Executive Leadership
Jamie Benard
President & Chief Executive Officer
Jamie Benard, President & Chief Executive Officer
Jamie was appointed as a member of our Board and as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Vitesse, effective May 1, 2026. In this role, he is responsible for the Company’s overall strategy, performance, and operations.
Prior to joining Vitesse, Jamie served as President of SOGC, LLC, a privately held upstream exploration and production company, and was a member of the North Dakota Petroleum Council Board of Directors. Prior to SOGC, he was the principal and owner of Benargy LLC from 2021 to 2023, an advisory firm providing executive management services to energy companies. Earlier in his career, Jamie held a progression of senior leadership roles at Summit Discovery Resources LLC, an upstream exploration and production company, where he ultimately served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2019 to 2021.
Jamie holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Management from the State University of New York at Fredonia. He enjoys hockey, golf, and tennis, particularly skiing with his wife and daughters.
Brian Cree
Senior Advisor
Brian Cree, Senior Advisor
Brian served as President of Vitesse until May 1, 2026, at which point he assumed the role of Senior Advisor to support the leadership transition through his retirement on December 31, 2026.
Brian has been involved in the oil and gas industry for over 25 years. In 1987, Brian joined the predecessor of Gerrity Oil and worked for almost 9 years to grow and eventually merge the company with Patina. While at Gerrity Oil, he held various financial and operational roles including CFO, SVP of Operations and COO, and served as a Director on its Board.
Brian continued with Patina in similar roles (COO, Executive Vice President and Board member) until 1999, at which time he decided to try other industries and spent close to 14 years as the CFO and/or COO at various technology and energy companies before joining Vitesse in 2013.
During his career, Brian has raised close to $1 billion in public and private financings and has closed a significant number of transactions related to the acquisition and divestiture of assets. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, a position appointed by the Governor, from 1999 through 2007.
Brian received his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa and began his career at Deloitte. Brian has a wife and three kids and enjoys spending his free time hunting, fishing, and attending the Rockies Fantasy Baseball Camp.
James Henderson
Chief Financial Officer
James Henderson, Chief Financial Officer
James “Jimmy” Henderson has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Vitesse effective September 1, 2023, and, as such, is responsible for all financial aspects of the Company.
Jimmy brings over 30 years of management, financial and accounting experience in the oil and gas industry. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President Finance and CFO of Whiting Petroleum upon its exit from bankruptcy in September 2020 until its merger with Oasis Petroleum in July 2022, forming Chord Energy. Previously, Jimmy served in the same role at SRC Energy and Kodiak Oil & Gas, growing each entity through acquisitions and capital investments. His tenure at these companies culminated in their respective mergers with PDC Energy (now Chevron) and Whiting Petroleum. Cumulatively, Jimmy was instrumental in public market capital raises of over $3.5 billion and oil and gas acquisitions exceeding $3.0 billion in transaction value. Jimmy has served as a board member of Dynamix Corporation III, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, since November 2025.
Prior to these executive positions, Jimmy was employed in roles of increasing responsibility at Western Gas Resources, Aspect Energy and Pennzoil Company.
Jimmy received his B.B.A. in Accounting from Texas Tech University and his M.B.A. from Regis University. Jimmy and his wife enjoy spending their free time in the Colorado mountains and are avid golfers, cyclists and hikers.
Management Team
Adam Cree
Director – Engineering
Adam Cree, Director – Engineering
Adam joined Vitesse in April 2019 and currently assists with acquisition evaluation, working closely with the finance and land departments allowing for cohesive understanding and optimized valuation of each deal examined. In conjunction with assisting in the evaluation of acquisitions, he also provides operational insight and data analysis on any questions or concerns Vitesse perceives.
Prior to joining Vitesse, Adam worked as a Field Engineer for Liberty Oilfield Services as part of their DJ Basin fleet, gaining experience in frac operations and design while working closely with operators.
Adam has a passion for hunting and fishing and if not in the great outdoors, he enjoys being active through working out and playing volleyball. Adam’s favorite book is Extreme Ownership by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink.
Adam holds a BS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Wyoming.
Dustin Emmons
Director – Business Operations
Dustin Emmons, Director – Business Operations
Dustin joined Vitesse in October of 2018. He works closely with the executive team to bring efficiencies to the business. Dustin began his career in public accounting at EKS&H where he served as both an Audit and Tax Senior.
Dustin spends his free time outdoors with his wife and three children, mountain biking and climbing. He enjoys reading the works of Barry Crump as the stories remind him of his time in New Zealand as a newlywed.
Dustin holds an MS in Accounting and a BS in Finance from the University of Colorado and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.
Patty Evans
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Patty Evans, Senior Reservoir Engineer
Patty joined Vitesse in 2023, bringing over 20 years of engineering experience to the Reserves team. She has a strong background in reserves engineering with Forest and Whiting, and prior to that she worked operations and reservoir engineering for BP in Alaska and Baku.
She spends her free time with her husband and 2 teenagers hiking, camping, and spending time in the Colorado outdoors. Her current favorite books are Quiet by Susan Cain and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Patty has a BS in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Physics from the University of Tulsa.
Levi Johns
Director – Financial Reporting and Accounting
Levi Johns, Director – Financial Reporting and Accounting
Levi joined Vitesse in July 2019 and currently assists with SEC reporting, accounting, and internal control functions. Levi works closely with our data team to develop accounting processes tailored to a fully non-operated oil and gas company.
