The Arena Offshore team is among the best in the industry, bringing together experienced professionals in drilling, completions, engineering and construction. With this diversity of talent and our focus on the Gulf of Mexico, our team offers basin-specific expertise across the entire well lifecycle.
Chief Executive Officer
Brent Ozenne joined Arena as Production Engineer in 2008, and assumed the role and responsibilities of Production Manager in 2012. In this role, Mr. Ozenne oversees the production engineering and foremen group, along with the many contract operations staff members offshore. His staff manages an annual LOE budget of over $120MM. Previously, Mr. Ozenne was employed by Newfield Exploration, BP and Vastar Resources, holding various engineering positions. Mr. Ozenne has more than 15 years experience in production, facilities and reservoir engineering in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. onshore basins. Mr. Ozenne earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1998.
Vice President, Government Affairs
Kevin Bruce joined Arena Offshore in 2021, arriving with a significant track record of legal, regulatory, and communications experience across the energy sector. Most recently, he directed government and public affairs for Fieldwood Energy, developing strategic efforts from the ground up to support the company’s commercial and operational priorities. Mr. Bruce is also the co-founder and executive director of the Gulf Energy Alliance, a coalition of leading independent offshore oil and natural gas producers in the US Gulf of Mexico whose mission is to support policies and regulations that encourage investment, innovation, and job creation for the offshore oil and gas industry. Before Fieldwood, he was the regional director of state affairs at America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), where he worked to grow natural gas markets across eleven states. He is a frequent panelist and speaker at energy industry events and a board member of numerous legal and energy sector professional organizations. Mr. Bruce was also a senior government and regulatory affairs advisor at Encana Corporation and an attorney at Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith in New Orleans. He began his career in Washington, D.C., serving as a legislative assistant. He earned his JD at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center of Louisiana State University and holds a BA in history and public policy from Southern Methodist University.
Vice President, Operations
Ben Frederick joined Arena in 2012 as a Production Engineer. In this role, his responsibilities include providing recommendations in technical evaluations for stimulating reservoirs, overseeing wellwork operations, supporting facility modification efforts, and maintaining strong relationships with field-operations personnel. Mr. Frederick gained his first industry experience while drilling and fracturing shallow oil and gas wells for his family business. Before coming to Arena, he worked for Newfield Exploration and, most recently, Vitruvian Exploration, where he was an Onshore Production Engineer. Mr. Frederick graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 2008.
Vice President, Supply Chain
Gerald Melancon came to Arena in 2019, bringing with him thirty-five years of experience working in the Gulf of Mexico oil industry. As Supply Chain Manager, he is responsible for procuring the equipment and services Arena needs to perform its operations, overseeing sourcing, negotiations, contracts, inventory control, logistics, and supplier management. Over the course of his career, Mr. Melancon has held positions in engineering, contract management, and supply chain management, most recently at Noble Energy and previously at ADTI and Arco/Vastar Resources. He began working in the oil industry while still in college, spending summers on drilling rigs and production platforms while earning his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He also holds an M.B.A. in Business Management from the University of Dallas.
Vice President, HSE
Wade Broussard joined Arena Offshore at the company’s Lafayette location in 2014, bringing over 15 years of oil and gas experience. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Broussard was employed by Apache Corporation, where he held various positions—most recently serving as SEMS Supervisor with responsibilities including the development, implementation and management of the company’s Safety & Environmental Management System. He has presented on SEMS topics at various industry conferences as well as workshops for employees and contractors. Also at Apache, Mr. Broussard played a key role in the development of the contractor safety management program. In addition, he performed both safety and regulatory functions and liaised with the BSEE and U.S. Coast Guard regarding oil and gas production in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Broussard earned a B.S. in Education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Manager, JIB & Audit, Accounting
Jerry Byrd joined Arena Offshore in 2022. He is responsible for managing and providing guidance for various accounting functions within the company, including accounts payable, joint interest accounting, joint venture audits and internal audits. For almost two decades of his career he was an accounting manager at Anadarko, fulfilling similar roles including being the point person for COPAS and operating agreement questions and interpretations. At Anadarko he was also responsible for accounting for complex carry deals and was the finance liaison representing Anadarko in the Deepwater Horizon incident. He holds a BBA in accounting from Sam Houston State University.
