Matthew Silverman - President & CEO
Matthew@DMEFD.org

Matthew R. Silverman is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Democracy & Media Education Foundation. He co-founded the Foundation in 2001 to support enhanced coverage of the democratic process by the nation's Public Broadcasting Stations.

Mr. Silverman is a petroleum geologist with almost 30 years of experience in the natural resources sector in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. He is currently employed as Exploration Manager for Robert L. Bayless, Producer, an oil and gas company based in Denver.  Silverman has also consulted for agencies of the U.S. government, for major and independent energy companies, and for multilateral institutions, such as The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Mr. Silverman has edited a technical journal that is issued quarterly by IHS Group. His focus for this publication was the development of natural gas resources from coal (coalbed methane) in basins across North America. Silverman has also recently published a book, Loony Lawsuits (Barnes & Noble Books), on the abuse of the legal system through the epidemic of outrageous lawsuits. He launched an endowment to support graduate studies at the University of Colorado in 2001 and plays the key role in raising funds for this project. Silverman has lectured at and consulted for the Natural Resources Law Center, the Center of the American West and the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado.

From 1989-2000, Mr. Silverman was employed by Gustavson Associates, Inc., a U.S.-based consulting group, principally as Vice President, International. He was responsible for technical evaluation and capital formation for energy projects around the world. His work included business development, appraising commercial assets, preparing budgets and feasibility studies, and project management.

Mr. Silverman licensed huge acreage blocks and developed high-potential energy investments in Hungary and Turkey. In Hungary he utilized diverse technical data sets and an understanding of the European energy markets to generate a huge natural gas project. In Turkey he managed the commercial and technical aspects of petroleum exploration on a 2-million-acres block in Central Anatolia.

He completed major studies in Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the East China Sea, and Northeastern China. Mr. Silverman directed the promotion of a highly successful bidding round for petroleum licenses in Bangladesh. He has also prepared reviews of the petroleum sector in Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Hungary, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, Romania, Ukraine and Yemen.

He has lectured to several industry groups in Europe and North America on a wide variety of commercial and technical topics. Mr. Silverman has provided litigation support and expert witness services for natural resources matters in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

With Gustavson, Mr. Silverman was also involved in U.S. activities, including evaluation of the Department of Energy's undeveloped mineral properties in the Uintah Basin, Utah; and an appraisal and exploration management plan for the giant Pitchfork Ranch, Texas. He prepared an appraisal of exploratory properties in Cook Inlet, Alaska, and an evaluation and appraisal of the environmentally sensitive Nordhouse Dunes Protected Area, Michigan.

From 1982-1989, he was employed by an operating subsidiary of the French company, TOTAL, and its predecessors. Mr. Silverman was responsible for regional geology, project economics, prospect generation, and drillsite selection and evaluation. He provided expert testimony to boards and commissions in three states.

As Chief Geologist for Evans Energy (1976-1982), he led the company's petroleum exploration efforts in the western U.S. These included several large drilling programs, involving international public and private joint-venture partners.

PUBLICATIONS:
Mr. Silverman has published approximately 20 scholarly articles and five books. He has also edited two energy-industry journals. The articles have focused on commercial and technical strategies for international and domestic petroleum companies. The books have been published by Barnes & Noble Books and reflect the author's interest in such diverse topics as information, the Civil War, science and sports.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
University of Colorado Alumni Advisory Board
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (Division of Professional Affairs)
Denver International Petroleum Society (Past President)