Penn Virginia says that its Board of Directors has promoted H. Baird Whitehead, previously Executive Vice President, to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Since January 2001, Mr. Whitehead has also served as President of Penn Virginia Oil & Gas Corporation (PVOG), PVA’s oil and gas exploration and production subsidiary, and will retain that title.

From 1980 to 2001, Mr. Whitehead served in various management and engineering positions with Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (Cabot), including most recently Senior Vice President overseeing Cabot’s drilling, production and exploration activity in the Appalachian, Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent and Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast areas. From 1972 to 1980, Mr. Whitehead held various engineering and supervisory positions with Texaco and Columbia Gas Transmission. He holds a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

A. James Dearlove, President and Chief Executive Officer of PVA, said, “Under Baird's leadership, PVOG has grown its oil and gas proved reserves and annual production bases from 175 and 12 Bcfe (billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent) in 2000 to 916 and 47 Bcfe in 2008, increases of 423 and 297 percent. We consistently rank among the best domestic independent oil and gas producers in terms of reserve replacement efficiency and cost. Under Baird’s direction, PVOG has diversified into Texas and Louisiana and most recently into the Mid-Continent region, along with a number of exciting new shale and other unconventional plays. We are very pleased with the performance of Baird’s team at PVOG over the years and congratulate him and them on a job well done.”

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