April D. Coker

Strategic Innovation Leader
Houston, US.

About

Strategic innovation leader with over 25 years of experience in oil & gas, energy tech, and SaaS, blending upstream domain expertise with entrepreneurial drive. Proven record in digital transformation, deploying AI/IoT/data analytics, and driving capital-efficient growth, including a 75% reduction in vendor costs for $100M+ projects and a 900% stock price increase. Adept at building cross-functional teams, fostering innovation culture, and enabling high-value strategic partnerships for emerging tech ventures and Fortune 100 companies.

Work

Core Theory Advisors
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Strategic Advisor & Technical Consultant

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Strategic Advisor and Technical Consultant leading product development and commercialization for SaaS platforms and technology ventures, driving innovation and securing intellectual property.

Highlights

Conceived, built, and launched BillableIQ, a SaaS platform for automating timesheet management, leading product design, technical development, and onboarding, currently in advanced pilot testing.

Secured copyright protection for BillableIQ's source code and registered it as an enterprise application on Microsoft Azure, establishing IP ownership and commercialization readiness.

Advised UNIIEQ and SunLean, oil & gas and solar SaaS startups, on product strategy, go-to-market planning, and early-stage commercialization, leveraging AI/drone technology.

Founded and operated two profitable fitness ventures, Core Theory Fitness and MyContainerGym, managing all operations from launch through strategic exit.

Facilitated high-level introductions between 9 Belgian clean energy startups and Fortune 100 U.S. energy firms in 2024, supporting partnership exploration and investor visibility.

Verde CO2
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Senior Leader - Business Development and Technology

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Senior leader recruited by a high-growth CO2 sequestration startup to optimize value streams and drive commercial expansion, overseeing over $100 million in project budgeting.

Highlights

Directed design and deployment of AI-enabled petrophysical workflows, achieving a 75% reduction in vendor costs on $100 million projects.

Developed a strategic growth model and scaled operations, improving market positioning and achieving significant cost reduction through AI-driven analysis.

Directed reservoir modeling and simulation workflows to evaluate CCS readiness, integrating technical results into commercial decisions, and designed a real-time project tracking dashboard.

Conducted technical due diligence and supported early-stage M&A, developing and pitching divestiture opportunities and joint venture strategies.

Linn Energy
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Senior Geologist & Project Manager

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Senior Geologist and Project Manager recruited for deep Permian Basin expertise, leading field development and contributing to strategic evaluations for acquisitions exceeding $500 million.

Highlights

Played a key role on the acquisition team, contributing to strategic evaluations and due diligence for acquisitions exceeding $500 million.

Led cross-functional project teams, coordinating multi-rig drilling projects, and developed field appraisal and strategic opportunities spanning 100,000+ acres in the Permian Basin.

Managed a $150 million annual drilling program, implementing data-driven workflows that reduced decision-making time by 80% and improved execution efficiency.

Enhanced well performance and increased capital efficiency by reducing unnecessary drilling by 20% through operational innovation.

Developed 3D geologic models that increased drilling location accuracy and improved frac interval targeting by 35%, contributing to more precise, cost-effective completions.

Callon Petroleum
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Head of Subsurface & Operations Strategy, Senior Geologist

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Head of Subsurface & Operations Strategy, recruited to lead the company's operational turnaround and serve as the primary technical resource during a critical growth phase.

Highlights

Key leader in company transformation, contributing to a stock price increase from ~$1.65 to over $17 within 18 months.

Played a central role in increasing reserves and reducing long-term debt by approximately 55% through strategic planning and disciplined execution.

Oversaw comprehensive business operations, including technical strategy, field execution, and corporate planning.

Expanded the technical team from 3 to over 20 employees, demonstrating leadership in scaling operations.

Marathon Oil
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Geologist - Cross-Functional Innovation

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Geologist specializing in cross-functional innovation, recognized as a global geoscience software expert who significantly advanced operational efficiency.

Highlights

Recognized as a global geoscience software expert and the first geologist appointed to the Petrophysics group, significantly advancing cross-disciplinary operational efficiency.

Delivered technical innovations through core and petrophysical integration, improving strategic decisions in well placement and project outcomes.

Swift Energy
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Geologist

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Geologist known for leveraging geologic software expertise to solve complex geological interpretations and operational challenges.

Highlights

Leveraged advanced geologic software expertise to effectively solve complex geological interpretations and operational challenges.

Contributed to enhanced decision-making by applying technology to streamline geological analysis.

Phillips Petroleum
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Geoscience Specialist & Analyst

Odessa, TX, US

Summary

Geoscience Specialist & Analyst who balanced a full-time technical role with graduate studies, developing foundational expertise in subsurface data analysis.

Highlights

Developed foundational expertise in subsurface data analysis, field wireline logging, and operational support.

Demonstrated resilience and commitment by balancing a full-time technical role while concurrently completing a graduate degree.

Empirica Logging Services (The Mudlogging Company)
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Mudlogger

Houston, TX, US

Summary

Mudlogger who strategically adapted to industry downturns, building practical subsurface operational experience during challenging market conditions.

Highlights

Built practical subsurface operational experience during challenging market conditions by strategically adapting to industry downturns.

Gained hands-on expertise in wellsite data collection and analysis, contributing to operational insights.

Education

Wall Street Prep

Coursework (in progress)

Financial and Valuation Modeling

Courses

Financial Statement

M&A

DCF

Trading Comps

Transaction Comps

LBO

MIT XPRO Certifications

Certification

Chief Operating Officer

MIT XPRO Certifications

Certification

Designing & Building AI Products and Services

MIT XPRO Certifications

Certification

IoT: Design and Applications

University of Texas Permian Basin

Master of Science

Geology

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Bachelor of Science

Geology

Certificates

Chief Operating Officer

Issued By

MIT XPRO Certifications

Designing & Building AI Products and Services

Issued By

MIT XPRO Certifications

IoT: Design and Applications

Issued By

MIT XPRO Certifications

Skills

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning & execution, Innovation management, Technology commercialization, Business scaling, Market positioning, Strategic growth modeling.

Digital Transformation

Digital transformation, AI & data analytics, IoT applications, AI-enabled petrophysical workflows, Data-driven workflows.

Business Development

M&A, A&D transactions, Commercial contract negotiation, Partnership development, Commercialization, Value communication, Go-to-market positioning, Divestiture strategy, Joint venture strategy.

Technical Expertise

Upstream operations, Subsurface analysis, Technical due diligence, Reservoir modeling, Simulation workflows, CCS readiness, Geological modeling, Frac interval targeting, Geoscience software, Petrophysical integration, Wireline logging.

Project Management

Project budgeting, Real-time project tracking, Cross-functional coordination, Execution efficiency, Multi-rig drilling, Field appraisal.

Leadership & Operations

Cross-functional leadership, Executive-level communication, Capital efficiency & ROI focus, Operational strategy, Value stream optimization, Investor readiness, Cost reduction, Operations strategy, Technical leadership.

Product Development

Product design, Technical development, Onboarding, SaaS platforms.

Legal & Compliance

IP & compliance awareness, Copyright protection, Contract negotiation.