West Virginia University alumnus Mike John, vice president of operations for Chesapeake Energy, will deliver a lecture on petroleum engineering as part of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resource’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

Energize Your Future: Career Opportunities in Petroleum Engineeringwill take place at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in Room G-39 of the Engineering Sciences Building .

John is a 1981 graduate of WVU with a degree in petroleum engineering.

Chesapeake Energy is the second largest independent producer of natural gas and the most active driller of new natural gas and oil wells in the United States . The company acquired Columbia Natural Resources in November 2005 and made Charleston its Eastern Division headquarters.

A native of Weston, John joined Columbia Gas Transmission in 1981. Following the formation of Columbia Natural Resources (CNR) in 1989, he held various positions with the company, and was eventually named vice president of business development.

In 2001, he left CNR to help form Triana Energy, an Appalachian-based exploration and production company where he served as vice president of operations. With Triana’s acquisition of CNR in August 2003, he returned as senior vice president of operations. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of CNR ’s parent company, Triana Energy Holdings.

With the acquisition of CNR by Chesapeake Energy, John remained to lead Chesapeake’s Eastern Division.

John was named an Outstanding Alumnus at the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources in 1998, and is a member of the Visiting Committee for the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering.

He is married to the former Denise Cundiff of Charleston , and the couple has two childrenAlex, 12, and Casey, 10.