Christopher DeClaire
President and Chief Executive Officer (Board Member)

​

35 years in executive management, including 10 years in the international contract drilling industry. Chris was Co-founder of Vantage Drilling in 2006. Served as CFO to take the company operational and IPO and then served as Vice President and Chief Administration Officer of Vantage Drilling until March 2016 overseeing the company’s compliance, IT and legal functions. Prior to Vantage Chris was CEO Skillmaster, purchased and grew to the largest provider of nuclear engineers and contract services to all the major nuclear power facilities in the U.S. Chris also served 6 years in the United States Coast Guard.

​

Jay Marqua
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer (Board Member)

 

Jay brings over 30 years of executive management across the energy, financial, and technology sectors. He has held multiple CFO roles including at RegSmart, Syndicom, and SunRay Park and Casino—where he led financial operations, regulatory compliance, and enterprise risk management. Jay also served for nine years as Chief Information Officer and Chief Security Officer at Vantage Drilling International, where he directed the development of global systems infrastructure and cyber governance. Jay advises boards and executive teams on ERP systems, enterprise architectures, and digital transformation, with a focus on aligning governance and technology to drive long-term performance.

​

Vidal G. Martinez

General Counsel

​

35 years in Private Practice handling primarily International Commercial Business transactions.  Vidal began his career in 1978 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Houston with the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. He has experience in litigation and transactional matters and has managed complex client matters in numerous foreign jurisdictions. He is also a nationally recognized expert in the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and has handled numerous worldwide investigations for clients and the subsequent negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. Vidal was admitted as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

​​

Scott Ray

Chief Operating Officer

Scott Ray brings more than 30 years of engineering and management experience to his role as Chief Operating Officer at USA Energy LNG. His background spans domestic and international energy infrastructure projects, with deep expertise in LNG liquefaction, LNG regasification, project management, and business and risk management.

 

Scott is widely respected for his ability to lead high-performing teams, optimize complex project execution, and deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions. His leadership style—marked by emotional intelligence, patience, and persistence—has consistently driven successful outcomes across both onshore and offshore operations.

 

Prior to joining USA Energy LNG, Scott served as Chief Technical Officer at Commonwealth LNG, where he was instrumental in the development of an 8.4 mtpa LNG export terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast. He led the adoption of a fully modular design and construction strategy, significantly lowering capital costs and enhancing delivery flexibility. His contributions have been central to advancing scalable, world-class energy infrastructure projects.

 

George Nemeth

Chief Commercial Officer, USA Energy LNG

George Nemeth brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the global LNG industry, with a track record of delivering innovative commercial strategies, securing strategic partnerships, and structuring complex, high-value deals across the LNG value chain. His expertise spans origination, marketing, project finance, midstream development, and risk management.

 

As Chief Commercial Officer at USA Energy LNG, George leads global commercial efforts with a focus on long-term value creation and sustainable growth. Previously, he served as CCO at Commonwealth LNG, where he directed the commercial strategy for a 9.5 mtpa export facility—securing key offtake agreements and expanding marketing across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He also played a central role in project financing, technical planning, and organizational development.

 

Earlier in his career, George held senior positions at Sempra Infrastructure, The AES Corporation, Koch Supply & Trading, Societe Generale, and Merrill Lynch Commodities. He led the development of global LNG trading platforms, pioneered ESG-integrated contract structures, and contributed to final investment decisions for major infrastructure projects. George is recognized for his skill in international negotiations, contract structuring, and aligning commercial strategy with evolving market and sustainability demands.

​

Allan Bounds

LNG Marketing and Trading

​

Allan Bounds has had a 40-year career in the energy industry, culminating in his role as a sales and trading LNG executive. Overseeing areas such as feedgas, liquefaction, shipping, LNG re-gas, master sales and purchase agreements, and more, Allan specialized in Natural Gas Transmission, Distribution, Marketing, Trading, and Risk Management. He was responsible for full P&L oversight of National Marketing Departments and Project Teams and was sought-after for his expertise in LNG Transactions, Fuel Acquisition, LNG Shipping and other structured products. Allan joins USA Energy LNG after retiring from Macquarie Commodity and Global Markets Group, a top-tier international energy trading firm. Allan's expertise is fortified by an MBA in Management and Finance, coupled with disciplined leadership skills honed during his military service in the United States Navy.

​

Dave Boutelle
Senior Vice President Human Resources

​

35 years of executive management in the energy industry. Dave’s executive roles include Human Resources, Shared Services, International Operations and Engineering and Construction for Global Marine, Global SantaFe, Transocean group of companies and Vantage Drilling International. Dave’s Director and Executive level HCM roles include extensive international experience in South East Asia, the Middle East, the UK, West Africa and Europe.  Dave has extensive professional services experience in HCMS and HRIS systems design, development and implementation including PeopleSoft, Oracle HRMS and SAP SuccessFactors.

​

Bob Beardsley
Chief Accounting Officer

​

More than 35 years executive experience in tax, finance and accounting. Bob was in Silicon Valley with PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Ernst & Young during the tech boom working with companies such as Apple, Intel. Hewlett Packard and Genentech as well as many other IPOs. Bob later became a practice lead in Ernst & Young's International Tax Group serving as a client consultant and a firm-wide resource. Bob was Director of Treasury for Benetton Sportsystem and his experience also includes several CFO roles in the private sector.