Alex Mills, Wichita Falls :: retired as president and chief of staff of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, the largest statewide oil and gas association that represents independents solely. He served in that position since 2000, after previously working as executive vice president of the North Texas Oil & Gas Association since 1994. Before that, he was vice president for eight years of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the Washington, D.C.-based national organization for the independent oil and gas industry. He also served as executive vice president of the West Central Texas Oil & Gas Association in Abilene from 1981 to 1986. He also worked as managing editor of The American Oil & Gas Reporter, and for several newspapers and television and radio stations in Texas. He authors a weekly newspaper column concerning energy issues, and is a frequent speaker on energy topics. He served on the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission and currently serves on the board of directors of the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance and the National Stripper Well Association. He served in the U.S. Army Security Agency from 1966 to 1970. While at UNT, he worked as a reporter for the Denton Record-Chronicle and as a news editor at KNTU-FM while studying broadcast and print journalism. He served on the UNT Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1994 to 1999 and as president from 1998 to 1999.