Ernest is an International Petroleum Engineer / Manager consultant with 35+ years of
broad experience in Mining, and Petroleum (Oil & Gas) industries and academics. As a
Specialist, Engineering / Operations Advisor, Manager and Senior VP for mining
companies, and Oil & Gas companies in the US and International arena in Africa (Gulf
of Guinea), US (Gulf of Mexico) and South & Central America. He has been involved in
increasing production, operations optimization, and company profits.
As General Manager of ISTA International, Ernest manages a bilingual (English /
French / soon Spanish) team of Oil & Gas Professionals who are solution providers;
well versed in the legacy on/offshore geology, geophysics, drilling, completions,
facilities, supply chain, business development, production and operations. They are also
versed in Information / Digital Technologies that carries the core Mining and O&G
activities into the next century of Data Digitalization & Analytics, Cloud & Edge
Computing, Solution Architecture, AI/IOT, Cybersecurity and Renewable Energy.
Prior to ISTA International, Ernest and team members worked for IOCs and
Independents such as Amoco Production Company (domestic & international), Pecten /
Shell International – Cameroon, Nigeria, BP, Hess, ConocoPhillips, Bowleven,
Marathon, Addax Petroleum, Schlumberger, Consulting Companies, and Applied
Drilling Technology International (subsidiary of Global SantaFe / Transocean), DeltaTek
Group, Enterprise O&G, and Royalgate Energy. They held staff, supervisory, and
managerial positions in engineering, geology, geophysics, engineering, drilling,
production, completions, facilities, operations, finance, negotiations, planning, IT &
Telecommunications, business and asset development.
Ernest holds a BS with honors in Mining Engineering & Geology from South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology and an MS in Petroleum Engineering and International
Business Management from the University of Alabama. He was an instructor in
petroleum technology at Texas Southern University, Houston.
He is a member of many mining and oil & gas professional societies.
