for working capital, capital expenditures and other investments, including any downgrades in the Company’s credit ratings and changes in interest rates and other capital market conditions;
  9. Impairments under the SEC’s full cost ceiling test for natural gas reserves;
  10. Increased costs or delays or changes in plans with respect to Company projects or related projects of other companies, as well as difficulties or delays in obtaining necessary governmental approvals, permits or orders or in obtaining the cooperation of interconnecting facility operators;
  11. The Company’s ability to complete planned strategic transactions;
  12. Changes in price differentials between similar quantities of natural gas sold at different geographic locations, and the effect of such changes on commodity production, revenues and demand for pipeline transportation capacity to or from such locations;
  13. The impact of information technology disruptions, cybersecurity or data security breaches;
  14. Factors affecting the Company’s ability to successfully identify, drill for and produce economically viable natural gas reserves, including among others geology, lease availability and costs, title disputes, weather conditions, shortages, delays or unavailability of equipment and services required in drilling operations, insufficient gathering, processing and transportation capacity, the need to obtain governmental approvals and permits, and compliance with environmental laws and regulations;
  15. Increasing health care costs and the resulting effect on health insurance premiums and on the obligation to provide other post-retirement benefits;
  16. Other changes in price differentials between similar quantities of natural gas having different quality, heating value, hydrocarbon mix or delivery date;
  17. The cost and effects of legal and administrative claims against the Company or activist shareholder campaigns to effect changes at the Company;
  18. Negotiations with the collective bargaining units representing the Company's workforce, including potential work stoppages during negotiations;
  19. Uncertainty of natural gas reserve estimates;
  20. Significant differences between the Company’s projected and actual production levels for natural gas;
  21. Changes in demographic patterns and weather conditions (including those related to climate change);
  22. Changes in the availability, price or accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments;
  23. Changes in laws, actuarial assumptions, the interest rate environment and the return on plan/trust assets related to the Company’s pension and other post-retirement benefits, which can affect future funding obligations and costs and plan liabilities;
  24. Economic disruptions or uninsured losses resulting from major accidents, fires, severe weather, natural disasters, terrorist activities or acts of war, as well as economic and operational disruptions due to third-party outages;
  25. Significant differences between the Company’s projected and actual capital expenditures and operating expenses; or 
  26. Increasing costs of insurance, changes in coverage and the ability to obtain insurance.

Forward-looking statements include estimates of gas quantities. Proved gas reserves are those quantities of gas which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible under existing economic conditions, operating methods and government regulations. Other estimates of gas quantities, including estimates of probable reserves, possible reserves, and resource potential, are by their nature more speculative than estimates of proved reserves. Accordingly, estimates other than proved reserves are subject to substantially greater risk of being actually realized.

Any forward-looking statements contained in this conference call speak only as of the date of this call. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this conference call. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K and Forms 10-Q, available at www.investor.nationalfuelgas.com. You can also obtain these forms on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.


David H. Anderson

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Mr. Anderson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Natural Holding Company (“Northwest Holdings”) and Northwest Natural Gas Company, a local distribution company that provides natural gas service to approximately 2.5 million people in Oregon and Southwest Washington through over 790,000 connections with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. In addition, Northwest Holdings’ subsidiaries provide water distribution and wastewater services to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and Texas, serving approximately 150,000 people through 60,000 connections across five states. In addition, NW Natural Renewables, LLC, a newly formed subsidiary of Northwest Holdings, is focused on providing cost-effective solutions to decarbonize a variety of sectors, utilizing existing waste streams and renewable energy resources. Mr. Anderson has held a series of positions with increasing responsibility at Northwest Holdings since joining the company in 2004, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. During his time as CFO, Mr. Anderson established and managed the company’s corporate enterprise risk management process. Previously, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at TXU Gas Company and Chief Accounting Officer at TXU Corporation, an energy services company that included electricity generation and the transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas. Mr. Anderson serves as a director of Northwest Holdings. He was Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Gas Association (AGA) and Compensation Committee Chair in 2021, and previously served as First Vice Chair. He is past chairman of the AGA’s Audit Committee, past co-chairperson of the AGA’s Carbon Policy Task Force, chair of the AGA’s Finance Committee, a member of the AGA’s Safety, Resilience/Reliability and Security Task Force, and a board trustee of the American Gas Foundation. Additionally, he serves as a director of the Oregon Business Council. Mr. Anderson also serves on Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Global Warming Commission and is a member of the Founders’ Circle of SOLVE, an Oregon non-profit dedicated to environmental stewardship. Mr. Anderson has been a Company director since 2019.

