Mark Nechodom

Mark Nechodom joined WSPA in August 2020 as Vice President for Upstream Strategy. In this role, Mark helps to integrate advocacy and regulatory response for the organization. As a former regulator of the oil and gas industry, Mark served as the Director of the California Department of Conservation under Governor Jerry Brown and oversaw the activities of the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, recently renamed the California Geologic Energy Management division (CalGEM). His familiarity with oil and gas operations, as well as his experiences as a senior official in both state and federal government, bring a practical and policy-rich perspective to the oil and gas industry.

Prior to joining WSPA, Mark was the Deputy Director of Montana’s Department of Agriculture, overseeing four bureaus and more than two dozen regulatory and science programs. His previous experience working for the US Department of Agriculture in the Bush and Obama administrations gave him opportunities to work worldwide on cutting-edge issues in climate change and environmental markets, such as cap-and-trade and other market solutions to environmental challenges.

Mark holds a doctorate degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has an amateur’s passion for geology and earth sciences and spends an inordinate amount of time hauling really cool rocks out of far-flung places in his backpack.