Unit Board of Directors Header

Board of Directors
Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with our management team. Our directors and officers are dedicated to the continued growth and success of the Company. The result is a Unit that is efficient and capable of handling the demands of a growing company.

John G. Nikkel
Mr. Nikkel joined the Company in 1983 as its President and a director. In 2001, Mr. Nikkel became Chief Executive Officer and he was named Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective August 1, 2003. Effective April 1, 2005, he retired as Chief Executive Officer, but remains Chairman of the Board. From 1976 until January 1982 when he co-founded Nike Exploration Company, Mr. Nikkel was an officer and director of Cotton Petroleum Corporation, serving as the President of the Company from 1979 until his departure. Prior to joining Cotton, Mr. Nikkel was employed by Amoco Production Company for 18 years, last serving as Division Geologist for Amoco's Denver Division. Mr. Nikkel presently serves as President and a director of Nike Exploration Company. Mr. Nikkel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Mathematics from Texas Christian University.

King P. Kirchner
Mr. Kirchner, a co-founder of the Company, has been the Chairman of the Board and a director since 1963 and was President until November, 1983. Mr. Kirchner recently announced that he will retire as Chairman of the Board, effective August 1, 2003. He will remain on the Board. Mr. Kirchner is a Registered Professional Engineer within the State of Oklahoma, having received degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

Don Cook
Mr. Cook has served as a director of Unit since Unit's inception. He is a Certified Public Accountant and was a partner in the accounting firm of Finley & Cook, Shawnee, Oklahoma, from 1950 until 1987, when he retired.

John H. Williams
Mr. Williams was elected a director of Unit in December 1988. Prior to retiring on December 31, 1978, he was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Williams Companies, Inc., where he continues to serve as an honorary director. Mr. Williams also serves as a director of Apco Argentina, Inc., Westwood Corporation and Willbros Group, Inc. In addition, Mr. Williams also serves as a director of the Gilcrease Museum and is a Trustee for the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust.

William B. Morgan
Mr. Morgan was elected a director of Unit in February 1988. Mr. Morgan has been Executive Vice President and General Counsel of St. John Health Systems, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma, since March 1, 1995 and, since October 1, 1996, the President of its principal for-profit subsidiary Utica Services, Inc. Before that, he was a Partner in the law firm of Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, Tulsa, Oklahoma, for over 20 years.

J. Michael Adcock
Mr. Adcock was elected a director of Unit in December 1997. He is an attorney and currently manages a private trust that deals in real estate, oil and gas properties and commercial banking as well as other equity investments. He is Chairman of the Board of Arvest Bank, Shawnee, Oklahoma and Mid America Healthcare, Inc. Between 1997 and September, 1998 he was the Chairman of the Board of Ameribank and President and Chief Executive Officer of American National Bank and Trust Company of Shawnee, Oklahoma, and Chairman of AmeriTrust Corporation, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prior to holding these positions, he was engaged in the private practice of law and served as General Counsel for Ameribank Corporation. Mr. Adcock is the Chairman of the Execitive Sessions of Unit's Board of Directors.

Larry D. Pinkston

Mr. Pinkston joined the Company in December 1981. He had served as Corporate Budget Director and Assistant Controller prior to being appointed as Controller in February 1985. He has been Treasurer since December 1986 and was elected to the position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in May 1989. In 2003, he was promoted to Executive Vice President and effective August 1, 2003, he assumed the office of President. In February of 2004, he was elected to the position of Chief Operating Officer. Effective April 1, 2005, with the retirement of John Nikkel, Mr. Pinkston assumed the office of Chief Executive Officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from East Central University of Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Gary R. Christopher


Mr. Christopher, since January 2004, has been engaged in personal investments and consulting. Between August 1999 and January 2004, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of PetroCorp Incorporated, and from March 1996 to August 1999 he served as the Acquisition Coordinator of Kaiser-Francis Oil Company. His other past professional experience includes serving as Vice President of Acquisitions for Indian Wells Oil Company and Senior Vice President and Manager of Energy Lending for First National Bank of Tulsa and the Bank of Oklahoma. He worked for Amerada Hess Corporation as a Reservoir Engineer and for Texaco, Inc. as a production Engineer. Mr. Christopher is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Oklahoma, a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers, and the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association. Mr. Christopher received a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Missouri. He is a past Director of the Petroleum Club of Tulsa, Middle Bay Oil Company, Three Tech Energy, PetroCorp Incorporated and a present Director of the Summit Bank of Oklahoma.

Robert J. Sullivan, Jr.


Mr. Sullivan, Jr. is a Principal with Sullivan and Company LLC, a family-owned independent oil and gas exploration and production company founded in 1958. He is also the Founder (1989) and served as Chairman and CEO of Lumen Energy Corporation prior to its sale in 2004. Mr. Sullivan was appointed to Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating’s Cabinet as Secretary of Energy in March, 2002. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan. Mr. Sullivan is a Board Member of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, St. John Medical Center, St. Joseph Residence, University of Notre Dame Alumni Association, and former Board Member of Catholic Charities and Gatesway Foundation. He also is Trustee for Tulsa’s Monte Cassino Endowment Trust, a Member of the University of Notre Dame, Graduate School Advisory Council and Past Chairman of the Tulsa School Boards of Cascia Hall Preparatory School, Monte Cassino School and the School of St. Mary.

 


top

Board of Directors
John G. Nikkel
King P. Kirchner
Don Cook
John H. Williams
William B Morgan
J. Michael Adcock
Larry D. Pinkston
Gary R. Christopher
Robert J. Sullivan, Jr.
Audit Committee
Don Cook
William B Morgan
J. Michael Adcock
Nominating & Governance Committee
William B Morgan
John H. Williams
J. Michael Adcock
Robert J. Sullivan, Jr.
Compensation Committee
J. Michael Adcock
Don Cook
John H. Williams
William B Morgan