Pierce H. Norton II is president and chief executive officer of ONEOK and is a member of the ONEOK Board of Directors.
Previously, Norton was president and chief executive officer of ONE Gas, Inc. for more than seven years and served as a member of the ONE Gas board. Norton worked for ONEOK for almost 10 years, having joined the company in 2004. Prior to the separation of ONE Gas in January 2014, Norton served as executive vice president, commercial, of ONEOK and ONEOK Partners.
His other roles at ONEOK included, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ONEOK and ONEOK Partners, responsible for the company's natural gas gathering and processing, natural gas pipelines, natural gas liquids, natural gas distribution and energy services business segments. Norton also held the position as president of ONEOK Distribution Companies – Oklahoma Natural Gas, Kansas Gas Service and Texas Gas Service.
Norton began his natural gas industry career in 1982 at Delhi Gas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Texas Oil and Gas Corporation. He later worked for American Oil and Gas with operational responsibilities for natural gas gathering and processing, and for intrastate and interstate pipelines. He then worked for KN Energy as vice president and general manager of the Heartland Region, before moving to Bear Paw Energy as vice president of business development. In 2002, he was named president of Bear Paw Energy, now ONEOK Rockies Midstream.
Norton is a past board member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, the Texas Pipeline Association, the North Dakota Petroleum Council, the Western Alliance, American Gas Association (AGA) and served as chairman of the AGA board in 2017. Locally he is a past board member of Tulsa Community College Foundation, Tulsa Community Foundation and Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice.
An Alabama native, Norton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1982 from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He also is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.
Management
Pierce H. Norton II
President and Chief Executive Officer
Walter S. Hulse III
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Executive Vice President, Investor Relations
and Corporate Development
Hulse joined ONEOK in 2015 from Spinnaker Strategic Advisory Services, LLC, which provided consulting services to mid-cap and large-cap publicly traded companies, including the review of merger and/or acquisition opportunities, debt and equity markets, corporate restructuring and potential divestitures. Hulse served as a consultant to ONEOK for many years, including during the separation of the company's natural gas distribution business into the stand-alone publicly traded company, ONE Gas.
Previously, Hulse was vice chairman of the Investment Banking Department, managing director and head of the business development group at UBS Investment Bank. Prior to that, he was head of the Global Utility Group at UBS Investment Bank. Before joining UBS through its merger with PaineWebber Incorporated, Hulse held various roles at Paine Webber and J.P. Morgan.
Hulse graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in economics.
Kevin L. Burdick
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Kevin Burdick is executive vice president and chief commercial officer of ONEOK, responsible for all of our business unit commercial activities.
Burdick joined ONEOK in 2007 as manager, information technology design integration. Prior to his current position, Burdick served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Before that, he served as executive vice president and chief commercial officer and as senior vice president, natural gas gathering and processing, responsible for all commercial aspects of the gathering and processing business unit. Burdick has also served as vice president and chief information officer. Before joining ONEOK, he held information technology positions of increasing responsibility at CITGO Petroleum in Tulsa.
He serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Oklahoma Foundation. He is a member of LIFE Senior Services PACE Board of Directors and is on the Global Outreach Leadership Team for Asbury Church in Tulsa. He is a past cabinet member of the Tulsa Area United Way.
A native of Pryor, Oklahoma, Burdick earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1988 from the University of Oklahoma in Norman and a Master of Business Administration degree in 1995 from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program.
Stephen B. Allen
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
Steve Allen is senior vice president, general counsel and assistant secretary of ONEOK and is also responsible for information technology (IT), cybersecurity and physical security activities.
Allen joined ONEOK in 2006 and previously served as vice president and associate general counsel. Prior to working at ONEOK, he was a shareholder at GableGotwals, a Tulsa law firm.
Allen served as vice chairman of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, appointed by Governor Mary Fallin in May 2015 for a term expiring in 2021. Allen also served as a member of the board of trustees for Oklahoma Baptist University for 14 years, serving as board chairman and chairman of the presidential search committee. He is a member of Leadership Tulsa Class 28. Professionally, he is a member of the American Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Tulsa County Bar Association. In 2009, Super Lawyers magazine named him an Oklahoma Rising Star.
