Michael Catrino is the Co-Founder, President, and COO of Cortez Resources, LLC. Previously, Michael co-founded Cortez Resources, LP, where he managed its leasing and operating efforts and played a critical role in its acquisition, joint-venture, and divestiture projects in the Eagle Ford Shale. He has many years of leadership experience in the petroleum land acquisitions business.

Prior to Cortez, Michael worked with Collins and Young, LLC on their Southern Expansion project in the Barnett shale and helped complete its acquisition of over 30,000 acres in the prolific shale gas play. He went on to become Division Landman for Collins and Young Appalachia, LP, where he helped manage the acquisition of their Marcellus Shale assets.

Before joining Collins and Young, Michael was Land Manager for Arkansas Energy Group, where he leased thousands of acres in the early days of the Fayetteville Shale. He also assisted in the divestiture of the group's assets to several major operators in the play.

Michael has led many other successful land acquisition projects in the various parts of the country, including Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, in addition to his projects in Texas, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. He has a proven track record and continues to be a successful in some of the most active resource plays throughout the United States.

Michael is an Alumni of and donor to the Patterson School and he also attended Warren Wilson College of North Carolina. He participates in many continuing education programs covering a broad range of topics related to the oil and gas industry. He is a member of the Public Lands Committee for the American Association of Professional Landmen, the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, the Dallas Petroleum Club, the independent Petroleum Association of America Land and Royalty Committee, the ADAM Energy Forum, the Dallas Producers Club, the Dallas Wildcat Committee, and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.

Michael lives in Dallas with his wife, Claire, and their daughters, Katherine Ida and Grace Inez.

Peggy Loyd is VP – Administration and Business Services of Cortez Resources, LLC. Previously, Peggy started with Cortez Resources, LP in its first month of inception to help establish the newly formed company. Following two years of successful growth and transformation, Peggy was promoted to Vice President.

With 38 years of accounting and Administrative experience, 29 of which are in the oil and gas industry, Peggy brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her position.

Prior to joining Cortez, Peggy’s long-standing experience as an oil and gas professional with small and mid-size firms includes responsibilities which range from Investor Relations to Accounting and Production Field reporting. Her career includes marketing NGL’s for a Colorado based natural gas company with a Texas owned processing plant located in Sonora, Texas. She has been involved in at least six start-ups.

Peggy has attended LSU Shreveport, Brookhaven Community College, Collins County Community College and most recently Dallas Baptist University. Her industry memberships include the Professional Petroleum Data Management Association (PPDM) where she served previously as a member of their Regional Leadership Team for Dallas/Fort Worth. In addition, she’s a member of the Women’s Energy Network of North Texas (WEN) and served as a Board Member for several years. While on the WEN Board, Peggy served as WEN’s Chairman and Co-Chairman of their Annual Leadership Conference as well as other Committee chairs and CoChair. Peggy also serves as Secretary for the Dallas Producers Club as well as a Hostess for the Dallas Wildcat Committee.

In her spare time, Peggy enjoys running and hiking and has completed 3 marathons and 3 half-marathons and hiked Yosemite Half Dome through Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS.) Peggy is a member of Fellowship Church, Grapevine and enjoys serving in various capacities as needed at her church. Peggy spends her time off with her family along with her two Standard Schnauzers; Max and Jesse.

Victoria Gilbert is an Analyst at Cortez Resources, LLC where she plays an active role in researching and evaluating prospective deals. Victoria works closely with Ryan in analyzing each potential acquisition to determine value and profit expectations. She forecasts oil and gas production, cash flows and future development by studying current production from wells both on and offsetting the acreage, assessing information from state and operator sources, reviewing lease documents, and discovering trends in historical development.

Prior to joining Cortez Resources, Victoria was a consultant for Hitachi Consulting, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Originally from Miami, FL, she moved to Dallas in 2012 to attend Southern Methodist University. Victoria earned her BBA from the Cox School of Business in 2016, where she graduated at the top of her class with honors. Throughout college, Victoria worked at several Fortune 500 companies including FPL and Coca-Cola.

Victoria is an active member of the Dallas Petroleum Club, Dallas Chapter of Young Professionals in Energy (YPE) and the Women in Energy Network (WEN).

Philip Pinkston is a Reservoir Engineer at Cortez Resources, LLC where he plays an active role performing engineering valuations on prospective deals and sourcing mineral acquisitions through business development-related efforts.

Prior to joining Cortez, Philip worked at Concho Resources where he was a Reservoir Engineer in both the Midland and Delaware Basins. Philip began his career at RSP Permian, LLC where he worked in reservoir, production, and completion engineering roles across the Permian Basin, prior to its acquisition by Concho.

Philip grew up in Dallas and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. He is an active member of the Dallas Chapter of Young Professionals in Energy (YPE) and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Carter Smith is a Landman at Cortez Resources, LLC, where he facilitates minerals, royalty acquisitions, landowner outreach, and business development-related efforts.

Prior to joining Cortez in 2019, Carter worked with Charger Energy Services, a service company headquartered in Midland. At Charger, he managed the surface drilling rigs and worked in outside sales.

An Alumni of The University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration, Carter is a member of the Alabama Alumni Association. He also graduated from Texas Christian University’s Ranch Management Program. He is a member of the Midland Chapter of Young Professionals in Energy and the ADAM Energy Forum.