David Le Norman, chairman of Oklahoma City-based Templar Energy LLC, has been named chairman of the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, the newly created oil and natural gas trade association formed by the merger of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OIPA) and the Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association (OKOGA).

Le Norman replaces outgoing co-chairmen Berry Mullennix of Tulsa’s Panther Energy III and Wade Hutchings of Oklahoma City’s Devon Energy.

“I’m honored to be chosen to lead the organization whose membership is responsible for the vast majority of the oil and gas production in Oklahoma,” Le Norman said. “In fact, our members produced 91 percent of the oil and 96 percent of the natural gas in Oklahoma last year

“Every segment of Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry — from exploration and production to midstream and refining as well as a multitude of supporting oil and gas service companies — all working together play a vital role in Oklahoma’s success. We are committed to working with our elected officials and policymakers to ensure that our state and its largest industry continue to thrive.”

Mr. Le Norman, who will serve a two-year term as the association’s chairman, brings extensive experience and accomplishments to the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, having spent more than 30 years in the oil and gas industry. Le Norman’s experiences range from various engineering and business development roles with Texaco to creating and carrying out successful build and monetization strategies across multiple companies.

Le Norman currently serves as the chairman of Templar Energy while shifting his focus to spearheading the creation of a private venture capital company, Reign Capital Holdings LLC, with primary investments in oil and gas, plus a variety of other industries which will contribute to the continued economic development of Oklahoma. Le Norman also serves as vice chair on OERB’s Board of Directors and is an active philanthropist for a wide variety of charitable organizations.

Le Norman plans to promote the narrative of the importance of oil and gas to our state and nation. In his words, “speaking with a single voice is paramount to making Oklahoma the hero of our story. Oil and gas is Oklahoma. Oklahoma is oil and gas.”