Lance T. Shaner has been Chairman and a director of the Company since March 2007. Mr. Shaner founded our wholly owned subsidiary, PennTex Resources, L.P., in 1996, and co-founded and served as an officer of all of the Rex Energy affiliated companies before our initial public offering July 2007. From March 2004 to September 2006, Mr. Shaner served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our wholly owned subsidiary, Rex Energy Operating Corp. Since its inception in 1984, Mr. Shaner has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Shaner Hotels, a privately held hotel company. Mr. Shaner is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Shaner Growth Fund I LLC, Shaner Growth Fund II, LLC, a private mortgage REIT and Shaner Capital L.P., a company formed to make preferred equity investments in small to mid-size companies. Mr. Shaner previously served on the Board of Directors of C-Cor Electronics, a publicly traded company and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of Tower Bankcorp, a publicly traded company. Previously, Mr. Shaner developed and operated a major television cable company in Western New York and Pennsylvania. Mr. Shaner received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Alfred.
John J. Zak
Director
Mr. Zak has been a director of the company since November, 2010. Mr. Zak has been a partner in the law firm of Hodgson Russ LLP since 1990, concentrating his practice in U.S. securities regulation and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate law and governance. Mr. Zak has over 25 years of experience in North American capital markets, regularly counseling Canadian businesses on U.S. securities and corporate law matters. He is a member of the Securities Law Committee, New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Mr. Zak has been a speaker at a variety of events, and has presented work at the Upstate Venture Association of New York. Mr. Zak received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Mr. Higbee has been a director of the Company since October 2007. Mr. Higbee was a partner of Arthur Andersen LLP for over twenty years until his retirement in 2001. At Arthur Andersen, Mr. Higbee served in various management positions, including as the head of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania audit practice from 1982 until 1998. Since 2003, Mr. Higbee has served as an independent business consultant to several companies regarding public accounting matters, including Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance. From September 2004 until August 2006, Mr. Higbee was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Fullington Auto Bus Company, a privately held company engaged in inter and intra city bus transportation. From April 2002 to August 2003, Mr. Higbee was Chief Financial Officer of Le-Nature's, Inc., a privately held company engaged in the all-natural beverage business. From February 2004 until March 2006, Mr. Higbee was a director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of World Health Alternatives, Inc., a publicly traded company providing healthcare staffing services to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. From October 2001 to November 2006, Mr. Higbee was a director of Rent-Way, Inc., a publicly traded company that was engaged in the rental-purchase business. Mr. Higbee served on the Audit and Finance committees of Rent-Way's Board of Directors, becoming the Chairman of the Audit Committee in December 2003. Mr. Higbee received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from The Pennsylvania State University and is a certified public accountant.
John A. Lombardi has been a director of the Company since April 2007. Since March 2008, Mr. Lombardi has been a principal at the accounting firm of Hill, Barth & King LLC in its Erie, Pennsylvania office. From February 2007 until March 2008, Mr. Lombardi was self-employed as an accounting and financial reporting consultant. Mr. Lombardi was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Rent-Way, Inc., a publicly traded furniture and electronics rent-to-own company, from December 2005 to February 2007 when the company was acquired by Rent-A-Center, Inc. He was Vice President, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Rent-Way, Inc. from April 2001 to December 2005. From August 1997 to April 2001, Mr. Lombardi served as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Community Rehab Centers, Inc. During 1996 and 1997, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Northstar Health Services, Inc. From 1986 to 1996, Mr. Lombardi worked in the audit, business advisory and specialty consulting services practices of Arthur Andersen LLP. Mr. Lombardi is a certified public accountant, a certified insolvency and reorganization accountant, and a certified fraud examiner. Mr. Lombardi holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Gannon University.
Eric L. Mattson has been a director of the Company since April 2010. Mr. Mattson currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Select Energy Services, LLC, a privately held oil service company located in Gainesville, Texas. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Mattson served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of VeriCenter, Inc., a private provider of managed hosting services. From November 2002 until October 2003, Mr. Mattson worked as an independent consultant. From September 1999 until November 2002, Mr. Mattson was the Chief Financial Officer of Netrail, Inc., a private Internet backbone and broadband service provider. Netrail filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in the Northern Georgia district of the United States Bankruptcy Court in July 2001. In November 2002, the Bankruptcy Court approved Netrail's plan of liquidation and appointed a trustee to effect the plan. At that time, Mr. Mattson ceased to be the Chief Financial Officer of Netrail. From July 1993 until May 1999, Mr. Mattson served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Baker Hughes Incorporated, a provider of products and services to the oil, gas and process industries. Since March 1995, Mr. Mattson has been a member of the Board of Directors of National Oilwell Varco, Inc., a publicly traded oil service and manufacturing company, and also serves as a member of its audit committee. Mr. Mattson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and an M.B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University.
Thomas C. Stabley was appointed Chief Executive Officer and a director of Rex Energy's board in October 2011. Mr. Stabley was a co-founder of Rex Energy in 2004 as CFO and made significant contributions to its initial public offering in 2007. Since the company went public, Mr. Stabley has played key roles in subsequent offerings, acquisitions, divestitures, joint venture agreements and has contributed greatly to the company's day to day operations. Prior to his career at Rex Energy, Mr. Stabley was Vice President of Accounting for Shaner Hotels where he worked with Rex Energy's Chairman, Mr. Lance T. Shaner. Mr. Stabley brings over 15 years of expertise in capital markets, financial reporting, corporate finance and strategic planning to the position of CEO. Mr. Stabley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh.