Board of Directors
The Board of E3 drive innovation and provide safety to hydraulic fracturing sites everyday.
Meet the E3 Board
Our leadership team is a collective force dedicated to redefining industry standards, positioning us as innovators in hydraulic fracturing. We attract companies committed to best practices and a culture of excellence. With a strategic vision, our leadership team keeps E3 at the forefront of the industry.
Chris Kipley
“Mr. Kipley is President and CEO of Xyresic Holdings, LLC (dba Xyresic Capital). Mr. Kipley has substantial experience in value-oriented private equity and mergers and acquisitions in the lower middle market. His background includes sourcing outside of auction processes; underwriting and acquiring portfolio companies; recruiting executive management teams to portfolio companies; instituting appropriate governance and reporting structures; establishing and
approving strategic plans; overseeing execution of value creation initiatives; and establishing and executing exit strategies. Prior to founding Xyresic, Mr. Kipley served as Senior Managing Director at Z Capital Partners, LLC. Previously, he was a Managing Director with Black Diamond Capital Management, LLC and an Associate with Bank of America. He began his career with The Chase Manhattan Bank. Mr. Kipley holds a BA in psychology from the University of Michigan, with distinction, and is a CFA charter holder.
Mr. Kipley has significant experience investing in the lower middle market in value-oriented opportunities. ”
Sr. Managing Director – Gladstone Investment Corp.
Christopher Lee
Mr. Lee is a Senior Managing Director with 25 years of experience in private investments. Mr. Lee has a proven track record of investing in and driving portfolio companies to successful exits. He serves on the Board of Directors for ten companies in the aerospace & defense, industrials, consumer products, and services sectors. Prior to joining Gladstone, he was a Vice President with MCG Capital, a publicly-traded business development company investing debt and equity in middle-market businesses across a variety of industries and a consultant with KPMG (now BearingPoint). He holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.
Director – Gladstone Investment Corp.
Daniel Crump
Mr. Crump joined Gladstone in January 2022. Prior to joining Gladstone, he worked as a Senior Associate at Mountain Capital, a private equity firm focused on investments in the North American energy sector. Prior to his work at Mountain Capital, Mr. Crump was an analyst in the Global Energy Investment Banking group at Scotiabank, where he advised on M&A transactions in the Oil & Gas sector. Mr. Crump graduated with BS degrees in Finance and Economics from the University of Maryland.
President – High Peak
Michael Hollis
Mr. Hollis is the President and a Director of High Peak Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: HPK) Prior to joining High Peak, Mr. Hollis served as President and COO of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (“Diamondback”) (Nasdaq: FANG), a Permian focused oil and gas producer, from January 2017 through September 2019, prior to which he served as COO since 2015 and Vice President of Drilling. Since 2011, Mr. Hollis also served on the Board of Directors for Diamondback as well as on the Board of Directors of Viper Energy Partners LP (Nasdaq: VNOM). Prior to his positions at Diamondback, Mr. Hollis was a Drilling Manager at Chesapeake Energy Corporation and also held roles of increasing responsibility in production, completions and drilling engineering at ConocoPhillips and Burlington Resources Inc. Mr. Hollis has over 20 years of oil and gas experience and graduated from Louisiana State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.
Operating Partner
Stephen Ingram
Mr. Ingram currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Pontotoc Sand & Stone LLC and American Silica LLC. During his career, Mr. Ingram has been an innovator and leader in the proliferation of technologies applicable to the rapid expansion of horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing. Mr. Ingram has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, an MBA from the Price College of Business at The University of Oklahoma, and an M.S. in Natural Gas Engineering and Management from The Mewbourne School of Earth and Energy at The University of Oklahoma. Mr. Ingram began his career with Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”) in 2002 as a field hydraulic fracturing engineer in the Anadarko Basin focused on western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. From 2017 though 2019, Mr. Ingram was Vice President of Technology for the Americas where he was focused on operational technologies, identification of advanced teams of applied engineers and identification of a technologist for innovative concepts. From 2019 through 2022, Mr. Ingram was Vice President of the Central United States where he was responsible for the portfolio of Halliburton assets and operations across three major basins: the Eagle Ford Shale; the Haynesville Shale; and the Mid-Continent. He also serves as an advisory board member to the Petroleum Engineering Department at the Mewbourne School of Earth and Energy at The University of Oklahoma.
Operating Partner
Josh Lehde
“Josh Lehde is the Chief Executive Officer of Pontotoc Sand & Stone LLC and American Silica LLC. He brings extensive experience across the oil and gas services and construction industries, with a strong background in executing capital improvement projects within industrial plant environments. His expertise includes leading the greenfield development of multiple facilities with budgets exceeding $50 million—projects he has guided from initial commissioning through to full commercial production.
Mr. Lehde entered the oil and gas industry in 2013 when he founded Pontotoc Sand and Cave City Sand, companies that continue to operate under his leadership and supply Tier 1 proppant to oilfield markets.
In 2023, Mr. Lehde led an acquisition group to purchase American Silica, a brownfield proppant facility located in Arkansas. Under his direction as CEO, the facility was successfully recommissioned and returned to full operational status. He also established key customer relationships and leveraged the site’s access to BNSF Railway to support reliable logistics and distribution.
Mr. Lehde earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri, in 2002. He also serves on the boards of several nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organizations”
CEO & President – The E3 Company
Colby Fuser
Colby joined us in September 2023 after the Gladstone (NYSE: GAIN) and Xyresic private equity acquisition of E3 as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Member of the Board of Directors. Colby brings over 20 years of domestic and international leadership in the oil and gas sector, where he held various roles with Halliburton Energy Services. Colby’s most recent role as Regional Vice President for the Asia Pacific Region and previous roles in Halliburton In North Africa as an area Vice President for Egypt and Libya, Vice President for Business Development and Marketing for Middle East, North Africa, and Asia Pacific out of Dubai, and Business Development Manager for Saudi Arabia has molded his leadership style to deliver proven results. Colby is an accomplished business leader with a record of significant contributions in year-over-year revenue growth, successful startups, and fixit/exit execution in high-risk countries. His passion is to build upon knowledge and experience through challenging opportunities and career experiences in executive leadership roles. Colby is an alum of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with minor studies in Marketing.
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