Mr. Anderson’s extensive financial and operational experience in the electric and natural gas industries and leadership roles on environmental matters provide the Board with important perspectives with respect to the Company’s business operations, sustainability, risk management and financial positioning. The combined professional skills and energy industry insights Mr. Anderson brings to the Board strengthen the Board’s collective knowledge, capabilities, and experience. Mr. Anderson’s experience in highly regulated industries impacted by emerging climate initiatives enables him to provide valuable perspective and management oversight on subjects including public policy, government relations, and regulatory compliance. In addition, the significant roles he has held in accounting and finance qualify Mr. Anderson as an “Audit Committee Financial Expert” under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules.

David P. Bauer

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Mr. Bauer has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since 2019. He previously served as President of National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation, the Company’s principal pipeline and storage subsidiary, from 2016 to 2019, and as Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer of the Company from 2010 to 2019. Mr. Bauer joined the Company in 2001, after more than 10 years in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and served as Assistant Treasurer or Treasurer of the Company’s various operating subsidiaries from 2004 to 2019. He is a director of the American Gas Association, Invest Buffalo Niagara, and Catholic Health System. He also serves as chairman of the audit committee of D’Youville University and as a member of the Canisius College Business Advisory Council and the Diocese of Buffalo Investment Committee. Mr. Bauer has been a Company director since 2020.

As a member of the Company’s executive team since 2004, Mr. Bauer brings to the Board substantial management experience and in-depth knowledge of the Company’s operations and strategic direction. His oversight of key infrastructure modernization and expansion projects and the continued growth of the Company’s Appalachian development program together with his leadership role in maintaining the Company’s fiscal strength, assists the Board with investment strategy, capital allocation and risk management. In addition, Mr. Bauer’s deep ties to Western New York, the location of the Company’s corporate headquarters, enhances the Board’s understanding of local and regional issues. Mr. Bauer has also been instrumental in furthering the Company’s community outreach initiatives, including the Company’s inaugural Days of Doing volunteer service program in October 2022.

Barbara M. Baumann

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Ms. Baumann is a former BP Amoco executive who currently serves as President and Owner of Cross Creek Energy Corporation, an energy advisory firm with investments in the domestic oil and gas industry. Prior to founding her own firm in 2003, Ms. Baumann was Executive Vice President of Associated Energy Managers, a private equity firm investing in energy companies. Ms. Baumann began her 18-year career with Amoco (later BP Amoco) in 1981. She served in various areas of finance and operations, including Chief Financial Officer of Ecova Corporation, Amoco’s wholly owned environmental remediation business, and Vice President of Amoco’s San Juan Basin business unit. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of Devon Energy Corporation, and Vice Chair of the independent Board of Trustees of Putnam Mutual Funds. In addition, she is a senior advisor for First Reserve Corporation, a private equity firm focused on energy, and formerly served as a director of privately held companies Ascent Resources, Texas American Resources II (TARC II) and IOG Resources. Ms. Baumann also previously served on the boards of Buckeye Partners, L.P., SM Energy Company, CVR Energy, Inc., UNS Energy Corporation, and privately held Hat Creek Energy Corporation. She is a former board member and treasurer of The Denver Foundation, current member of its investment committee, and a member of the finance committee of Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is also a past member and past chair of the Board of Trustees of Mount Holyoke College. Ms. Baumann has been a Company director since 2020.

