Dean Sergent Bio

Dean Sergent, a 30-year energy industry veteran and current President of North by Northwest, has been named the Executive Director of the Irani Center for Energy Solutions in the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy at OU.

The Irani Center for Energy Solutions, first envisioned by OU alumnus Ronnie K. Irani, seeks to provide OU students the opportunity to participate in real-world industry projects, equip industry leaders through professional development courses, and engage in candid conversations about the importance of energy and stewardship.

“We live in a dynamic, ever-changing world full of risk and uncertainty. For the entrepreneurial-minded, that presents opportunity,” said Sergent. “I look forward to joining with Mewbourne College, Ronnie Irani and the OU faculty, staff and students to actively participate in providing energy solutions for the future and opportunity for all.”

Sergent graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering from Marietta College, and earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering.

With more than three decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, Sergent has a wealth of experience on the industry as a whole, and focused expertise in the areas of data analytics and mergers and acquisitions. He most recently founded North by Northwest, which focuses on the development of machine-learning techniques and analyses to rigorously quantify the risk and return of wells to be drilled in all of the US resource plays.

Prior to founding North by Northwest, he was a managing partner for a private equity-backed company where he led the acquisition and investment of interests in US shale resource plays. Sergent was also a senior leader of shale resource development for a Fortune 500 company where he led the evaluation of a multi-billion-dollar acquisition, supervised an $800 million annual budget, and participated in a research effort to better understand the producibility of shales.

Sergent and his wife Amy are active members in the Oklahoma City community and serve on several non-profit boards. They share a passion for the arts and education, and were instrumental in the successful revitalization of their local inner-city elementary school, which Amy and their three sons attended. They co-founded To Community and Beyond, Inc., a non-profit that brings diverse kids from various backgrounds together to build relationships, serve their community, and grow as productive citizens and leaders.