Tatanka Midstream, LLC reported Tuesday that Christine Whelchel has joined the firm as a founder and its chief operating officer.

“We are thrilled that Christine is on board,” Tatanka Midstream CEO Keith Casey commented in a written statement. “She is not only a top-notch senior midstream professional, she embodies the values and leadership qualities that we hold dear.”

Backed by an initial $500 million capital commitment from EnCap Flatrock Midstream, San Antonio-based Tatanka stated that it is pursuing the acquisition and greenfield development of North American midstream assets. The recently formed company states that its four top executives together possess approximately 100 years of midstream and downstream energy experience.

Whelchel, who boasts more than 23 years of oil and gas engineering and operations experience, most recently served as senior director of crude oil gathering operations at Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC). Her focus with MPC was overseeing all of the company’s crude gathering business in the Juan and Delaware basins. Prior to Andeavor’s merger with MPC, she held leadership roles with the former firm tied to gas gathering, gas processing, engineering, due diligence and integration, Tatanka noted.

A licensed professional engineer in Colorado, Whelchel holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a master of business administration from Colorado State University, stated Tatanka.

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