Vice President, Facilities & Maintenance
Tahanie Thibodeaux became vice president of facilities and maintenance at Arena Offshore in 2021. He first joined the company in 2019 as integrity manager. His responsibilities include guiding Arena’s facility and maintenance teams as well as managing OPEX and CAPEX budgets. Mr. Thibodeaux has amassed more than twenty-five years of experience in facilities management based on applied integrity risk management, including work within the Gulf of Mexico and for international business units. He has a strongly global perspective thanks to extensive international exposure across various industries. Mr. Thibodeaux was employed by Talos Energy, Stone Energy, and Oceaneering International, holding a range of management and engineering positions. He has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly University of Southwestern Louisiana) and a P.E. license in mechanical engineering from the state of Louisiana.
VP Regulatory
Aimee began her career in oil and gas as a Regulatory Assistant working for an independent consulting firm. Since 2007, Aimee has worked directly with the engineers of Arena Offshore, LP, ultimately joining Arena’s ranks in 2014. As the company’s VP of Regulatory, Aimee oversees her team which works closely with the many governmental regulatory agencies, such as the BSEE District and Regional offices, BOEM, EPA, and USCG, ensuring that Arena can proceed with day-to-day operations and future development and production opportunities. Aimee graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Ocean and Coastal Resources.
Environmental Supervisor, HSE
Marla Begnaud came to Arena Offshore in 2021 as an environmental supervisor. As a member of the Arena HSE team, she leads the company’s environmental regulatory compliance efforts, focusing primarily on air, water and waste compliance, and provides environmental technical support throughout the organization. Prior to joining Arena, she was an environmental supervisor at Fieldwood Energy for five years, and before that a manager at HLP Engineering, assisting clients with offshore air and greenhouse gas compliance. She has also held engineering positions at Pegasus International and PPG Industries. Mrs. Begnaud is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and Louisiana, and has a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Sr. HSE Coordinator, HSE
Scott Benoit joined Arena Offshore in 2021, bringing with him more than twenty-five years of domestic and international HSE leadership experience. As senior HSE coordinator for the company, he provides health, safety, and environmental guidance to the organization on programs and projects involving production, construction and logistical operations, as well as working with the Woodlands-based Arena Offshore leadership team. Before coming to Arena, Mr. Benoit was employed by the Apache Corporation in Houston and Cairo, Egypt in a progression of roles, most recently corporate HSE manager. He also worked at Baker Hughes as the HSE manager of compliance for the Gulf of Mexico region. Mr. Benoit holds the designations of Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Safety Management Specialist (SMS) from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. He also has a BS in industrial technology and an AS in emergency health science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Sr. Supply Chain Lead
Allen White joined Arena Offshore in 2007. His responsibilities include sourcing and supplier development from bidding to contract implementation; streamlining the supply chains for drilling, production, and construction projects; and ensuring accuracy in the payment for services and materials that have been procured. Mr. White previously worked in Global Supply Chain at Hess Corporation and in Drilling Procurement and Drilling Engineering at ExxonMobil. Mr. White has an MBA from Boston University and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
Sr. Supply Chain Lead
Jon Luckett came to Arena Offshore in 2022, bringing with him more than twenty years of diverse experience in materials management. As senior supply chain lead for the company, he supports the drilling and completion teams by contracting and procuring services and materials to drill and complete wells, as well as supporting other teams across the organization. Previously, Mr. Luckett spent more than a decade at Chevron/Noble Energy in a progression of materials management roles culminating in supply chain manager, and before that worked at Swift Energy and DBI Sala/Protecta International. He holds a BBA in management from the University of Houston-Downtown.
Contracts Specialist, Supply Chain
Vaughan Griggs has been a contracts specialist at Arena Offshore since 2019. Her responsibilities include drafting, negotiating, and maintaining master service agreements, purchase orders and work orders, as well as preparing and evaluating bid packages. Mrs. Griggs has worked in business planning and procurement for a range of engineering disciplines, amassing more than twenty-five years of diverse experience in the field. Before coming to Arena, she was a senior project buyer for Anadarko, Exterran, McDermott Engineering, and SOFEC, among other companies. She also held business planning and sourcing positions at Hewlett-Packard/Compaq and at Pennzoil-Quaker State. Mrs. Griggs is a Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) and a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM); she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Production Procurement Specialist, Supply Chain
Gary David is a production procurement specialist at Arena Offshore, having joined the team in 2017 after previously working with the company as an operation assistant at ST 52 through Island Operators. He has amassed four decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, with particular expertise in procurement and transportation. Before coming to Arena, he worked in contract dispatching for Newfield Exploration, McMoRan Exploration, and Black Elk, among others. Mr. David began his oil and gas career working for Chevron/Tenneco, serving in several different capacities over the course of more than ten years. At Arena, he is responsible for procuring most of the lube, chemicals and materials that go offshore, as well as monitoring and managing Arena’s surplus inventory.
