About Us / Management Team

Current Position:President and CEO of BHE Pipeline Group

Date Assumed Current Position:August 2002

Year Joined Northern:2002

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Mark was employed by MidAmerican Energy Company from 1987 to 2002. He served in a number of management positions at MidAmerican Energy Company, most recently as vice president of energy trading.

Education:Mark earned a B.S. in management science from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Outside Interests: Mark enjoys outdoor activities, such as hunting and fishing.

Family:Mark is a native of Iowa, is married and has four children.

Current Position:President of Northern Natural Gas and Kern River Gas Transmission

Date Assumed Current Position:March 2023

Year Joined Northern:2014

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Laura was employed at the Nebraska Public Service Commission from 2001-2014, most recently as Director and Legal Counsel of the Natural Gas Department.

Education:Laura earned a B.A. in psychology from Creighton University in Omaha and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law in Lincoln.

Outside Interests: Laura is a member of the Budget and Planning Committee of the Nebraska State Bar Association. She enjoys musical theater and supporting her children’s activities.

Family:Laura is a native of Nebraska, is married and has three children.

Current Position:Vice President of Human Resources

Date Assumed Current Position:June 2017

Year Joined Northern:2014

Previous Work Experience: Sara joined the BHE Pipeline Group as a senior attorney in 2014. Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Sara worked as an attorney at Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P. in Phoenix, Arizona.

Education:Sara earned a J.D. from Syracuse University in New York and a B.A. in business administration and retail management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Outside Interests: Sara enjoys spending time with family, cooking and traveling.

Family:Sara is a native of Wisconsin, is married and has two children.​

Current Position:Vice President of Pipeline Safety and Risk

Date Assumed Current Position:July 2016

Year Joined Northern:2004

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Tom worked for Layne Christensen Company and Terracon Consultants in geotechnical and environmental engineering and contracting.

Education:Tom earned a B.S. in geology from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Tom is a licensed professional geologist and a certified hazardous materials manager.

Outside Interests: Tom is a member of the Omaha Northwest Rotary. He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including running, hiking and golfing.

Family:Tom has three children.

Current Position:Vice President of Field Operations

Date Assumed Current Position:December 2022

Year Joined Northern:2017

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Brian is a U.S. Navy veteran that was employed by MidAmerican Energy Company from 2005-2017, most recently as the operations manager at the Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Since joining Northern, Brian held the position of director, storage operations.

Education:Brian earned a B.S. in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, an M.A. in management and an M.B.A. from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Outside Interests: Brian coaches youth soccer for Papillion Soccer Club, likes outdoor activities, watching sports and movies and loves spending time with family.

Family:Brian is a native of Oregon, is married and has five children.

Current Position:Vice President of Marketing

Date Assumed Current Position:January 2012

Year Joined Northern:1997

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Tom spent 10 years employed by Amoco Corporation in various engineering and business reporting functions. Since joining Northern Natural Gas, Tom has held positions in engineering and construction, facility planning, business development, and pricing and storage.

Education:Tom earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He earned his M.B.A from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska

Outside Interests: Tom and his wife serve as board members for a national marriage and family organization and are active volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Omaha. Tom is an avid sports fan and enjoys coaching.

Family:Tom is a native of Illinois, is married and has four children.

Current Position:Vice President of Pricing and Storage

Date Assumed Current Position:August 2019

Year Joined Northern:1999

Previous Work Experience: Ben has held various positions at Northern Natural Gas, including financial analyst, capacity analyst and several positions within the pricing and storage group.

Education:Ben earned a B.A. in finance and business management from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Outside Interests: Ben enjoys playing and coaching various sports and spending time with his family. Ben and his wife are active members of their local church in Omaha, Nebraska.

Family:Ben is a native of Nebraska, is married and has four children.​​​​​​

Current Position:Vice President of Business Optimization and Innovation

Date Assumed Current Position:June 2022

Year Joined Northern:2007

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Steve was employed by Elster American Meter, a natural gas meter manufacturer, in Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Education:Steve earned a B.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Outside Interests: Steve enjoys spending time with family and outdoor activities, such as hunting, fishing, and skiing.

