SMU Cox’s Maguire Energy Institute honors Chairman and CEO of EOG Resources Inc.

DALLAS (SMU)—The Maguire Energy Institute at SMU Cox School of Business honored Mark G. Papa, chairman and chief executive officer of EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) with the 2012 L. Frank Pitts Energy Leadership Award at a luncheon ceremony on Thursday, November 8 at the Cox School’s Collins Center.  The Energy Leadership Award was presented to Papa as an individual who, like the late oilman for whom the award is named, exemplifies a spirit of entrepreneurship, ethical leadership and innovation in the energy industry. 

Also at the luncheon, Edwin Lochridge Cox, namesake of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at SMU, was presented with the Maguire Energy Institute Pioneer Award.  The second annual Pioneer Award was given to Cox as an energy industry trailblazer who has demonstrated outstanding innovation, a tried and true legacy of entrepreneurship and ethical leadership.

“Both Mark Papa and Edwin Cox have contributed immeasurably to the betterment of the oil and gas industry, but perhaps even more significantly, they are men who have positively influenced the world around them.  Mark and Ed are leaders with astute business acumen who strongly embody the spirit of Frank Pitts’ leadership style,” said Albert W. Niemi, Jr., dean of the Cox School of Business.

Mark G. Papa

EOG is a leading U.S. independent exploration and production company.  Under Papa’s guidance, it has been one of the most active drillers in the country, currently producing 465 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day.  Papa has held the position of chairman and CEO of EOG since 1999.  Prior to that, he was part of Belco Petroleum, an EOG predecessor company.  Previously, he worked for Conoco in the United Arab Emirates, Houston, Lake Charles, New Orleans and Corpus Christi, where he began his career in 1968.  Papa earned a Petroleum Engineering Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering and an MBA from the University of Houston.  Buy side analysts at Institutional Investor Magazine named Papa the top CEO in its Independent Exploration and Production Sector for 2012.  He also held that title in 2006 and 2007 and was runner-up in 2008 and 2009.  Harvard Business Review chose Papa as one of its Best-Performing CEOs in 2010.  Also that year, Barron’s selected him as one of its 30 Most Respected CEOs.

“Mark Papa is the kind of leader we hold up as an example to young people pursuing energy leadership careers today, and he serves as a great role model for all of us,” said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute.  “We are proud to honor Mark’s impact on the energy industry,” he said.

Beyond his leadership role at EOG, Papa is a member of SPE, TIPRO, USOGA and IPAA, and serves on the National Petroleum Council, the Board of Visitors of the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, the Dean’s Executive Board of the University of Houston School of Business and the Advisory Board of Casa de Esperanza.  He is also a board member of Oil States International, Inc.

Papa follows J. Larry Nichols, last year’s winner of the L. Frank Pitts Energy Leadership Award.  Nichols is co-founder and executive chairman of Devon Energy Corporation.  The first recipient of the Pitts Leadership Award, in 2010, was Ray L. Hunt, chairman and CEO of Hunt Oil Company and chairman, CEO and president of Hunt Consolidated, Inc.

In addition to the L. Frank Pitts Energy Leadership Award, the Maguire Energy Institute presented its second annual Pioneer Award.  “As this year’s honoree, Edwin Lochridge Cox holds a special place in the hearts of all of us at the Cox Business School,” said Dean Niemi.  “Ed Cox’s leadership extends well beyond the oil industry.  His vision and generosity have helped shape the school into one of the country’s outstanding schools of business.  We are eternally grateful for Ed Cox and especially pleased to see him honored with the Maguire Energy Institute’s Pioneer Award.”

Edwin L. Cox

Cox, who began his business education at SMU, currently serves as chairman and CEO of the Edwin L. Cox Company, which is engaged in investments and venture capital.  Prior to that, he built the oil company his father founded into one of the nation’s largest independent oil operations.  Cox has served on the boards of the Halliburton Company, Gillette, the American Enterprise Institute and the American Petroleum Institute, among others.  In addition, he remains active in the development and growth of the Cox School of Business at SMU.  Through his generosity, the Cox School has established the Edwin L. Cox Business Leadership Institute, the Edwin L. Cox Business Leadership Center, The Edwin L. Cox Distinguished MBA Scholars and most recently, the Edwin L. Cox BBA Scholars Program.  He is a Trustee Emeritus at SMU and a former chairman of the Board.

In 2011, the inaugural year for the Pioneer Award, the Maguire Energy Institute bestowed the honor on three iconic Texas oilmen, including retired oil and gas executive John P. Harbin, the honorary director of the American Petroleum Institute and the director of the Petroleum Equipment Supplies Association.  Louis A. Beecherl, Jr. and William P. Clements, Jr. were each honored posthumously. Beecherl served as chairman and president of the Texas Oil & Gas Corporation, which eventually merged with U.S. Steel Corporation.  Clements, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Governor of Texas, formed Southeastern Drilling Company (SEDCO) Inc., which was eventually sold to Schlumberger Ltd.

The Maguire Energy Institute and the Cox School of Business created the L. Frank Pitts Energy Leadership Award to honor the legacy of independent oil and natural gas producer L. Frank Pitts, who participated in the drilling of more than 3,000 wells over almost seven decades.  The late oilman formerly served as a member of the Maguire Energy Institute’s Board of Advisors.  His daughter, Linda Pitts Custard, is a member of the SMU Board of Trustees, and she serves on the Award Event Committee for the Pitts Energy Leadership Award Luncheon.

While it honors industry leaders, the L. Frank Pitts Energy Leadership Award Luncheon also serves as a fundraiser for the Maguire Energy Institute and its MBA and BBA Scholarships.  This year’s event is projected to have raised more than $200,000 for the Institute.  Two Cox students were awarded scholarships for the spring semester at the luncheon.  They are Sarah Michels, MBA 2013, who is concentrating in Finance and Accounting, and Trev Wilgus, BBA 2013, who is an accounting major.     

James Gibbs, chairman of Five States Energy Company, LLC, chaired the eight-member Award Nominating Committee. Scott Sheffield, chairman and CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Company, chaired the eight-member Award Event Committee.

About SMU Cox

SMU’s Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, including BBA, full-time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Executive Education.  Cox offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, ranging from its Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, Maguire Energy Institute and Global Leadership Program (GLP) to its Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program and an international alumni network with chapters in more than 20 countries.