Southwestern Energy Co. (NYSE: SWN) said Dec. 4 it appointed Clayton A. Carrell as its executive vice president and COO.

Carrell joins Southwestern with nearly three decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, most recently serving as executive vice president and COO of EP Energy Corp. (NYSE: EPE) since 2012, according to the company press release.

Bill Way, president and CEO of Southwestern, said the company identified Carrell for the COO role during a “thorough search process.”

“We are excited to be adding another integral member of the leadership team as we execute our strategy and position the company for the future,” Way said in a statement. “Clay has vast operating and leadership experience from various engineering and management roles throughout his career. He has a proven track record of delivering operational and technical excellence, and we are confident that he will further enhance Southwestern’s already leading operating capabilities.”

Effective Dec. 5, Carrell became responsible for Southwestern's operational and technical activities. The Houston-based company is principally focused on the development of natural gas in the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas and the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania.

In 2007, Carrell joined El Paso Corp., where he held various executive leadership roles. He also helped establish EP Energy as an independent company before being named COO.

Previously, Carrell was vice president of engineering and operations at Peoples Energy Production from 2001 to 2007. Prior to that, he worked at Burlington Resources and ARCO Oil and Gas Co. from 1988 to 2001.

Additionally, Carrell serves on the industry board of the Texas A&M petroleum engineering department and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He also is a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Hearing and Speech in Houston.