Our Team
Jimmy Hawkins
Texas A&M University, B.S. Petroleum Engineering
Jimmy Hawkins is a petroleum engineer, founder, and project builder with more than four decades of experience across reservoir engineering, field development, and operations in both the United States and international markets. His career has been defined by identifying hydrocarbon opportunities and advancing them from concept through execution, including the identification and development of large-scale carbonate oil accumulations in the Permian Basin and major grassroots project development overseas.
He leads First Oil with a hands-on style grounded in practical engineering, commercial discipline, and team building, with a consistent focus on creating meaningful asset value through fast, capital-efficient development.
Founder & President
Andy Bell
Colorado School of Mines, B.S’s Geological & Geophysical Engineering
Andy Bell is a geologist-geophysicist with more than 47 years of experience finding and defining oil and gas opportunities across the Permian Basin and other major producing regions. His career has centered on turning subsurface insight into actionable value through seismic interpretation, reservoir characterization, prospect generation, and well planning.
At First Oil, Andy serves as the company's oil-finder and subsurface strategist, helping identify the right rock, reduce risk, and shape development plans that give each opportunity its best chance to succeed.
VP/Geosciences & Well Planning/Execution
VP/Operations & ProductionJames Hawkins
Texas Tech University, B.S. Petroleum Engineering
James Hawkins is a petroleum engineer focused on field execution, production optimization, and operating performance. His experience spans drilling, completions, artificial lift, automation, and production systems, with a strong track record of improving reliability, lowering operating costs, and solving practical field challenges.
At First Oil, James leads day-to-day operations and production strategy, ensuring assets run efficiently and consistently. His hands-on approach emphasizes uptime, cost control, and rapid response to changing well conditions, directly driving performance and maximizing value at the field level.