Offshore staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- MMS Director Johnnie Burton has appointed Chris Oynes as the new associate director of the agency's Offshore Minerals Management Program.
Oynes has served as regional director of MMS's Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) region for the past 13 years.
As the GoM regional director, Oynes managed the leasing of OCS lands off five Gulf Coast states for oil, gas, and other mineral development, which includes more than 4,000 platforms. He also managed a staff of 550.
Oynes has more than 30 years of federal government experience with energy matters, including 11 years in Washington, D.C. with the MMS, most notably as chief of the Lease Sale Planning Branch and the Leasing Division. He served for seven years as the deputy regional director in the Gulf before being named regional director in 1995.
He has received the two highest honor awards from the US Department of the Interior, the Distinguished Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award.
Oynes holds a BA in Political Science from California State University at Fullerton and a Juris Doctor Degree from George Washington University.
2/5/2007