Prior to joining Vitesse, Levi worked at BDO in Houston and EKS&H in Denver as a financial statement auditor with a concentration on the upstream oil and gas sector.
Levi spends his free time skiing with his wife across the Rocky Mountains and taking trips in their campervan. His favorite book is Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer.
Levi received a BS in Accounting from Arizona State University.
Gina Matero
VP – Legal
Gina Matero, VP – Legal
Gina is responsible for managing the legal affairs of the Company. Prior to joining Vitesse, she was a Shareholder and founding member at Beatty & Wozniak, P.C. and has been advising oil and gas clients for over 20 years. She began her career in oil and gas with a natural gas midstream company in a management role prior to attending law school.
One of her favorite experiences was teaching English in a high school in Lodz Poland not long after Poland gained its independence from the Soviet Union. She enjoys spending her free time hiking, traveling and gardening and often gets lost reading true crime – The Devil in the White City is a favorite, and anything by Ben Macintyre.
Gina earned a JD, with honors, from the University of Denver and a BS/BA in Economics and Finance from Regis University.
Ben Messier
Director – Investor Relations and Business Development
Ben Messier
Director – Investor Relations and Business Development
Ben joined Vitesse in 2018 after previously working in the oil and gas investment banking groups of Credit Suisse and Intrepid Financial Partners. In his role at Vitesse, he is responsible for investor relations, sourcing and analyzing acquisitions, and hedging.
His hobbies include skiing, basketball, lifting weights (upper body only) and spending time with his wife and three children. His favorite author is Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Ben is a CFA® Charterholder and holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Rice University.
Matt Olson
VP – Mergers and Acquisitions
Matt Olson, VP – Mergers and Acquisitions
Matt joined Vitesse in June of 2014. Along with overseeing all asset acquisitions and divestitures, he also manages the Land Department.
He is an avid sports fan and enjoys going to the movies and hiking with his family. His favorite authors are Michael Crichton and Frank Herbert.
Matt has a BS in Biochemistry, with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Colorado.
Andrea Patterson
Executive Director – Infrastructure and Cybersecurity
Andrea Patterson, Executive Director – Infrastructure and Cybersecurity
Andrea is the Executive Director – Infrastructure and Cybersecurity at Vitesse. She joined Vitesse in June of 2021, and plays a crucial role in the evolution of the Vitesse technology portfolio.
Before Vitesse, Andrea worked in the healthcare industry during the past twenty-five years specializing in healthcare information technology, cybersecurity, and informatics. During her tenure, Andrea brought information technology to the center of business operations and strategic initiatives through innovative thinking and the ability to translate ideas into operations. Andrea’s focus on end-user education and implementing the latest cybersecurity technologies ensured the integrity and availability of mission-critical data and solutions essential to preserving business continuity.
Andrea enjoys spending time with her family traveling, fishing, and exploring new Minecraft worlds with her son. Andrea is part of the Peloton community and enjoys cycling with Robin’s Wolfpack.
Andrea holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration from The University of Colorado.
Michael Sabol
VP – Chief Accounting Officer
Michael Sabol, VP – Chief Accounting Officer
Michael joined Vitesse in April 2016 and is responsible for the Company’s accounting and financial reporting functions.
Michael brings over 25 years of financial experience with both public and private companies, including significant experience working with biofuels and other energy startup companies to bring them to market, and also in the telecommunications industry. He began his career in public accounting at Price Waterhouse in Philadelphia in various roles, including Audit Manager.
He enjoys himself most while hiking, biking, skiing and spending time in the Colorado outdoors with his wife and two children or while reading a book. His favorite book is Thank You for Smoking or other political satires.
Michael has BS degrees in Accounting and English Literature from King’s College.
Melissa Stogner
Accounting Data Management
Melissa Stogner, Accounting Data Management
Melissa joined Vitesse in 2018 after previously working as a revenue accountant for Anadarko. Prior to joining the oil and gas industry she spent 13 years as a financial analyst at Lockheed Martin. In her role at Vitesse, she utilizes the integrated data in the Luminis database to provide reports for on-going Vulcan projects to ensure accurate revenue analysis.
Her hobbies include spending time with her family and friends, traveling and exploring new places. She enjoys listening to podcasts about business.
Melissa holds a BS in Finance and Information Systems from the University of Colorado.
Luke Weimer
Controller
Luke Weimer, Controller
Luke joined Vitesse in November 2017 and is primarily responsible for managing accounting records and generating Luminis reports that integrate accounting data across all departments in the Company to enhance operational analysis.
Prior to joining Vitesse, Luke started his career in public accounting at EKS&H and served as an Audit Senior working on both public and private oil and gas companies. Luke has over 10 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry.
Luke is an avid hunter and enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with his wife and three children. His favorite author is Mathew Kelly.
Luke has a BS in Accounting from the University of Northern Colorado and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Adam Woodson
Senior Data Engineer and Development
Adam Woodson, Senior Data Engineer and Development
Adam joined Vitesse in November 2019. In his role, he has played a crucial part in developing and launching our in-house web application and database for tracking our assets. Adam is also responsible for managing our daily data requirements to support our objective of being a data-centric organization.
Before joining Vitesse, Adam accumulated six years of experience as a Systems Engineer at Optum.
In his personal time, Adam engages in Zwifting and enjoys watching his daughter compete in dance competitions. He has a keen interest in biographies, with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius being one of his favorite books.