Minerals Management Service moves three into management positions

Ray Tyson

The U.S. Minerals Management Service said it has appointed employees Jim Grant, Joe Gordon and Lars Herbst to management positions at MMS’ Gulf of Mexico regional office in New Orleans.

Jim Grant was named chief of staff, office of the regional director. He began his career with MMS in 1984 in the Corpus Christi District in Texas and has served as chief of the technical assessment and operations support section; chief of the production, commingling and rate control section; and chief of the plans, platforms and pipelines section.

In his new position, Grant will serve as immediate advisor to Gulf Regional Director Chris Oynes on major programmatic, policy, and budget issues as well as organizational issues.

Joe Gordon was appointed deputy regional supervisor of field operations. His responsibilities include managing the technical functions of the regional activities within field operations. The office of field operations evaluates and approves operator proposals to install and modify platforms and pipelines on OCS leases, evaluates new technology to be used in the Gulf, reviews and approves exploration and development plans, and administers the Gulf’s accident investigation and civil penalty programs.

Gordon joined MMS in 1988 as a staff engineer in the technical assessment unit in the Gulf region. He has served as the Lafayette district drilling engineer, the Lafayette district manager and, most recently, chief of the office of safety management.

Lars Herbst was appointed to the position of deputy regional supervisor for district operations in the office of field operations in the Gulf region. His duties include oversight of the five district offices located in New Orleans, Houma, Lafayette, and Lake Charles in Louisiana, and Lake Jackson, Texas. The primary functions of the district offices include permitting and inspection activities related to offshore operations, including drilling, workover, completion, well abandonment, and production operations.

Herbst began his career with MMS in 1983, after working for Schlumberger in the well testing group. At MMS, he started as a staff engineer in the technical assessment unit for the Gulf region. In 1990, Herbst was named drilling engineer in the New Orleans District, and in 1995, became the New Orleans district manager.