Mr. Hickox, age 47, has been General Partner in the private equity firm of Heller Hickox & Co. since 1991. The partnership was formed to make oil & gas company equity investments and is focused on transactions involving recapitalizations, restructurings, bankruptcy, workouts and special situations.

Mr. Hickox joined Texas Oil and Gas Corporation in 1981 where he held both drilling and production engineering positions. In 1983, he accepted a position at InterFirst Bank Houston, N.A., as assistant vice president in the Energy Lending Group, and subsequently worked in the bank’s energy loan workout group. Mr. Hickox worked in investment banking and energy finance from 1986 until forming his current partnership.

Mr. Hickox was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Wiser Oil Company, a New York Stock Exchange listed company, from June, 2000 until the sale of the company in June, 2004 and presently serves as a Director of NATCO Group, Inc., and as a Director and officer of several other private companies.

Mr. Hickox received a B.S. in Geology in 1980 and a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 1981, both from Texas A&M University, and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Houston in 1985.

Mr. Hickox is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Industry Board of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. He resides in Villanova, Pennsylvania with his wife Diane and their three teenage daughters.