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Tony Best, 57, joined St. Mary Land & Exploration Company in June 2006 as President and Chief Operating Officer and on February 23, 2007 Mr. Best was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Best has been in the oil industry/energy business for over 28 years. Prior to joining St. Mary, Mr. Best served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Pure Resources, Inc., a Unocal subsidiary, from February 2003 through September 2005, when he elected retirement as a result of Chevron's acquisition of Unocal. At Pure Resources his responsibilities included management of all exploration and production operations and full P&L accountability for Unocal's Lower 48 U.S. Onshore assets, with key business focus in the Permian and San Juan Basins' and the Southeast United States. Mr. Best began his oil and gas career in 1979 when he accepted an engineering assignment in Alaska with ARCO. During his time with ARCO, he progressed through numerous managerial positions, advancing to Prudhoe Bay Field Manager, Vice President of External Affairs for ARCO Alaska, President of ARCO Permian in Midland, Texas, and President of ARCO Latin America headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. In April 2000, BP acquired ARCO, and he began his own consulting practice offering leadership and oil and gas consultation to energy companies and volunteer organizations. Mr. Best has served on numerous industry and non-profit boards, including the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Texas Oil and Gas Association, IPAA and the United Way. He is also on the Board of the Private Enterprise Research Center (PERC) as well as the Advisory Council for Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M. He was elected President of the 10,000 member Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association in 2006, and also serves on the Board of the 12th Man Foundation. Mr. Best earned a Master's of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Alaska and a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1972. Following graduation, he served five years in the U.S. Air Force as an Engineering Officer. | 