Ms. Baumann brings to the Board extensive knowledge of the energy industry, including particular expertise in the oil and gas exploration and production sector. Over the course of her distinguished career, she has gained broad strategic planning, economic evaluation, operational, natural gas marketing, and human resources management skills and experience, which are important to the oversight of financial, operational, and compensation management functions. She also has significant financial, accounting and risk management experience, qualifying her as an “Audit Committee Financial Expert” under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules. Ms. Baumann’s service on other public and private company boards enhances her strong corporate governance background, and her position as an independent trustee of a large family of mutual funds provides insight into the perspective of institutional stockholders.

David C. Carroll

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Mr. Carroll is the former President and CEO of GTI Energy (“GTI”), a leading research and training organization focused on developing, scaling and deploying energy transition solutions. He led GTI from 2006 until 2022, spearheading a significant expansion of its business, and previously served as Vice President of Business Development. Prior to joining GTI, he held various technical and management positions of increasing responsibility with Praxair, Inc., Chicago Bridge & Iron, and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. All of these companies are industrial gas producers and manufacturers. He is a trustee of the American Gas Foundation, a member of the Society of Gas Lighting, and a former member of the Governing Board of Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative. Mr. Carroll serves on the Board of Strategic Advisors of Energy Capital Ventures, an early-stage technology venture fund focusing on the ESG imperatives and the digital transformation of the natural gas industry. Mr. Carroll also serves as a technical advisor to Mountain View Clean Energy, a start-up company whose principal purpose is to advance low carbon hydrogen and ammonia production worldwide. He chaired the steering committee for the 17th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas in Houston (2013). In 2015, Mr. Carroll was named President of the International Gas Union, a term that concluded in 2018 as the United States held the 2018 World Gas Conference in Washington, D.C. Mr. Carroll has been a Company director since 2012.

Mr. Carroll is a highly respected leader in the global energy sector, having directed the development of strategies, technologies, and innovations necessary to drive transformation of the global energy system. His multi-faceted knowledge of the natural gas industry brings economic, technological and leadership experience to the Board. Mr. Carroll has expertise on unconventional gas production, transmission and distribution pipeline integrity and end use technologies, as well as insight into market and industry developments and conditions, including developments related to the energy transition toward low-carbon fuels. This unique combination of skills contributes to the Board’s oversight of our integrated natural gas operations, including the deployment of technology to enhance safety, reliability, and emissions reductions, and provides valuable insight into risks and opportunities for the continued growth of the Company’s various business segments, as well as insight into global energy trends and emerging industries. Mr. Carroll is involved in both the domestic and international natural gas business communities, providing the Board with a broad perspective on emerging technical, regulatory and economic issues, including climate initiatives and the positioning of natural gas among future global energy supplies.

Steven C. Finch

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Mr. Finch is the former President of Manufacturing and Director of Community Engagement at Viridi Parente, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of environmentally conscious energy usage and storage products. Previously he served as Plant Manager of the General Motors (“GM”) Tonawanda Engine Plant, one of Western New York’s largest manufacturers with approximately 1,600 employees. Mr. Finch, a Western New York native, began his 41-year career with GM in 1976 as a General Motors Institute co-op student at the Chevrolet Gear and Axle Plant in Buffalo, N.Y. Over the course of 30 years, he held several assignments with increasing responsibility at various GM facilities outside Buffalo before becoming Tonawanda Engine Plant Manager in 2007. Mr. Finch is a member of the Board of Directors of Allied Motion Technologies Inc., a designer and manufacturer of precision and specialty controlled motion components and systems. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, serving on its Racial Equity Roundtable initiative, and past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Buffalo Urban League. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, and as a board member and Senior Vice President of the Automobile Association of America Western and Central New York. Mr. Finch has been a Company director since 2018.

