John T. Rynd was appointed to our Board of Directors as a Class II Director in June 2011. From June 2008 until December 2016, Mr. Rynd served as the Chief Executive Officer and President, and as a director, of Hercules Offshore, Inc. (NASDAQ:HERO), a publicly traded global provider of offshore contract drilling and liftboat services. From July 2007 to June 2008, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hercules Offshore, Inc. From October 2005 to July 2007, he served as Senior Vice President of Hercules Offshore, Inc. and President of Hercules Drilling Company, LLC. On August 13, 2015, Hercules Offshore, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for relief under the provisions of Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. On November 6, 2015, Hercules Offshore, Inc. emerged from bankruptcy. On June 5, 2016, Hercules Offshore, Inc. again filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. On December 2, 2016, Hercules Offshore, Inc.'s assets were transferred to the HERO Liquidating Trust, and the common stock was canceled pursuant to its Chapter 11 plan.

Prior to joining Hercules Offshore, Inc., Mr. Rynd worked at Noble Drilling Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Noble Corporation, a contract drilling company, as Vice President-Investor Relations from October 2000 to September 2005 and as Vice President-Marketing and Contracts from September 1994 to September 2000. From June 1990 to September 1994, Mr. Rynd worked for Chiles Offshore Corporation, a contract drilling company, in various positions, including as Vice President-Marketing. Mr. Rynd currently serves on the board of directors of NOIA.

As a former chief executive officer of a publicly traded drilling and marine services company with a presence in the Gulf of Mexico, or GoM, Mr. Rynd has a deep understanding of the unique challenges currently facing our Company and the rest of the offshore energy industry in our core geographic markets. We believe that this unique understanding, together with Mr. Rynd’s leadership skills, allow him to make meaningful contributions to the Board and the committees on which he serves.