William Fairhurst has been involved in exploration and development of the majority of U.S. resource plays working each of these source rocks and reservoirs for decades prior to the shale resource revolution. Bill is Managing Partner of Riverford Exploration, LLC, an Exploration & Production Company and consulting practice in The Woodlands and Dallas, Texas. From 2009-2015, Bill was Vice President, Exploration and Land at Eagle Oil & Gas and from 2006-2009, President – Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Resources & Development. Bill started his career and worked for Marathon Oil Company for 15 years. For the past twenty years, Bill has been with independent oil and gas firms leading their exploration and new investment opportunities programs around the world while primarily remaining focused on the premier opportunities onshore in the United States. Bill and his exploration and production teams have been responsible for dozens of new field discoveries in resource and traditional reservoir plays in the United States in: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi; Bill has also worked in the Appalachian, Michigan, Illinois, Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent and southern U.S. Basins.

Bill received his BA in Geology and Business Management from Ohio Wesleyan University, his MS in Geology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Houston. He has provided Expert Legal testimony in the areas of geology, engineering and economic evaluation; provided and managed professional testimony presented before eight state Industrial Commissions; published and spoken nationally and internationally in technical and business forums.