Family:Steve is a native of Iowa, is married with two children.

Current Position:Vice President of General Counsel and Regulatory Affairs

Date Assumed Current Position:May 2019

Year Joined Northern:2003

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Kirk worked at MidAmerican Energy Company as director of short-term trading and as director of gas supply planning. Kirk also practiced law in Detroit with the law firm Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC, before joining MidAmerican Energy Company. Prior to practicing law, Kirk spent nine years in various marketing and financial capacities with ANR Pipeline Company and ANR Storage Company.

Education:Kirk earned a B.S. in business from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant and a J.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Outside Interests: Kirk likes to play golf, ski, read and travel.

Current Position:Vice President of Engineering

Date Assumed Current Position:November 2017

Year Joined Northern:2006

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Nick worked for Kiewit Industrial Company in Kansas City for two years. He has held various positions at Northern in design, engineering and management. He also served as company representative throughout the two-year construction of the Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska project.

Education:Nick has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and M.B.A. from Bellevue University.

Outside Interests: Nick enjoys outdoor activities, woodworking and CrossFit.

Family:Nick is married and has twin boys.

Current Position:Vice President of Operations

Date Assumed Current Position:December 2022

Year Joined Northern:2009

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Brian was employed by MidAmerican Energy Company from 1993‑2009, most recently as general manager at the Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Education:Brian earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from South Dakota State University in Brookings, and an M.B.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Outside Interests: Brian and his wife are active members of St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Papillion, Nebraska. Brian enjoys a variety of outdoor activities such as hunting, snow skiing and water sports, as well as coaching youth sports.

Family:Brian is a native of South Dakota, is married and has four children.

Current Position:Vice President of Customer Service

Date Assumed Current Position:July 2022

Year Joined Northern:2010

Previous Work Experience: Chris has held various positions at Northern Natural Gas, including customer service representative, manager of customer service, and account executive in the business development group.

Education:Chris has a B.S. in marketing management from Bellevue University, and an Energy M.B.A. from Texas Christian University.

Outside Interests: Chris enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and coaching youth baseball.

Family:Chris is a native of Nebraska, is married and has three children.

Current Position:Vice President of Gas Control and Facility Planning

Date Assumed Current Position:August 2019

Year Joined Northern:2011

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas, Frank worked as a laboratory technician with MidAmerican Energy Company. Since joining Northern, Frank has held positions in facility planning, gas control and management.

Education:Frank has a B.S. in chemical engineering from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Outside Interests: Frank and his wife are active members and volunteers at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church and School in Omaha. Frank also enjoys attending sporting events, running and homebrewing.

Family:Frank is a native of Nebraska, is married and has four children.​​

Current Position:Vice President of Technical Services

Date Assumed Current Position:July 2016

Year Joined Northern:1982

Previous Work Experience: LD has held various specialist, engineering, and management positions with Northern Natural Gas over the past 37 years. The responsibilities of these positions spanned field operations and maintenance, integrity and compliance, field engineering and construction, operation and maintenance supervision, facility planning, business development, field operations management, oil pipeline operations management, and pipeline expansion project management.

Education:LD earned a B.S. in industrial technology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Outside Interests: LD supports charities such as the Marines Toys for Tots, various veteran’s organizations, and the American Red Cross.

Family:LD is a native of Oklahoma, is married with two children.

Current Position:Vice President of Operational and Administrative Improvement

Date Assumed Current Position:February 2023

Year Joined Northern:2013

Previous Work Experience: Prior to joining Northern Natural Gas in the customer service group, Vickie was employed by MidAmerican Energy Company, most recently as manager of gas portfolio planning and trading.

Education:Vickie earned a B.A. in accounting from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.

Outside Interests: Vickie enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Family:Vickie is a native of Iowa, is married and has two children.