Board of Directors
Thomas F. Karam
Chairman of the Board
Thomas F. Karam was appointed executive chairman of Equitrans Midstream Corporation in January 2024, having previously served as the Company’s chief executive officer and chairman of the board since July 2019. Prior to that, Karam served as president and chief executive officer of Equitrans Midstream since September 2018 and a director since November 2018. Prior to services at Equitrans Midstream, he served as senior vice president, EQT Corporation (EQT) and president, Midstream from August 2018; serving in those capacities until the separation of EQT and Equitrans Midstream in November 2018. Karam served as chief executive officer and chairman of the general partner of EQM Midstream Partners, LP (EQM) from July 2019 until Equitrans Midstream’s acquisition of 100% of the limited partner interests in EQM in June 2020, chairman, president and chief executive officer, from October 2018 to July 2019, and as president, chief executive officer and director, from August 2018 to October 2018. Additionally, he served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of EQGP Holdings LP’s (EQGP) general partner from October 2018 until Equitrans Midstream’s acquisition of 100% of the limited partner interests in EQGP in January 2019, as well as president, chief executive officer and director from August 2018 to October 2018. Karam served on EQT’s board of directors from November 2017 until the separation of EQT and Equitrans Midstream in November 2018.
Karam has been a senior executive and entrepreneur in the midstream energy sector for more than 30 years. He is the founder and served as chairman of Karbon Partners, LLC, which invests in, owns, constructs, and operates midstream energy assets, from April 2017 to August 2018. Additionally, he is the founder and previously served as chairman and chief executive officer of PennTex Midstream Partners, LLC, a publicly traded master limited partnership with operations in North Louisiana and the Permian Basin from 2014 until its sale to Energy Transfer Partners in 2016. Preceding PennTex, he was the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Laser Midstream Partners, LLC (Laser), one of the first independent natural gas gathering systems in the northeast Marcellus Shale, from 2010 until 2012 when it was acquired by Williams Partners. Prior to Laser, Karam was the president, chief operating officer and director of Southern Union Company, where he led its successful transformation from a large local distribution company to one of the largest pipeline companies in the United States at the time.
Prior to Southern Union Company, Karam was the president and chief executive officer of Pennsylvania Enterprises and PG Energy, a natural gas utility in central and northeastern Pennsylvania until its acquisition by Southern Union Company. He began his professional career in investment banking with Legg Mason Inc. and Thomson McKinnon.
Robert F. Vagt
Lead Independent Director
Mr. Vagt joined the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors in November 2018 and currently serves as the lead independent director of Equitrans Midstream and as a member of the Audit Committee and Human Capital and Compensation Committee. Mr. Vagt served as a director of EQT from November 2017 until the separation of EQT and Equitrans Midstream in November 2018. Mr. Vagt served as president of Davidson College (an independent liberal arts college) from July 1997 through August 2007, and served as president of The Heinz Endowments (a private philanthropic foundation) from January 2008 through January 2014. Mr. Vagt was a director of Rice Energy Inc., serving as that board’s independent chair, chair of its health, safety and environmental committee, and a member of the audit and nominating and governance committees, from January 2014 through November 2017. From January 2014 to July 2018, Mr. Vagt also served on the board of directors of the general partner of Rice Midstream Partner LP (RMP), serving as board chair from December 2014 through November 2017. Mr. Vagt has served as a director of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (a publicly-traded energy infrastructure company) since May 2012, where he serves as a member of the audit committee and chair of its environmental, health and safety committee.
Prior to his service to The Heinz Endowments and Davidson College, Mr. Vagt had significant executive and operational oil and gas industry experience, having served as president and chief operating officer of Seagull Energy Corporation (an oil and gas exploration and production company) from 1996 to 1997, as president, chairman and chief executive officer of Global Natural Resources (a producer of oil and natural gas) from 1992 to 1996 and as president and chief operating officer of Adobe Resources Corporation (an oil and natural gas production company) from 1989 to 1992. Mr. Vagt also served as a director of El Paso Corporation (a provider of natural gas and related energy products) (now part of Kinder Morgan, Inc.) from May 2005 to 2012, where he was a member of the compensation and health, safety and environmental committees. Mr. Vagt’s professional background in both the public and private sectors makes him an important advisor and member of Equitrans Midstream’s Board. Mr. Vagt brings to the Board operations and management expertise in both the public and private sectors. In addition, Mr. Vagt provides the board with diversity of perspective gained from service as President of The Heinz Endowments, as well as from service as the president of Davidson College.
