Christopher A. Helms

President and Chief Executive Officer
US Shale Management Company

Director since 2012 and Lead Director

Mr. Helms is president and chief executive officer of US Shale Management Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Shale Energy Advisors LLC.

Mr. Helms is the co-founder of U.S. Shale Energy Advisors LLC, a privately-owned entity engaged in the development, ownership and operation of midstream energy assets. Through subsidiaries it owns and operates Rocky Mountain Crude Oil LLC, a crude oil logistics company focused on the transportation of crude oil produced in North Dakota, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, Texas and New Mexico. From 2005 until his retirement in 2011, Mr. Helms served in various capacities with NiSource Inc. and its affiliate, NiSource Gas Transmission and Storage, including as executive vice president and group chief executive officer. He was group president, pipeline of NiSource Inc. from 2005 to 2008, where he was also a member of the Executive Council and the Corporate Risk Management Committee. He served as chief executive officer and executive director of NiSource Gas Transmission and Storage from 2008 to 2011. At NiSource, Mr. Helms was responsible for leading the company’s interstate gas transmission, storage and midstream businesses. Prior to his tenure at NiSource, Mr. Helms held senior executive positions with CMS Energy Inc., and subsidiaries of Duke Energy Corporation and Pan Energy Inc. from 1990-2005.

Mr. Helms graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and a juris doctor degree from the Tulane University School of Law.