A native of Massachusetts, Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1995 from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee and a Juris Doctorate in 1998 from Vanderbilt University School of Law in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sheridan C. Swords
Senior Vice President, Natural Gas Liquids and Natural Gas Gathering and Processing
Sheridan Swords is senior vice president, natural gas liquids and natural gas gathering and processing, responsible for all commercial activities in these business segments. Prior to assuming this position, Swords was senior vice president, natural gas liquids.
Swords began his career in the energy industry as a division engineer for Koch Gathering Systems Company in 1992. He held various positions with Koch companies, including operations management and commercial and commodity trading.
Prior to joining ONEOK in 2005, Swords was vice president of the Mid-Continent of Koch Hydrocarbon, LP.
A native of Kansas, Swords earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1991 from Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Charles M. Kelley
Senior Vice President, Natural Gas Pipelines
Chuck Kelley is senior vice president, natural gas pipelines, responsible for commercial activities of the natural gas pipeline business segment. Previously, he was senior vice president, natural gas responsible for commercial activities of the natural gas gathering and processing and natural gas pipelines business segments.
Kelley joined ONEOK in 2000 as manager of Midwest marketing for ONEOK Energy Marketing and Trading Company and later served as director, marketing; vice president, origination; and senior vice president of ONEOK Energy Services. He also served as senior vice president of corporate planning and development. Prior to joining ONEOK, he held executive positions at both Tartan Energy Resources and Panda Resources, Inc. He also held various positions with Enron Corporation.
Kelley is a former member of the Midwest Energy Association where he served as director of the energy management committee. He is a current member and past board member of the Natural Gas and Energy Association of Oklahoma and is on the board of directors of A New Leaf, Inc., an organization that provides vocational and residential services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Kelley volunteers with Challenger League youth sports and Special Olympics Oklahoma.
A native of Illinois, Kelley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, with honors, in 1980 from DePaul University, College of Commerce, in Chicago.
Scott D. Schingen
Senior Vice President, Operations
Scott Schingen is senior vice president, operations, of ONEOK, responsible for the operations activities for all of ONEOK's business segments, including environment, safety and health (ES&H), capital projects and integrated operations capabilities that support the segments.
In his most recent position, Schingen was vice president, natural gas liquids operations responsible for the operation of natural gas liquids gathering and distribution pipelines, fractionators and storage facilities.
Prior to joining ONEOK in 2005, Schingen was a plant manager of Koch Hydrocarbon Southwest. He held various positions in Mont Belvieu and Corpus Christi, Texas, with Koch Hydrocarbon and Koch Refining Company, where he began his career as a process engineer in 1996.
Schingen is a member of the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Pipeline Steering Group and a board member of the World Stage Theater Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
A native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Schingen earned Bachelor of Science degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology, Minneapolis, in 1996.
Gregory Lusardi
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development
Greg Lusardi is senior vice president, corporate development, responsible for analyzing mergers and acquisitions, advancing venture capital opportunities and risk activities.
Prior to his most recent role, he served as senior vice president, finance, responsible for accounting, treasury, tax and risk activities. Prior to that role, he was vice president, gas supply, natural gas gathering and processing responsible for all gas supply activities in the Mid-Continent and Rockies.
Lusardi joined ONEOK from J.P. Morgan, where he served as an executive director, energy investment banking, primarily focused on midstream, refining and certain utility clients. Key responsibilities included mergers and acquisitions, capital markets activity and strategic planning. During his career, Lusardi advised on key ONEOK transactions including its acquisition of ONEOK Partners, LP and its separation of ONE Gas, Inc. Prior to entering investment banking, Lusardi worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in a tax consulting group with increasing levels of responsibility before leaving to attend business school.
Lusardi earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Washington and Lee University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.
Mary M. Spears
Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, Finance and Tax
Mary Spears is senior vice president and chief accounting officer, finance and tax. She is responsible for ONEOK's accounting operations and financial reporting functions, from segment accounting through corporate consolidation and reporting, and treasury and tax activities.
