Jeffery D. Hildebrand honored with Distinguished Engineering Graduate award
December 9, 2005

Jeffery D. Hildebrand’s entrepreneurial acumen became evident when he began running his own oil and gas production company three years after completing a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

His ability to tackle challenges was already evident when he served as a technical examiner for the Texas Railroad Commission while completing his graduate degree.
 
After graduate school, Hildebrand became a petroleum geologist and engineer for The Dan A. Hughes Co., an independent oil and gas company in Beeville, Texas. He continued this career focus after returning to his home city of Houston where he joined the American Energy Capital Corp. in 1988. The company was sold the year he joined their exploration team, which prompted him to consider starting a business.

After brief work as an oil and gas consultant, Hildebrand founded Hilcorp Energy Co. in Houston. He serves as president and chief executive officer for the company, which has 375 employees and interests in more than 3,000 wells. The company is a major oil and gas producer, and has a venture-capital subsidiary that invests in real estate and businesses.

Professionally, Hildebrand is a member of organizations that include the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Houston Geological Society, the Louisiana Independent Oil and Gas Association, and the Texas Independent Petroleum Royalty Owners Association. He also is an active member of the Catholic Church who participates in Christian-based educational and outreach efforts for people in need.

He remains actively involved in fundraising for The University of Texas at Austin as chair of the Longhorns for Excellence and Advancement of Petroleum Engineering Education. He also is a Friend of Alec who has served on the External Advisory Committee for the College’s Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. As a member of that committee for two years, Hildebrand helped initiate and find corporate support for the department’s Workforce Initiative to raise scholarship funds to support undergraduate students.