Vicky A. Bailey
Director
Ms. Bailey joined the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors in November 2018 and currently serves as the chair of Equitrans Midstream’s Corporate Governance Committee and as a member of the Health, Safety, Security and Environmental Committee. Ms. Bailey served as a director of EQT from June 2004 until the separation of EQT and Equitrans Midstream in November 2018. Ms. Bailey has served as president, Anderson Stratton Enterprises, LLC (strategic consulting and government relations), since November 2005; and was previously Vice President and owner, BHMM Energy Services, LLC (a certified minority owned energy facility management company), from January 2006 to 2013. Ms. Bailey has been a director of PNM Resources, Inc. (PNM Resources) (an investor owned holding company with two regulated utilities providing electricity and electric services in New Mexico and Texas), since January 2019 where she serves as a member of the compensation and human capital committee and chair of the nominating and governance committee; and a director of Occidental Petroleum Corporation since March 2022 where she serves as a member of the corporate governance and nominating committee and sustainability and shareholder engagement committee. She was also a director of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (Cheniere) (an energy company primarily engaged in liquefied natural gas related businesses), from March 2006 through May 2023; and a director of Cleco Corporation (an energy services company with regulated utility and wholesale energy businesses) from June 2013 through March 2016.
Ms. Bailey has substantial regulatory and senior management experience in the energy industry, having previously served as a commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, President of Cinergy/PSI Energy, Inc. (a regulated utility) (now part of Duke Energy) and commissioner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. These experiences enable her to provide valuable insights into issues facing Equitrans Midstream’s regulated transmission business, particularly with respect to interacting with regulatory agencies. In addition, Ms. Bailey provides leadership to Equitrans Midstream’s Board with respect to energy policy issues, owing to her previous experience as assistant secretary for the Office of Domestic Policy and International Affairs at the Department of Energy. Ms. Bailey also draws upon public company board experience in supporting the company’s strategic efforts.
Sarah M. Barpoulis
Director
Ms. Barpoulis joined the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors in February 2020 and currently serves as the chair of Equitrans Midstream’s Health, Safety, Sustainability and Environmental Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance Committee. She is the founder and president of Interim Energy Solutions, LLC, an advisory service firm providing asset management and risk management consulting, as well as litigation support services to the energy sector since 2003. She served as a director of South Jersey Industries, Inc. (a publicly traded energy services holding company) (SJI) from April 2012 until its acquisition by Infrastructure Investment Fund in February 2023 where she served as a member of the audit committee (serving as chair since 2017), the executive committee, the strategy and finance committee and the nominating and governance committee of SJI. Ms. Barpoulis previously served as a director of SemGroup Corporation (a publicly traded provider of gathering, transmission, storage, distribution, marketing and other midstream services) from October 2009 through the sale of SemGroup to Energy Transfer, LP in December 2019.
Ms. Barpoulis brings nearly 30 years of energy industry experience, significant executive-level leadership experience as well as valuable risk management, business planning and commercial expertise through her work as an energy advisor and consultant through Interim Energy Solutions, LLC and her varied roles of increasing responsibility over more than a decade with PG&E National Energy Group, a company that, among other things, developed, built, owned and operated electric generating and natural gas pipeline facilities. Ms. Barpoulis also brings significant public company board experience from her service on the boards of directors of a number of public companies. Ms. Barpoulis is National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship CertifiedTM and is a Board Leadership Fellow, demonstrating her commitment to the highest standards of board leadership.
Kenneth M. Burke
Director
Mr. Burke joined the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors in October 2018 and currently serves as the chair of Equitrans Midstream’s Audit Committee and as a member of the Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Burke served as a director of EQT from January 2012 until the separation of EQT and Equitrans Midstream in November 2018. He also was appointed to the boards of directors of EQM’s and EQGP’s respective general partners in September 2018, and served as a member of the audit committee of EQM’s general partner through Equitrans Midstream’s acquisition of 100% of the limited partner interests in EQM in June 2020, and chair of the audit committee of EQGP’s general partner through Equitrans Midstream’s acquisition of 100% of the limited partner interests in EQGP in January 2019. Mr. Burke was a partner at Ernst & Young LLP (EY) (a Big Four accounting firm) between October 1982 and June 2004. Mr. Burke served on the board of directors of Nexeo Solutions, Inc. (a publicly traded global chemical distributor) from November 2011 until its acquisition in March 2019.
Mr. Burke brings over three decades of experience focused on the energy industry, primarily oil and gas. Mr. Burke retired from EY in 2004, where he held a number of leadership positions, including National Energy Industry director and partner-in-charge of the Houston Energy Services Group. He also co-authored the book “Oil and Gas Limited Partnerships: Accounting, Reporting and Taxation.” During his years at EY, Mr. Burke served as audit partner for numerous companies in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Burke also has substantial experience as a director of both public and private companies where he has served on and chaired a number of committees.
Diana M. Charletta
Director
Diana Charletta was appointed president and chief executive officer of Equitrans Midstream Corporation in January 2024, having previously served as the Company’s president and chief operating officer since July 2019, as well as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Company since September 2018. In April 2022, Charletta was appointed to the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors. She also served as president, chief operating officer, and a director of the EQM General Partner since July 2019, as well as executive vice president, chief operating officer and a director of the EQM General Partner and the EQGP General Partner since October 2018. In February 2019, the EQGP General Partner became a subsidiary of EQM; and in June 2020, EQM became a wholly owned subsidiary of Equitrans Midstream.
