Management Team
John Walker
President & Chief Executive Officer
John Walker joined El Toro Resources in February of 2015. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Walker led multiple design and manufacturing companies in the industrial automation space for both private and private equity ownership. He has an excellent record of driving company revenue growth, stakeholder value growth, and successful exits. In 25 years of steering automation companies, he has led businesses serving clients throughout the scope of industry, including surface control and down-hole operations in oil and gas. He has directed the development of products and systems used by companies such as Halliburton, Schlumberger, Wood Group, Emerson Process Management, Flowserv, Delta Valve and Kim-ray. In addition to leading El Toro Resources, Mr. Walker has served and serves as a board member and consultant for multiple companies in the industrial automation and consumer electronics spaces.
Mr. Walker holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
D. Shane Gray
Chief Financial Officer
Shane Gray joined El Toro in 2013 as accounting controller. From 2008 to 2013, Mr. Gray worked for Chesapeake Energy Corporation in accounting in the JIB, Midstream and Revenue areas. From 1983 to 2008, he worked for the Hertz Corporation in various accounting and analytical roles. Mr. Gray is a member of the Council of Petroleum Accountants Society.
Mr. Gray holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Jay A. Thomas
Vice President Land
Jay Thomas has served as Land Manager for El Toro since January 2015. Prior to this position, Mr. Thomas served as Manager of Westhawk Minerals LLC and supervised a staff that acquired mineral and royalty interests primarily in the Appalachian Basin from February 2012. He served as Director of Business Development for Gulfport Energy Corporation from June 2008 until February 2012 and was responsible for the Land Department, Lease Records, Division Orders, Acquisitions and Divestitures. From April 2007 to June 2008 he served as CEO and President of Grizzly Oil Sands ULC when the company acquired over 1 million acres of oil sand rights in northern Alberta. From October 1998 to April 2007, he served as Land Manager of Gulfport. Beginning in July of 1995, he was Land Manager of DLB Oil & Gas, Inc. prior to the sale of the company to Chesapeake Energy. He was a contract landman for DLB from September 1992 to July of 1995. Prior to Mr. Thomas being hired at DLB, he was a contract landman for various clients in the Anadarko Basin, West Texas, Kansas and Arkansas.
Mr. Thomas holds a B.S. in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Oklahoma.
Nick Smith
Director of Operations
Nick Smith joined El Toro Resources in March of 2015. Prior to coming to El Toro, Mr. Smith served as Operations Manager for EF Energy, a private equity owned oil and gas operator in Houston, TX. Mr. Smith has a successful history drilling and completing horizontal wells in both the Eagle Ford and Permian Basin plays. Prior to leading operations for EF Energy, Smith gained valuable experience working for premier service providers Cudd and Halliburton. His areas of expertise include drilling, hydraulic fracturing, completions, production, facilities, workovers and recompletions.
Mr. Smith holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University