Production Logistics / Procurement Specialist
Joey Choate joined the Arena Offshore team in the Lafayette, LA office in 2013. He brought his extensive oil and gas knowledge and experience in equipment supply, procurement, and sales to the Supply Chain team. He has over 30 years of experience in procurement and logistics in the oil & gas industry. He previously collaborated with Continental Emsco, Dupre’ Pipe and Valve Company, Grasso Production, Newfield Exploration, and McMoRan Oil and Gas prior to joining Arena.
Rotating Maintenance Foreman
Gary Smith is the Rotating Maintenance Foreman at Arena Offshore, working out of the Lafayette, Louisiana office. He came to Arena in 2017, bringing with him nearly four decades of experience maintaining and repairing mechanical equipment, half of that spent in supervisory roles. Most recently, Mr. Smith was a maintenance foreman for Fieldwood Energy (previously Apache Corporation) overseeing offshore platforms and fields south and west of the Sabine River. Prior to that he spent twenty-seven years at CNG Producing Company, Dominion E&P and Eni Petroleum (now collectively Eni US Operating Co.) in a progression of roles maintaining mechanical and electrical equipment throughout all of the companies’ Gulf of Mexico properties. He began his career in mechanics while still in college at Nicholls State University, working for Louisiana Compressor Maintenance.
Production Operations Personnel Supervisor
Kenneth Broussard is the Supervisor of Production Operations Personnel at Arena Offshore, working from the Lafayette, Louisiana office. He is responsible for managing production contract resources and overseeing the safety, training, and development of Arena Offshore’s operations employees. He joined Arena in 2018, bringing wide-ranging experience working in human resources positions at various Gulf-area oilfield services companies, most notably Island Operating Company, where he worked as an account manager for two periods totaling sixteen years. Mr. Broussard holds a B.S. in Applied Life Science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Vice President, Drilling
Steve Metz joined Arena Offshore as a Drilling Engineer in 2014. He is responsible for drilling and completions design and execution for company projects. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Metz was employed by Halliburton and, most recently, Hess Corporation as a Senior Drilling Engineer. He has spent his career managing well operations and optimizing drilling performance on inland, shelf and deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Metz received his undergraduate degree in 2004 from Texas A&M University, where he also earned a Master of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering in 2010.
Sr. Drilling Superintendent
Tyler McKellar joined Arena Offshore in 2018 as a Drilling Engineer. He is responsible for drilling and completions design and execution for company projects. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. McKellar held various positions in production, drilling and completions operations in Western Canada, West Texas and North Dakota. Most recently, Mr. McKellar was employed by Hess Corporation serving as a Drilling and Completions Engineer and Rig Supervisor for their Deepwater Gulf of Mexico operations. Mr. McKellar received a diploma in Petroleum Engineering Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and then earned his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering with High Honors from Montana Tech in 2009.
Drilling Superintendent
Charles Cambron joined Arena Offshore in 2019 as a Drilling Superintendent. Drawing on twenty-seven years of experience in engineering and operations in the Gulf of Mexico, he is responsible for designing and executing drilling and completion projects for Arena. He began his career working as a drilling engineer at Rowan Petroleum (Turkey), after which he spent fifteen years at Applied Drilling Technology, moving from drilling engineer to operations manager. More recently he was vice president of operations at Contango Operators, and then a senior project manager at Northstar Offshore Group. Mr. Cambron holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
Drilling Engineer
Ross Parks came to Arena Offshore in 2022 with more than a decade of diverse engineering and operations experience in the Gulf of Mexico and internationally. In his current position he designs, plans, and executes drilling and completion operations for the company. Before coming to Arena he worked at Total Energies, where he was an operations lead on the North Platte development project and a senior drilling engineer for the Houston drilling hub. He previously held a range of engineering roles at Equinor/Statoil over the course of eight years. Mr. Parks has a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a BS in geology from Texas A&M University.