Charletta’s career includes experience in both the production and midstream sectors of the natural gas industry. In 1992, Charletta began her energy career with Chevron, working first as a roustabout and then as an engineer. She then joined Quicksilver Resources (formerly Mercury Exploration Company) as a petroleum engineer. Charletta joined EQT Corporation in 2002 as a senior pipeline engineer and continued to move through the ranks, having held various management positions with increasing responsibility. She was promoted to manager of pipeline engineering in 2005 and became director of gas systems planning in 2008. In 2010, Charletta became vice president of gas management and transportation; she assumed the role of senior vice president of midstream operations in 2013; and was promoted to senior vice president of midstream engineering and construction in 2017. In November 2018, EQT separated its upstream and midstream businesses, and Equitrans Midstream Corporation became a standalone, publicly traded midstream company.
A Pittsburgh native, Charletta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from West Virginia University; and she is a graduate of the Women’s Executive Leadership Program at Duquesne University. She currently sits on the Equitrans Midstream Foundation board; is a director of the Southern Gas Association (a natural gas trade association); has served on the Company’s ASPIRE (Area Students Participating In Rewarding Education) committee since 2003; and also served as a board member of the Three Rivers Youth organization.
D. Mark Leland
Director
Mr. Leland joined the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors in January 2020 and currently serves as a member of Equitrans Midstream’s Audit Committee and the chair of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee. Previously, Mr. Leland served as interim chief executive officer of Deltic Timber Corporation (Deltic Timber) from October 2016 to March 2017, prior to its merger with Potlatch Corporation to form PotlatchDeltic Corporation (a publicly traded timberland real estate investment trust) (PotlatchDeltic) in February 2018. Mr. Leland has served as a director of PotlatchDeltic since February 2018 where he serves as a member of its audit committee and chair of its executive compensation and personnel and policies committee. Mr. Leland also served as a director and chair of the conflicts committee and a member of the audit committee of Altus Midstream Company (and its predecessor) (a publicly traded midstream company providing gathering processing and transportation services in the Permian Basin) from April 2016 until the company’s merger with BCP Raptor Holdco LP in February 2022 forming Kinetik Holdings Inc. (a publicly traded fully integrated midstream business in the Delaware basin) (Kinetik). Mr. Leland has served as a director of Kinetik since February 2022, where he serves as a member of its audit committee and its corporate governance and nominating committee. Previously, he served as a director and chair of the audit committee of Deltic Timber from June 2016 to February 2018 and the general partner of RMP from December 2014 until its merger with EQM in July 2018. Mr. Leland served on the board of directors of the general partner of Oiltanking Partners, L.P. (a publicly traded company providing terminaling, storage and transportation of crude oil, refined petroleum products and LPG) from June 2012 to February 2015 and on the board of directors of KiOR, Inc. (a publicly traded renewables fuel company) from June 2013 to March 2015.
Mr. Leland brings extensive operational and financial experience in the midstream energy industry, having served as president of El Paso Corporation’s (El Paso) midstream business unit from October 2009 to May 2012, and as director of El Paso Pipeline Partners, L.P. from its formation in 2007 to May 2012. Among other senior-level roles at El Paso, Mr. Leland also previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of El Paso from August 2005 to October 2009. This experience as well as experience on the boards of numerous publicly traded energy and private companies provide significant contributions to the board.
Norman J. Szydlowski
Director
Mr. Szydlowski joined the Equitrans Midstream Board of Directors in November 2018 and currently serves as a member of Equitrans Midstream’s Health, Safety, Sustainability and Environmental Committee and the Human Capital and Compensation Committee. Mr. Szydlowski served as a director of EQT from November 2017 until the separation of EQT and Equitrans Midstream in November 2018. Mr. Szydlowski served as president and chief executive officer of SemGroup Corporation (SemGroup) (a publicly-traded midstream company that specializes in moving energy) from November 2009 through June 2014, and director of SemGroup from November 2009 through April 2014. Mr. Szydlowski has been a director of HF Sinclair Corporation since March 2022. Mr. Szydlowski served as a director of the general partner of 8point3 Energy Partners, LP (a publicly traded joint venture to own and operate solar generation assets) from June 2015 until its acquisition by Capital Dynamics, Inc. in June 2018. He also served as a director of the general partner of JP Energy Partners LP (a publicly-traded oil and natural gas company) from July 2014 through March 2017, a director of Transocean Partners, LLC (a publicly-traded offshore drilling contractor) from November 2014 through December 2016, and a director of the general partner of NGL Energy Partners LP (a publicly traded company specializing in transportation, storage, blending and marketing of crude oils, natural gas, refined products, renewables and water solutions) from November 2011 through April 2014.
Mr. Szydlowski’s experience at SemGroup and before that as chief executive officer of Colonial Pipeline Company (a refined pipeline system) and elsewhere provides him with significant executive and operational midstream experience. In particular, Mr. Szydlowski has a thorough understanding of the midstream business and midstream customers.