Dr. Chris Oynes

Dr. Oynes is the Regional Director for the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region of the Minerals Management Service. As the Regional Director, Dr. Oynes manages the leasing of the OCS lands for oil, gas, and other mineral development, and supervises the regulation of operations and protection of the environment on those leases, which involve 4,000 platforms. This area covers the five Gulf Coast States. He manages a staff of 550, comprised of environmental scientists, biologists, geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers. Dr. Oynes received a Presidential Award as a Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service of the Federal Government in 1998. He has received the two highest honor awards that the U.S. Department of the Interior bestows. He holds a Juris Doctor Degree from George Washington University, and has 29 years of Federal Government experience with energy matters.