Drilling Operations Coordinator
Don McCallum joined Arena in 2012 as the Drilling Operations Coordinator, with a direct focus on SEMS compliance. Drawing on his experience as Operations and Safety Manager at ADTI, he works closely with rig site supervisors, drilling contractors and service providers to streamline the SEMS documentation process. In addition, Mr. McCallum is responsible for interfacing with Arena Offshore’s Regulatory and HSE Managers to construct an SEMS documentation database that enables the efficient performance of internal and BSEE audits, and the creation and publication of guidelines for drilling, completion and remedial operations. He also conducts rig inspections and incident investigations which focus on safety and regulatory compliance, in an effort to improve contractor safety performance and minimize Incidents of Noncompliance (INCs) for all of Arena’s activities. Mr. McCallum graduated from Nicholls State University in 1989 with a B.S. in Petroleum Technology.
Drilling/Completions Engineer
Carlos Cantu joined Arena Offshore in 2023. In his current position, he is responsible for completion design and execution, with the primary goal of continually improving well performance. Before coming to Arena, he co-founded and served as CEO of Pipewire, a company that processed aerial emissions data and administered carbon offset projects for onshore operators. Mr. Cantu spent 15 years working for Anadarko, beginning as a deepwater completion engineer before moving through a progression of leadership roles across engineering, data science and business strategy, eventually becoming manager of data analytics for US onshore drilling and completions. His time at Anadarko also included a four-year engagement in Beijing. Mr. Cantu began his career at ExxonMobil, where he was a subsurface/completion engineer. He holds a BS in engineering and humanities from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Drilling Engineer/Rig Site Supervisor
Ivan Garber became an Operations Engineer at Arena Offshore in 2021. Previously, he was an Operations Engineer at Offshore Energy Services, working in the Casing and Pipe Department. Before that he worked for Talos Energy as an Offshore Operations Engineer and (as a consultant with Petroleum Co-Ordinators) as a Deepwater Wellsite Drilling and Completions Engineer. He was also a Well Engineer with WSP. Ivan holds a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Production Manager
Bruno Maldonado joined Arena Offshore as a Production Engineer in 2017. In this role, Mr. Maldonado is responsible for providing technical evaluations and recommendations, budget and production forecasting, and leading “Best Practices” efforts in well intervention and abandonment activity. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Maldonado was employed by Cantera Operating, EnerVest Operating, Newfield Exploration, and Champion Technologies, holding various engineering roles including reservoir, production/operations, and completions. Bruno earned his B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2005.
Sr. Production Engineer
Ward Maloy joined Arena as a Production Engineer in 2016. Previously, Mr. Maloy worked for Northstar for 11 years, holding both Gulf of Mexico production engineering and management positions during that time. He has also worked for El Paso Production for 3 years as a reservoir engineer in South Texas and as a drilling engineer in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to his time with El Paso, Mr. Maloy worked with Coastal Oil & Gas in a production engineering capacity onshore in The Rockies for three years. Mr. Maloy earned a BS in Petroleum Engineering in 1999 from Colorado School of Mines.
Sr. Production Engineer
Stan Doiron joined Arena Offshore as a Production Engineer in 2014. In this role, Mr. Doiron is responsible for providing technical evaluations and recommendations, budget and production forecasting, and leading “best practices” efforts in well intervention and abandonment activity. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Doiron was employed by Smith Production, EDC and—most recently—Noble Energy, holding various engineering and leadership positions. He has over 20 years experience in production engineering, project management and operations supervision in the Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mr. Doiron earned a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1993.
Production Engineer
Reed Boeger joined Arena Offshore in 2018 as a Production Engineer. Prior to joining Arena Offshore, Mr. Boeger worked multiple basins with Four Corners Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., and BP Alaska. Mr. Boeger has spent 12 years as a production engineer performing rig and non-rig wellwork, well abandonment, artificial lift design, nodal analysis and production and LOE budget management. Mr. Boeger graduated from The University of Texas in 2007 and earned both a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering and a B.S. in Geosystems Engineering & Hydrogeology.