With a career spanning more than four decades, Mr. Finch has a proven track record of leadership during a period of significant evolution for the automotive industry. Mr. Finch helped navigate the GM workforce through economic downturn and bankruptcy. After a reorganization, he successfully secured the addition of three new engine product lines, ultimately overseeing investments at the plant totaling more than $3 billion during his 10-year tenure. Through his extensive career, including his work on the future of mobile and in-place energy usage, Mr. Finch developed expansive and diverse experience in manufacturing and customer relations, as well as in capital and labor management. Mr. Finch’s success in managing highly technical operations and delivering quality products in a safe, environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner has direct application to National Fuel’s work in the energy industry, including the Company’s focus on environmental stewardship and emissions reductions, employee safety and commitment to the provision of outstanding service to residential customers. Mr. Finch’s experience in senior level oversight during periods of significant industry challenge and disruption provides an important perspective on organizational transformation and the management of regulatory and economic change. Mr. Finch’s extensive management roles provide experience on attracting and retaining talent within the Company’s region and provide guidance to the Board on improving our diverse and inclusive culture. Furthermore, Mr. Finch’s strong community presence positions him to provide guidance and insight to the Board on local and regional matters, and provides an important connection between the Company and the communities it serves.

Joseph N. Jaggers

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Mr. Jaggers is the founder and former President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Jagged Peak Energy Inc., formerly an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Before forming Jagged Peak Energy in 2013, Mr. Jaggers served as President and Chief Executive Officer and as director of Ute Energy, LLC, from 2010 until its sale in 2012. From 2006 to 2010, he served as director, President and Chief Operating Officer of Bill Barrett Corporation. From 2001 to 2006, he was Vice President, Exploration & Production, for Williams Companies. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Barrett Resources, from 2000 until its sale to Williams in 2001. From 1981 through 2000, he worked for BP Amoco in various domestic and international assignments of increasing responsibility culminating in executive oversight for the Northern North Sea, one of BP’s largest producing assets at the time. Mr. Jaggers is past President of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, past Executive Director of the Independent Producers Association of the Mountain State and an inductee into the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Hall of Fame. Mr. Jaggers has been a Company director since 2015.

With more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including a long record of creating value through efficiently achieving production and reserve growth, Mr. Jaggers has familiarity with energy market cycles and dynamics and contributes significantly to the Board’s oversight of our exploration and production business. Mr. Jaggers’ extensive operational experience in diverse producing basins provides the Board with substantial insight in assessing various risks that may affect oil and gas operations at the Company. With experience as a senior leader in a number of large, publicly traded exploration and production companies, Mr. Jaggers adds significant operational depth to the Board as well as an understanding of effective and efficient resource development. These attributes assist the Board in its oversight of the ongoing development of the Company’s various natural gas assets and evaluation of the continued advancement of the Company’s Appalachian drilling program.

Rebecca Ranich

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Ms. Ranich is a former director at Deloitte Consulting, LLP, where she led the firm’s Energy and Sustainability Investment Advisory Services for public sector clients, providing counsel on more than $1 billion of investments. Her practice focused on strategic energy investments designed to mitigate and manage risks related to energy supply, demand and climate change issues. Preceding her position at Deloitte, Ms. Ranich worked at PSG International, where she was a member of the management team leading negotiations to implement the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, a multi-billion dollar, 1,700-kilometer pipeline project transporting natural gas from Turkmenistan to Turkey. She was previously a Vice President at Michael Baker Corporation, an international engineering, energy and environmental services firm. While at Baker, she held executive responsibility for delivering energy and environmental engineering services in Europe, Russia and the Caspian region, overseeing projects with a construction value in excess of $40 billion. She managed offices in London, Naples, Wiesbaden and Moscow. Ms. Ranich served as a member of the Board of Directors of Questar Corporation from 2013 to 2016, when Questar was acquired by Dominion Resources, Inc. At Questar she was Chair of the Board’s Governance and Nominating Committee. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of Cardno Limited, an Australian infrastructure and environmental services company, and a former member of the Supervisory Board at Uniper SE, a German power generation and energy supply chain corporation. She serves as Chair of the Board of the GTI Energy and Chair of its Investment Committee, and she is an advisory board member of Yet Analytics, an xAPI data analytics platform. In addition to being an investor in and advisor to emerging technology companies, Ms. Ranich is a member of the Technology Commercialization Panel for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Ms. Ranich has been a Company director since 2016.

