Liz Craddock is the International Association of Drilling Contractors Vice President of Government and Industry Policy Affairs, leading the association’s Washington, D.C. office. She worked on Capitol Hill for over a decade both on the Senate and House side and capped off her Hill career as first female Majority Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee under Chair Senator Mary Landrieu. Liz, a Louisiana native, joined Senator Landrieu’s office in 2006, and was part of the Senator’s team that along with other Louisiana Congressional offices passed The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA), which opened 8.3 million acres in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as established revenue sharing for the Gulf energy producing states. Craddock received her B.A. in Political Science and B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida and earned her J.D. from Tulane University Law School and is a member of the District of Columbia bar.

Kevin Bruce is Senior Counsel and the Director of Government & Public Affairs at Fieldwood Energy. In addition to his role at Fieldwood, Kevin is a Co-Founder and serves as Executive Director of the Gulf Energy Alliance. With 20 years of legal, regulatory, and policy experience at the state and federal levels, Kevin has a track record of success in achieving victories within complex legal and regulatory environments. 

Prior to joining Fieldwood in 2016, Kevin worked for America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), where he led efforts on behalf of leading independent natural gas exploration and production companies to promote increased demand for natural gas in power generation, exports, and transportation across an eleven-state region. He previously served as the Senior Government & Regulatory Affairs Advisor at Encana Corporation and was an attorney with Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith in New Orleans after starting his career as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill.

Erik Milito is the president of the National Ocean Industries Association, representing the interests of the offshore oil and gas and wind industries. Mr. Milito has extensive experience in implementing strategic outreach and public relations platforms for high profile issues on behalf of the energy industry. He is a seasoned spokesperson and lobbyist, testifying before Congress on key energy issues on numerous occasions.   

Mr. Milito arrived at NOIA in November 2019 after serving for 17 years at the American Petroleum Institute (API), including roles as Vice President, Upstream and Industry Operations and Managing Counsel. From 2000 to 2002, Milito served as an attorney in the Solicitor’s Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a judge advocate from 1995 to 2000 and in the U.S. Army Reserve from 2000-2004, before resigning at the rank of Major. Milito holds a Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Erik is originally from Natrona, Pennsylvania, and he and his wife Beth now live in Alexandria, VA with their four children, Will, Helen, Evie, and Jake.

After spending 22 years as General Counsel of oilfield service and offshore drilling companies and later CEO of a Singapore-based oilfield services company, Jim Noe joined Jones Walker in 2018.  Jim is a partner in the firm’s Government Relations Practice Group and a member of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team.  Based in Washington DC, Jim regularly represents exploration and development, maritime, industrial companies and leading trade associations on a host of government and advocacy projects.  Mr. Noe also advises clients on oil and gas regulatory matters and civil and criminal enforcement defense cases before the Department of Interior and the Department of Justice.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Noe was the Executive Director of the Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition that advocated for the industry following the Deep Water Horizon incident.  In this role, Mr. Noe testified before Congress on energy security and offshore drilling issues.
 

Ryan Ullman has worked for IPAA since 2003. A 17 year veteran, he maintains an issues portfolio within IPAA’s government relations division which includes taxation, budget, safety, environmental issues, and global climate change, pertaining to both legislation as well as regulatory agencies. Additionally, Mr. Ullman handles IPAA’s outreach to Members of Congress as well as political analysis. He also manages IPAA’s grassroots lobbying and coalitions, particularly with the numerous state oil and natural gas trade associations as well as national groups within Washington, DC that are directly or indirectly impacted by energy policies focused on the industry.

Mr. Ullman attended Rocky Mountain College in his hometown of Billings, Montana where he played football and majored in psychology. Outside of politics, he volunteers as a youth hockey coach and resides in northern Virginia.