Production Foreman
Lucas Berzas joined Arena Offshore in 2021, bringing more than 16 years of oilfield experience to his work for the company. In his current role as production foreman, he oversees daily operations with regard to safety, compliance, productivity and personnel management, with an eye to staying on budget and maximizing profitability. Mr. Berzas previously served as a field foreman for Arena Offshore, as well as in operations roles for Arena Energy as a contractor. At Tri-Air Farms, an agricultural flying service, he managed day-to-day operations for two of the industry’s largest aircraft, a helicopter and a spray rig. He has also worked for Coastal Chemical, Shell Exploration and Production Company, Baker Energy and OCS. Through a wide range of industry trainings and positions, Mr. Berzas has developed particular expertise in chemical application, production process, and safety systems.
Production Engineer
Blake Theriot joined the team at Arena Offshore in 2021 after five years working with the company as a contract offshore production operator in the ST Shallow area. Currently he is a production engineer over the EI-276 field. He holds a BS in petroleum engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Production Engineer
Paul Perry joined the production engineering team at Arena Offshore in 2022 after initially working with Arena Energy as a developer. In his current position, he manages LOE for Area 2 operations in South Eugene Island. Before coming to Arena he was a production engineer at Ovintiv, managing 350 producing wells, 880 injection wells, and 462 shut-in injection wells in the Uinta Basin. He holds a BS in petroleum engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Production Superintendent
Dickey Marze came to Arena in 2008 as a Production Foreman. Working out of the Arena operations office in Lafayette, he supervises production operations for the Eugene Island and South Marsh Island areas of the Gulf of Mexico Shelf. In addition to monitoring production, Mr. Marze sets the operating budget for fields in his areas and seeks to maximize oil and gas production to meet company goals while maintaining high standards for workplace safety and regulatory compliance. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Marze was a Production Foreman at Newfield Exploration, working mainly in the offshore Central Gulf of Mexico, but also in Louisiana and East Texas land facilities. He began his oilfield career in 1991 as a Contract Operator for McMoRan. Mr. Marze is a graduate of Northwestern State University with a degree in Physical Education.
Sr. Production Foreman
Wayne Maturin joined Arena in 2008 as a Production Foreman. Working out of the Arena operations office in Lafayette, he supervises production operations for the South Timbalier, South Pelto, Grand Isle, West Delta, Main Pass and South Pass areas of the Gulf of Mexico Shelf. In addition to monitoring production, Mr. Maturin sets the operating budget for fields in his areas and seeks to maximize oil and gas production to meet company goals while maintaining high standards for workplace safety and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Maturin held various supervisory and operational positions at McMoRan, Newfield Exploration and Grasso Production Management. He has more than 20 years experience in oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sr. Production Foreman
Tony Miller joined Arena in 2012 as a Production Foreman. Working out of the Arena operations office in Lafayette, he is responsible for supervising production operations in the shallow Eugene Island area of the Gulf of Mexico Shelf. In addition to monitoring production, Mr. Miller sets the operating budget for fields in his area and seeks to maximize oil and gas production to meet company goals while maintaining high standards for workplace safety and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Miller held various supervisory and operational positions at Quality Production Management, Production Management Industries and Grasso Production Management. He has more than 20 years experience in oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Miller graduated from Nicholls State University with a B.S. in Petroleum Services Technology and an A.S. in Industry Safety Technology.
Production Foreman – Area V
Stanley Bouley joined Arena in 2010 as a Production Foreman. Working out of the Arena operations office in Lafayette, he supervises production operations for the Vermilion, East Cameron, West Cameron, High Island and Matagorda Island areas of the Gulf of Mexico Shelf. In addition to monitoring production, Mr. Bouley sets the operating budget for fields in his areas and seeks to maximize oil and gas production to meet company goals while maintaining high standards for workplace safety and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Bouley held various supervisory and operational positions at McMoRan and Grasso Production Management. He also spent 15 years as a Contract Operator with Newfield Exploration, where he worked in the Gulf of Mexico and South China Sea. He has 20 years experience in oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Production Foreman - Area VI
John Thibodeaux joined Arena Offshore in 2013, initially as an offshore Field Foreman, and currently works as a Production Foreman in the Lafayette, LA office. He supervises production operations for the Eugene Island (Shallow) areas of the Gulf of Mexico Shelf. In addition to monitoring production, Mr. Thibodeaux sets the operating budget for fields in his areas and seeks to maximize oil and gas production to meet company goals while maintaining high standards for workplace safety and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Arena, John held various operations positions at Island Operating Company, Production Management Inc, and Grasso Production Management over the past 16 years working in the Gulf of Mexico.