Ms. Ranich’s wealth of experience and formidable skills in strategic energy investments, project development, risk management and corporate governance contribute significantly to the Board. With her work on sustainable environmental practices and extensive global industry experience, including first-hand involvement in high-risk environments and largescale projects designed to effect significant advancements in the delivery of energy, Ms. Ranich complements the diverse backgrounds on the Board, adds a keen understanding of risk, particularly related to the ongoing energy transition, and provides a unique global perspective. Ms. Ranich also brings to the Board her prior experience as chair of a public company corporate governance committee, and a successful track record of establishing, building and leading energy-focused businesses.

Jeffrey W. Shaw, Lead Independent Director

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Mr. Shaw retired as Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Gas Corporation (“Southwest”) in 2015. He was named Chief Executive Officer and a director of Southwest in 2004 and also served as President of Southwest at various times from 2003 to 2014. Previously Mr. Shaw, a CPA, held various positions at Southwest, including Director of Internal Audit, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, Vice President/Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, Vice President and Treasurer, Senior Vice President/Finance and Treasurer, and Senior Vice President/Gas Resources and Pricing. During his time at Southwest, Mr. Shaw was involved in the design of the company’s enterprise risk management process, as well as the implementation of various safety policies and programs. He worked for Arthur Anderson & Co. in its Dallas and Las Vegas offices in the audit division prior to joining Southwest in 1988. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Nevada Society of CPAs and the Leadership Las Vegas Alumni Association. Mr. Shaw is a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business and is a member and past Chairman of the Broadcast Leadership Council at Brigham Young University. He is a past director of the American Gas Association, past Chairman and director of the Western Energy Institute and past President and trustee of the Las Vegas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Shaw has been a Company director since 2014.

Mr. Shaw’s extensive executive management and financial experience at an energy company with regulated natural gas businesses similar to those of the Company provides the Board with valuable perspective and understanding of state regulatory activities. In particular, Mr. Shaw’s accounting and finance background, and the significant roles he has held in these areas over his career, qualify him as an “Audit Committee Financial Expert” under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and enable him to play a key role in performing the Board’s audit and risk oversight functions. In addition, Mr. Shaw’s background and financial expertise contribute to the Board’s understanding and guidance on financial matters. Mr. Shaw is the Company’s Lead Independent Director.

Thomas E. Skains

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Mr. Skains is the former Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. (“Piedmont”), serving from 2002 as President and from 2003 as Chairman and CEO, until his retirement in 2016. Previously, Mr. Skains held various positions at Piedmont, including Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President — Marketing and Supply Services. Mr. Skains held positions of increasing responsibility with Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (“Transco”), which he joined in 1981 as an attorney and served as corporate and senior attorney before being named Vice President in 1986 and Senior Vice President — Transportation and Customer Services in 1989. In 2016, Mr. Skains became a director at Duke Energy Corporation, where he has chaired its Regulatory Policy Committee and served on its Finance and Risk Management and Nuclear Oversight Committees, and where he currently serves on its Compensation and People Development and Corporate Governance Committees. Mr. Skains has served as a director of Truist Financial Corporation (formerly BB&T Corporation) since 2009, where he serves as Lead Independent Director and as a member of each of the Executive, Risk, and Nominating and Governance Committees, and where he previously chaired each of those committees. Mr. Skains has also served as a director at Truist Financial Corporation’s subsidiary, Truist Bank (formerly Branch Banking and Trust Company), since 2013, where he serves as a member of the Executive Committee and as a member and former chair of the Risk Committee. Mr. Skains previously served on the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and was Chairman in 2015. He also served on the boards of several industry and community organizations, including GTI Energy, the American Gas Association (as Chairman in 2009), the Southern Gas Association (as Chairman in 2006), and the American Gas Foundation, a not-for-profit energy research group. Mr. Skains has been a Company director since 2016.

