Mr. Harrell is a Petroleum Engineering graduate of Louisiana Tech University and continues as Chairman Emeritus of Ryder Scott Company, Petroleum Consultants. He retired as Chairman in May 2006. Ron remains active in the industry as a licensed engineer in three states and serves on several Boards of Directors including corporations, universities and not-for-profit organizations. He is a Senior Advisor to RSK(UK)LTD and The Carlyle Group.

Past Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) awards include the Legion of Honor (2007), Gulf Coast Section Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award (2007), SPE Distinguished Member Award (2007), SPE – 2009 AIME Mineral Economics Award (2009) and the Gulf Coast Section Public Service Award (2012). He served as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2007-2008 delivering 34 lectures in 17 countries.

Ron has provided testimony before several regulatory agencies in Washington D.C., Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas as well as US Federal Courts in Washington D.C., Alaska, California, Colorado, Louisiana and Kentucky. He has testified before state courts in Alabama, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

He has testified in International Chamber of Commerce arbitrations involving petroleum reserves and resources in North America, Italy, Jordan and Turkmenistan.