Production Foreman
Jesse McGraw began working with Arena Offshore in 2016, serving as an operations specialist and field foreman before assuming his current role. As a production foreman for the company, he is responsible for setting and maintaining lease operating expense budgets and for production rates in the South Timbalier area. Before joining the team at Arena, Mr. McGraw worked with Newfield Exploration for nearly 15 years. His projects included subsea installation and start-ups in the Gulf of Mexico and work in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he served as lead of operations for assets in the South China Sea.
Production Foreman
Troy Soileau came to Arena in 2018 as a Production Foreman, working out of the Lafayette, Louisiana office. Drawing on thirty years of oil and gas experience in the Gulf of Mexico, he supervises production operations in the shallow Eugene Island area, develops and manages the Lease Operating Expense budget, and maintains cohesive relationships with the production and facilities engineering teams. Before coming to Arena, Mr. Soileau was a production superintendent at Rosetta Resources/Noble Energy, and prior to that spent fifteen years working in a series of positions at EP Energy, where he supervised various offshore and land operations projects. He holds a B.S. in Petroleum Technology from Nicholls State University and an A.S. in Occupational Safety Technology.
Lafayette Facilities Manager
Greg Hernandez joined Arena Offshore in 2019 as a senior facilities engineer, working from the Lafayette, Louisiana office. He provides engineering and technical support for company assets, for construction activities related to repair and maintenance work, and for optimization of production facilities. He also contributes to HSE, compliance, and regulatory efforts. Mr. Hernandez draws on more than twenty-five years of experience working as an engineer based in Lafayette, including a series of managerial positions at Stone Energy Corporation and (following a merger) at Talos Energy Corporation. Mr. Hernandez holds a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly University of Southwestern Louisiana).
Facility Manager
Michael LeBlanc joined Arena Offshore in 2020 as a facility engineer. In this role he is responsible for providing engineering, technical, and project management support related to the repair and maintenance of existing equipment and the installation of new equipment on the company’s offshore production platforms. Before coming to Arena, Mr. LeBlanc was a senior facilities engineer at Fieldwood Energy. Mr. LeBlanc began his career at Chevron as a facilities engineer; he later served as a start-up engineer and coordinator on Chevron’s Big Foot project, eventually becoming a HUC project engineer on that project. Mr. LeBlanc earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University. He is registered as a Professional Mechanical Engineer in the State of Louisiana.
Facility Engineer
Justin Nelson joined Arena Offshore in 2014 as a Construction Engineer. Mr. Nelson has offshore experience both in a consulting capacity and as a direct participant. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Nelson worked for Paloma Energy Consultants, Dynamic Offshore Resources and SandRidge Energy. With Paloma, his responsibilities included facilitating the installation of projects in the Gulf of Mexico and Bahamas, managing the project planning, cost estimation, scheduling, contract negotiation and construction. More recently, Mr. Nelson oversaw all construction activities in the Gulf for SandRidge. Mr. Nelson graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2006.
Facility Engineer
Kevin McCauley became a Facility Engineer at Arena Offshore in 2021 after spending six years at M&H Energy Services, where he was a Mechanical Engineering Consultant in the Mechanical and Piping Engineering Department. While earning his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, he completed two Co-op Programs at Kimberly Clark, in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Research. He is licensed as a Professional Engineer in Texas and Ohio.