Mr. Skains’ strong leadership and strategic management skills provide the Board with a valuable perspective on the complexities, challenges and opportunities facing the natural gas industry. Through his experiences at Piedmont and Transco, as well as his ongoing directorship at Duke Energy, Mr. Skains contributes significant knowledge of the legal and regulatory issues encountered by project sponsors in developing energy infrastructure, including natural gas pipeline projects. Mr. Skains brings to the Board extensive knowledge of the natural gas industry, and he is able to use his legal training and experience as a corporate energy attorney to provide valuable insight on legal and regulatory compliance matters, as well as risk management and corporate governance matters.

David F. Smith, Chairman of the Board

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Mr. Smith has been Chairman of the Board of the Company since 2010 (from 2013 to 2014 he served as Executive Chairman of the Board). He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 2008 to 2013; as President of the Company from 2006 to 2010; and as Chief Operating Officer of the Company from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Smith was also President and/or Chairman of each of the Company’s major subsidiaries over the course of his career. He is a Board member of GTI Energy (Executive Committee and Audit Committee), a former director of the American Gas Association, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Business Council of New York State, and Emeritus Board member of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School Dean’s Advisory Council. He is also past Chairman of the Northeast Gas Association and Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. Mr. Smith has been a Company director since 2007.

Mr. Smith brings to the Board significant industry and Company expertise and leadership experience. His 36-year tenure with the Company, which included key leadership positions within all of the Company’s business segments has resulted in significant knowledge of the Company’s history and strategies during its substantial growth from a regional utility to a much larger diversified energy company. He also brings a long and active participation in industry groups that identify and address important issues facing the Company and has well-established relationships of trust with other industry leaders. In addition, Mr. Smith has deep ties to businesses and civic organizations in Western New York (the location of the Company’s corporate headquarters and most of its business units). His experience as an active participant during decades of regulatory evolution at the state and federal levels provides valuable perspective and insight into the political and regulatory trends impacting the Company’s regulated interstate pipeline and storage, and utility businesses.

Ronald J. Tanski

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Mr. Tanski was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from 2013 until his retirement in 2019. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company from 2010 to 2013 and as Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer from 2004 to 2010. Mr. Tanski was President of National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation from 2008 to 2010 and President of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation from 2006 to 2008. He was previously Treasurer of those and other subsidiaries of the Company, and he also served in management roles at Seneca Resources Corporation (now Seneca Resources Company, LLC) and Horizon Energy Development, Inc. (sold in 2010). He is a member of the Board of Directors of CMS Energy Corporation and the Board of Directors of its wholly owned subsidiary, Consumers Energy Company. He previously served as a director of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (“INGAA”) and was INGAA Chairman in 2015. Mr. Tanski was a director of the American Gas Association and a member of the Council on Accountancy at Canisius College. Mr. Tanski has been a Company director since 2014.

Mr. Tanski has over four decades of industry experience, beginning his career as an attorney for the Company, and thereafter serving in various management capacities across the Company’s diversified energy business. Through his broad range of experience, including numerous senior leadership positions in both the Company’s regulated utility, and interstate natural gas transmission and storage businesses, as well as within the Company’s exploration and production subsidiary, he gained hands-on, practical knowledge about the natural gas industry, and virtually every aspect of the Company’s operations. Mr. Tanski’s role as CEO and substantial management experience with the Company’s subsidiaries, his detailed understanding of the Company’s integrated operations, and in particular, his financial and legal background with the Company, assist the Board with oversight of the Company’s operations. Mr. Tanski’s leadership roles at the Company during periods of regulatory change and through several commodity price cycles, as well as his participation with industry trade associations, including the prior chairmanship of a national pipeline trade association, also provide important insight into the business climates and regulatory environments in which the Company’s subsidiaries operate.