Learn more about the Orphan Well Management Association (OWMA)

Kenneth Wagner is Oklahoma’s Former Secretary of Energy & Environment where he served the first 4 year term under Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing 36 state agencies, boards and commissions.

Prior to serving the State of Oklahoma, Mr. Wagner served two years as a Senior Executive at US EPA in Washington DC where he coordinated all 10 Regional Offices and all 50 states for the Administrator of EPA.

In addition to these prestigious roles, Mr. Wagner is an accomplished attorney, businessman, and academic. He recently completed a term as the Inaugural Executive Director of the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University. The Institute was formed by transformative gifts totaling over $150 Million and the vision of Chairman Harold Hamm to create an institute to help solve humanities’ ever-growing demand for energy with affordable, clean, reliable, and responsibly sourced energy to sustain our country, and the world.

Currently, Mr. Wagner has a robust regulatory and legal consulting business across the spectrum of energy, regulatory, tribal, and environmental matters. He still holds an appointment at Oklahoma State University, as well as teaching environmental law at Oklahoma City University College of Law.

Before joining the US EPA, he was a founding member and managing partner of a successful mid-sized law firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he practiced and managed a diverse practice that included commercial, energy and environmental matters. In addition to running a successful law firm, he was involved in numerous successful business and commercial ventures, including being a minority partner in Oklahoma’s Triple-A baseball team based in Oklahoma City from 2003 to 2010.

He received his degrees from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa College of Law.

Sam is a board member of the Orphan Well Management Association and a Co-Founder and COO of

CarbonPath. Sam began his career as an engineer with ExxonMobil operating oil and gas properties and

then moved to the financial world where he has held increasing levels of responsibility – first with sell

side research and then spent the last decade of his career on the buy side, managing large investment

portfolios for Brookfield and Citadel.

Sam holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering with honors from the University of Illinois Urbana

Champaign and an MBA from Tulane University. He is a CFA charter holder.

Outside of work, Sam sits on the board of the Oz Park Baseball Association, coaches two competitive

travel baseball teams, coaches a middle school boy’s volleyball team and is a Boy Scout leader.

Michael, is a co-founder of the Orphan Well Management Association, where he sits on the board and serves as the Secretary and Treasurer. He has volunteered and worked across the APAC region, the U.S.A., Latin America, and Russia for, and held a diverse set of leadership positions in the energy, sustainability, infrastructure, philanthropic, and start-up spaces. He holds a B.S. and M.Ed in Organizational Leadership from Vanderbilt University, a M.B.A. from the University of California – Berkeley, and an A.L.M. in Sustainability from Harvard University.

Outside of work, Michael, a husband and father of two, has dedicated himself to: 1) his family; 2) establishing both the John E. Martin Memorial Fellowship and the John E. Martin Mental Healthcare Challenge; 3) participating in and leading Habitat for Humanity International – Global Village trips; and 4) competing in ultramarathons and endurance races throughout the world.

Jim Roth is an energy lawyer and a Director with the Oklahoma City-based Phillips Murrah law firm, where he provides leadership to the firm’s clean energy and regulatory practice. In addition, Jim serves as President and Founder of A New Energy, LLC, an energy consultancy specializing in energy law and development throughout the United States, representing regional and national interests.

Jim Roth also served as the thirteenth Dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law until 2023 earning the honorific title of Dean Emeritus and serves as a tenured Professor of Law specializing in energy law. Dean Emeritus Roth is only the second alumnus to serve as Dean, having earned his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, in 1994.

As an entrepreneur, Jim has also founded or co-founded four other existing private businesses, including Blue Skies Connections, LLC an Oklahoma based telephone company with operations in five states. Jim also serves as a Board member of Global Innovation Platform, (dba ENXchange) a Texas-based, private IoT energy technology start up and also serves on the Arvest Bank Board of Directors in Central Oklahoma.

Previously, Jim Roth served as an Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner, by Appointment of Governor Brad Henry in 2007. As a Corporation Commissioner, Roth had involvement with Oklahoma’s important economies, including Regulation of Oil & Gas activities, Energy Policies, Public Utilities, Renewable Energies, Telecommunications, Transportation, Pipeline Integrity & Safety, and Consumer Services.

Jim Roth previously served as an Oklahoma County Commissioner for District One, elected twice and also worked for eight years as a County Attorney. He is a member of the Oklahoma, Kansas and American Bar Associations and is a Past-President of the National Association of Civil County Attorneys.

Jim graduated from Kansas State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Pre-Law and Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1994. Jim holds Graduate certificates from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, The United States Air War College’s National Security Forum at Maxwell Air Force Base and The Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University.

Jim believes in community volunteerism and is involved in numerous civic efforts including: the Greater OKC United Way (Board); The Oklahoma City Philharmonic (Board and President-Elect), the City of Oklahoma City Civic Center Foundation (Trustee); Mayflower Congregational Church (UCC); and The American Law Institute, among others.

Jim Roth is known for his ability to bring diverse people together to solve problems and develop solutions. Jim is known for his strong work ethic, effective leadership, respect for all people and his integrity. Jim is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying boating, nature, travel and time spent on his farm, at the lake and with his husband Phillip, family, and friends

Staci Taruscio is the Chief Executive Officer of Rebellion Energy Solutions, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in field operations, reservoir engineering, and project management in the oil and gas industry across the United States and Canada. With a Petroleum Engineering degree and an MBA, Staci is a distinguished figure in upstream E&P, having successfully built two private operating companies. She now focuses on plug and abandonment work and the carbon credit market, converting legacy wells from liability to asset in collaboration with NGOs, policymakers, operators, private investors, and scientists to uncover hidden value, standardize processes and develop tech. Staci has contributed to federal guidance on environmental issues and is a founding board member of The Orphan Well Cooperative, a national non-profit dedicated to meaningful collaboration in the abandoned and orphaned well space.