Industry veteran Christine Whelchel has joined Tatanka Midstream LLC as a founder and its COO, the San Antonio-based company said April 14.

Christine Whelchel
Christine Whelchel

Tatanka Midstream is an independent energy company recently formed by CEO Keith Casey, CFO Carlos Mata and Nate Weeks as its president and chief investment officer. With an initial $500 million capital commitment from EnCap Flatrock Midstream announced in early March, Tatanka plans to focus on acquiring and building midstream assets in North America.

In addition to oversight responsibility for the integration, efficiency and effectiveness of its future assets, Whelchel joins Tatanka as a strategic partner in the development and execution of the company’s corporate and competitive strategy, according to a release from Tatanka.

In a statement commenting on Whelchel’s appointment, Casey said: “We are thrilled that Christine is on board. She is not only a top-notch senior midstream professional, she embodies the values and leadership qualities that we hold dear.”

Prior to Tatanka, Whelchel was with Marathon Petroleum Corp. She most recently served as senior director of crude oil gathering operations at Marathon Petroleum, where she was responsible for all aspects of the company’s crude gathering business in the San Juan and Delaware basins.

Whelchel was also previously with Andeavor Corp., which Marathon Petroleum acquired in 2018 in a transaction valued at $23 billion.

At Andeavor, Whelchel held roles of increasing responsibility including director of gas gathering operations, director of gas processing operations and manager of engineering. She also was a key leader at Andeavor for due diligence and integration activities, according to the release.