Facility Engineer
John Olivier came to Arena Offshore in 2022. As a facility engineer for the company, he draws on diverse engineering experiences across all aspects of US domestic oil and gas sectors, including upstream, midstream, and downstream, with a focus in offshore operations. In his current position, Mr. Olivier leads project teams of engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and operations personnel in the planning and execution of offshore facility projects. Before joining Arena, he spent more than a decade working on a range of operations at Chevron Corporation, most recently as the electrical, instrumentation, and controls team lead on the Ballymore major capital project, and prior to that as a process control and automation engineer on the Tahiti and Blind Faith operations. Mr. Olivier holds an MS in applied physics from Louisiana Tech University and a BS in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Facility Manager
Matt Hulin came to Arena Offshore in 2022 as a facilities engineer. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in upstream oil and gas processing, in his current position he manages topside facilities upgrade and repair projects for the South Timbalier fields (areas 4 and 5). He also addresses mechanical integrity issues in piping and process vessels as they arise. Working with field operators and production and reservoir engineers, he continuously analyzes opportunities for improvements to safety and process efficiency. Before coming to Arena, Mr. Hulin was a construction team lead at Fieldwood Energy/QuarterNorth. He has also held facilities engineering positions at Keystone Engineering, Cantium, Chevron, and Pegasus International, among other companies. He has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Sr. Chemical Representative
Matthew Knickrehm joined Arena Offshore in 2019, drawing on four decades of experience in oilfield specialty chemicals for the global upstream oil and gas industry. As a senior chemical representative for Arena, he works to optimize the cost-performance of the production chemical program, designed to increase asset reliability and operational efficiency. After beginning his career in Los Angeles at Nalco Chemical and South Coast, he spent more than twenty years managing business development efforts in Alaska, Australia, Canada, the Sakhalin Islands of Russia, and Israel, among other places, working for Baker Hughes Production and Champion Technologies. Key clients included ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and Noble Energy, among others. Prior to joining Arena, Mr. Knickrehm was a senior chemical advisor at Freeport McMoRan, and an independent consultant for oil operators in California and the Gulf of Mexico. He has a BA in business management from Loyola Marymount University.
E. Construction Maintenance Foreman
Jake Hebert joined Arena Offshore in 2019 as a Maintenance Foreman, working out of the Lafayette, Louisiana office. In this role, he oversees repairs and modifications for platform and production system construction, manages daily field R&M construction crews, and monitors the company’s Mechanical Integrity program. Before coming to Arena, Mr. Hebert was a construction foreman at Fieldwood Energy, and prior to that spent nearly ten years at Chapman Consulting, where he was a senior project manager, handling maintenance programs for multiple clients. He began his career working as a research and development technician at Stuller Inc, fabricating specialized parts and equipment for manufacturing. Mr. Hebert holds a B.S. in Industrial Technology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
W. Construction Maintenance Foreman
Craig LeBlanc joined Arena Offshore in the Lafayette, Louisiana office in 2016 as maintenance foreman. He performs project management for all construction-related activities under production, supporting both the production foremen and the Houston-based construction team to facilitate and manage offshore asset upgrade, repair, and maintenance projects. Prior to joining Arena’s team, Mr. LeBlanc worked for Paloma Energy Consultants and was assigned to Arena projects as a contractor for eleven years. He also held various supervisor positions at NATCO, Universal Fabricators, and Mid Fab. Mr. LeBlanc has spent his entire thirty-year career working in the oil and gas industry around the Gulf of Mexico.
Construction Maintenance Foreman
Shelby LeBlanc joined Arena Offshore in 2022, bringing with him more than four decades of experience in the oil and gas industry throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including expertise in construction project supervision, fabrication, production operations, safety compliance, and logistics supervision. He has held a wide range of positions at various companies in the industry, most recently serving as a construction superintendent at QuarterNorth Energy. In his current position at Arena Offshore, he is responsible for coordinating offshore construction crews, anticipating project needs for the construction team; mentoring and supporting onsite consultants to ensure adherence to safe work practices, and tracking project budgets with an eye to cost efficiency, safety, and compliance.
Sr. Regulatory Specialist
Jennifer Johnson is a Regulatory Specialist at Arena Offshore. She joined the company in 2014, after having served as a Senior Regulatory Technician at ATP Oil and Gas Corporation. Before developing her career as a regulatory specialist, Jennifer spent several years working in project management and construction development for Global Franchise Group (formerly NexCen Franchise Management). She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Regulatory Specialist
Jeanette Dehn is a Regulatory Specialist at Arena Offshore, assisting in the permitting and regulatory compliance of drilling/rig operations. Before joining the company in 2015, she was a SEMS Coordinator and HSE Specialist at Apache Corporation. She has also served as a SEMS Regulatory Specialist at PPI Quality and Asset Management.
