Williston Basin Petroleum Conference tentative agenda
All times listed are in Central Daylight Time
33rd Williston Basin Petroleum Conference
Bismarck Event Center, 315 South 5th St, Bismarck, ND
Monday, May 18, 2026
7:00 a.m.
Exhibitor set-up opens – Exhibit Hall and Outdoor Exhibits
7:00 p.m.
Exhibitor set-up closes for the day
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
8:00 a.m.
Conference Registration is Open
9:00 a.m.
Exhibit Hall and Outdoor Exhibits are Open
11:15 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch – Proudly sponsored by LIUNA North Dakota
Opening Sessions – Hall D
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Showcasing North Dakota's Oil History
- North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong
- Ron Ness, President, North Dakota Petroleum Council
- Kathy Neset, President, NESET
Afternoon Sessions – Hall D
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Mid-Cap Operators: Expanding the Williston Basin
- Jason Kurek, President, North America, Hunt Oil Company
- Drew Wellsfry, President & COO, Silver Hill Energy Partners
- Brad Suddarth, Executive Vice President & CFO, Kraken Operating
- Peter Radovanovic, VP of Production Operations, Formentera Operations
- Moderator: Preston Page, President, Dakota Energy
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions in Prairie Rose Rooms
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Networking: Visit the Expo & Outdoor Exhibits
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Non-Operators and Royalties: Investing in the Williston Basin
- Preston Page, President, Dakota Energy
- Scott Rice, Managing Partner & COO, Riverbend Energy Group
- Lauren Ness, Subsurface Manager, Chord Energy
- Moderator: Kate Black, Vice President, Inland Oil and Gas
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Hosted Bar and Social in Exhibit Hall
5:00 p.m.
75 Years of Oil Dominance Celebration in Exhibit Hall
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
7:00 a.m.
Conference registration opens
7:00 a.m.
Hot Breakfast Buffet in Exhibit Hall
Morning Session – Hall D
8:15 a.m.
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong
8:35 a.m.
Kyle Haustveit, Assistant Secretary, Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, U.S. Department of Energy
8:55 a.m.
Mark N. Fox, Chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes
9:15 a.m.
Danny Brown, CEO, Chord Energy
9:35 – 10:40 a.m.
Networking: Visit the Expo & Outdoor Exhibits
10:40 a.m.
Road to Energy Dominance
- Todd Staples, President, Texas Oil and Gas Association
- Missi Currier, President, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association
- Edith Naegele, President, Independent Petroleum Association of America
- Moderator: Ron Ness, President, North Dakota Petroleum Council
11:45 – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch provided in Expo and Hall D
Afternoon Sessions – Hall D
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Bakken 2.0: Crack the Code
- Pam Heatherington, ExxonMobil Americas General Manager and Denbury CEO
- Vishal Gupta, President, Oxy
- Toby Deen, Senior Advisor, Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, U.S. Department of Energy
- Moderators: Lynn Helms, Bakken 2.0 Project Manager & John Harju, VP for Strategic Partnerships, Energy and Environmental Research Center
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions in Prairie Rose Rooms
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Networking: Visit the Expo & Outdoor Exhibits
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
A New Approach to Compliance
- Tom Schultz, Chief, United States Forest Service
- Christy Woodward, Chief of Staff, EPA Region 8
- Nathan Anderson, Director, North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources
- Dave Glatt, Director, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality
- Moderator: Josh DeMorrett, State Government Affairs Director, ConocoPhillips
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Networking & Hosted Bar: Visit the Expo & Outdoor Exhibits
Thursday, May 21, 2026
7:00 a.m.
Conference registration opens
7:00 a.m.
Hot Breakfast Buffet in hall d
8:30 a.m.
Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
9:15 a.m.
Mike Sommers, President, American Petroleum Institute
10:00 a.m.
Fireside Chat with Ryan Lance, CEO, ConocoPhillips, and Ron Ness, President, North Dakota Petroleum Council
10:45 a.m.
America's Energy Future
11:30 a.m.
Conference Adjourns