Since joining ONEOK in 2008, Spears has held positions of increasing responsibility, including her most recent role as vice president, chief accounting officer.
Before joining the company, she worked at Deloitte & Touche and Latham & Watkins. Spears is a certified public accountant and an FSA (Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting) credential-holder. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Oklahoma Society of CPAs, and the Accounting Financial Women's Alliance. Active in the community, Spears serves as treasurer of the Foundation for Tulsa Schools.
A native of Helena, Montana, Spears earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 2001 from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Carey A. Jolin
Senior Vice President, Planning and Analysis
Carey Jolin is senior vice president, planning and analysis and is also responsible for ONEOK’s enterprise risk management (ERM) and environment, social and governance (ESG) analysis activities.
Jolin joined ONEOK in 2006 as a financial analyst and served in various roles in corporate planning and development, including her most recent role as vice president, financial planning.
Prior to joining ONEOK, Jolin held various positions at American Airlines, CITGO Petroleum and KPMG Peat Marwick. Jolin currently serves as a board member of the Oklahoma Aquarium and is a member of The Conference Board FP&A Council.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Jolin earned a business administration degree from Eastern Connecticut State University in 1991 and a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University in 1998.
J. Darren Wallis
Senior Vice President, Communications and Community Relations
Darren Wallis is senior vice president, communications and community relations, of ONEOK.
Before joining ONEOK, Wallis was vice president of communications for the North American region of Crop Science, a division of Bayer, the largest division and region within the company. In this role, he led all internal and external corporate communications activities including corporate reputation, media relations, employee communications, digital communications and issues management for the region.
With more than 27 years of communications expertise, Wallis has specialized in creating strategic communications campaigns in various organizations and industries, including serving clients at two large international public relations firms.
Wallis earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri in Columbia and is a native of southeast Missouri.
Patrick W. Cipolla
Vice President, Associate General Counsel – Compliance & Ethics and Corporate Secretary
Pat Cipolla is vice president, associate general counsel, compliance and ethics, and corporate secretary of ONEOK. He is responsible for oversight of companywide compliance with rules, regulations and laws, as well as for development and implementation of continuing companywide compliance and ethics training.
Cipolla joined ONEOK in 2007 as managing attorney, human resources, responsible for legal aspects of employment-related issues. Previously, Cipolla was a partner at GableGotwals, a Tulsa law firm, and also served as an adjunct professor in employment law at Oklahoma State University’s Tulsa campus.
Cipolla is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association where he has served as president of the young lawyers division. He also has served as president of the young lawyers division for the Tulsa County Bar Association. Since 1997, he has volunteered as a United States Federal Adjunct Settlement Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. He is also a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics; the Society for Corporate Governance; and the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. He also is a volunteer baseball, softball and basketball coach and is active in ONEOK’s employee volunteer program – Volunteers With Energy.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Cipolla earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Oklahoma State University in 1988. He received his Juris Doctorate, with distinction, in 1992 from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Janet L. Hogan
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
Janet L. Hogan is senior vice president, chief human resources officer of ONEOK, responsible for human resources, building operations and aviation.
Before joining ONEOK in 2022, Hogan was senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Hormel Corporation, a global, branded food company with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. In this role, she led all strategies and initiatives for talent development, employee engagement, total rewards and safety.
Before joining Hormel, Hogan served as chief human resources officer for ProQuest Corporation, Oshkosh Corporation and Harsco Corporation. And prior to those roles, she held various human resources roles of increasing responsibility for Monsanto Company.
Hogan holds certifications from World at Work (Certified Compensation Professional and Global Remuneration Professional), Lominger Leadership Assessment Practices and 360 Degree Feedback Coach. In the community, she has served on the boards of Pennsylvania Workforce Investment, Girl Scounts of Eastern Missouri and the Hope House. Hogan is a Greater Missouri Leadership graduate and the recipient of the Breakaway Leadership Award in Impact.
A native of Southern Illinois, Hogan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a Master of Science degree in mathematics from Southern Illinois University.