The Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA) has appointed Daniel J. Weaver president and executive director. Weaver succeeds Louis D’Amico, who after 22 years in the position has announced his retirement. Weaver, 37, has served as PIOGA’s public outreach director since 2012 and previously held several leadership positions with the Drake Well Museum in Northwest Pennsylvania, which is the site of one of the nation’s first commercial oil wells. D’Amico has been a vocal proponent of the state’s oil and gas industry, especially in recent years as it faced closer scrutiny with the rise of the Marcellus Shale. “He has been at the forefront of every issue faced by our members during his tenure with this organization and its predecessor,” said PIOGA Board Chairman Gary Slagel. D’Amico will retire after working for 44 years in the industry. Based in Western Pennsylvania, PIOGA represents 550 members working across the state’s oil and gas industry.

The Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Bruce Beemer to serve as attorney general (AG). Gov. Tom Wolf had nominated Beemer, who previously served as inspector general, to fill the vacancy left by Kathleen Kane (see Shale Daily, Aug. 19). Kane resigned earlier this month after being convicted of felony perjury charges for leaking grand jury testimony to a Philadelphia newspaper. Kane had sparred at times with the oil and gas industry, filing criminal charges againstXTO Energy Inc. for a spill at a drilling site and a wide-ranging lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy Corp. for allegedly deducting post-production costs from royalty checks (see Shale Daily, Aug. 5; Dec. 9, 2015). Beemer would serve as AG until January. Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican state Sen. John Rafferty are facing off for the seat in the November election. The Senate confirmed Beemer during a special one day session before the chamber’s return from summer recess on Sept. 26.

The Williams Companies Inc. board has appointed Stephen W. Bergstrom, Scott D. Sheffield and William H. Spence as independent directors who will stand for election at the annual meeting on Nov. 23. During his tenure as president and CEO of American Midstream Partners, Bergstrom established a strong platform and led the company through a period of substantial growth, Williams said. Sheffield is chairman and CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources. Under his leadership, Pioneer has grown from a $32 million company in 1985 to a more than $30 billion company today, Williams said. Spence has led PPL Corp., one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector, has expertise in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, stockholder relations, industry and regulatory matters and corporate strategy. An activist investor has mounted a proxy fight to place a slate of directors on the Williams board (see Daily GPI, Aug. 22).

Meg A. Gentle, Cheniere Energy Inc. executive vice president of marketing, has left the company, Cheniere disclosed in a regulatory filing. Gentle previously served as CFO from March 2009 to June 2013. Prior to 2009, she served in various senior roles in strategic planning and finance. Before joining Cheniere in June 2004, Gentle spent eight years in energy market development, economic evaluation, and long-range planning. She conducted international business development and strategic planning for Anadarko Petroleum Corp. from January 1998 to May 2004 and energy market analysis for Pace Global Energy Services, an energy management and consulting firm, from August 1996 to December 1998.