Ross Bates

Ross Bates has over 18 years of experience in the finance and operations field. Ross began their career in 2003 as a Tax Staff at BKD, then moved up to Tax Senior in 2004 and Tax Supervisor in 2006. Ross then moved to BKD CPAs & Advisors in 2009 as a Tax Manager, where they optimized the year end process for larger tax clients, oversaw and managed many of the firm's largest tax clients, and trained, developed, and mentored interns and junior accounting personnel. In 2011, Ross became an MBA Candidate at Penn State University, where they were President of the MBA Finance Association and a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate business capstone course. In 2012, they took on a Business Analyst Intern role at Fulcrum Retail Holdings, where they developed a five-year financial forecast for the Texas retail electricity market and a three-year financial model for retail electricity and natural gas markets in eight states. Finally, in 2013, Ross joined ExxonMobil as US Conventional Area Advisor, Service Line Business Analysis and Reporting Supervisor, Service Line Business Analysis and Reporting Team Lead, Supply and Transportation Global Earnings Analyst, and Business Analysis and Reporting Analyst. In 2021, Ross began their current role as Director of Operations and Finance at Rushmore Energy.

Ross Bates completed their Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University from 1998 to 2003. Ross then went on to complete their Master's degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University from 2002 to 2003. Finally, they earned their MBA in Finance from Penn State University from 2011 to 2013.