From the President
Jennifer Miskimins, 2026 SPE President
Jennifer L. Miskimins is a professor and the department head of the petroleum engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), where she holds the F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair.
SPE President in the News
Journal of Petroleum Technology
Energizing Tomorrow: Let’s Keep Doing It!
01 August 2026
In her final column as SPE President, Jennifer Miskimins reflects on a year of service, celebrates the people behind SPE’s success, shares updates on the Society’s future, and encourages members to remain engaged in advancing the profession and the energy industry.
Energizing Tomorrow: Member Engagement Practices
01 July 2026
This month’s column shares practical ideas gathered from professional sections and student chapters worldwide, including fresh approaches to communication and meeting formats as well as creative ways of building community and recognition. These real‑world examples highlight the diversity of SPE and offer plenty of “food for thought” for leaders looking to strengthen engagement and deliver more value to their members.
Energizing Tomorrow: An Update on SPE Finances
01 June 2026
An update on SPE’s path to financial sustainability: stronger revenues, new partnerships, and emerging opportunities—from geothermal initiatives to AI-driven licensing—are improving the outlook. While challenges remain, recent progress highlights a more resilient Society and a forward-looking strategy focused on long-term member value.
Energizing Tomorrow: SPE and AI
01 May 2026
This month’s column highlights how artificial intelligence is influencing SPE programming, publications, and new tools, while also transforming day‑to‑day operations across our industry. The column explores energy supply implications and practical field applications, showing how SPE is helping members turn AI into a tool for progress.
Energizing Tomorrow: SPE’s Value Proposition
01 April 2026
What makes SPE membership truly worthwhile? Technical resources, professional development, global networking, and industry recognition—SPE membership offers more than meets the eye. In this month’s column, discover how SPE benefits members at every career stage—and why investing in your membership (or your team’s) pays off long-term.
From Denial to Acceptance: AI Emerges as Core Theme at IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference and Exhibition
18 March 2026
ExxonMobil's Jason Gahr uses the five stages of grief to explain how the upstream industry should respond to the rise of AI.
Energizing Tomorrow: Let’s Keep Doing It!
August 2026
As I write this column, the last of my year as SPE President, I have naturally been reflecting on what I want to leave you with in this final communication. I’m not quite at the end of my journey; in fact, I still have 3 months left until I hand the gavel over to the most capable C. Susan Howes, the 2027 President, at the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in Houston in October (and there is a lot to do in these 3 months). But given that this is my final direct correspondence, please allow me some reflection, a few updates on where the Society is, and some extremely important thank-yous.
When asked to introduce myself this past year, I have frequently done so with the words “I have the honor and privilege to serve as the 2026 SPE President.” I have never meant a statement more in my life. Students frequently ask, “Did you always want to be SPE President,” and my answer has been a solid “No, it was never on my radar.” This generally leads to a great conversation about volunteerism and the opportunities that it can provide...
Listen to the podcast in the embedded player above, or read the full transcript on JPT.
About Jennifer Miskimins
Jennifer L. Miskimins is a professor and the department head of the petroleum engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), where she holds the F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair.
She has over 30 years of experience in the petroleum industry, starting with Marathon Oil Company as a production engineer. Miskimins began teaching at Mines in 2002 and has held various appointments since then. From 2013–2015, she held a part-time appointment at Mines while working at Barree & Associates. In 2016, she returned full-time to the university.
Miskimins served as the first Completions Technical Director on the SPE International Board of Directors. She was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2010–2011 and 2013–2014. She was awarded the 2014 SPE Completions Optimization and Technology Award, and in 2022, she received the SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty.
Miskimins has served on a variety of conference organizing committees, including chairing the 2023 and 2024 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Conference and Exhibition, and as a technical editor for SPE journals, including serving as the executive editor of Production & Operations for 3 years. She was the editor in chief for the 2019 SPE Monograph update “Hydraulic Fracturing: Fundamentals and Advancements.” Miskimins has served on the AIME Board of Trustees since 2018 as an SPE trustee and was the 2022 AIME president.
Miskimins holds a BS from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology and MS and PhD degrees from the Colorado School of Mines, all in petroleum engineering.