Sam McManus is a Geologic Advisor in the Operations department at Phoenix Energy, bringing over 20 years of experience in exploration, development, operations, and subsurface evaluation across several major U.S. resource plays. He holds a Master of Science in Petroleum Reservoir Systems from the Colorado School of Mines. His career includes technical and leadership roles at Ovintiv across the Permian, Uinta, Anadarko, and Rockies basins, as well as earlier positions at Hess Corporation, Jones Energy, White Star Petroleum, and AEP—supporting reservoir characterization, integrated subsurface evaluation, development planning, and petrophysical analysis across a range of unconventional plays. A standout achievement was creating the geologic framework and technical basis for successful development beyond established core acreage in the Uinta Basin, identifying new drilling inventory and validating step-out opportunities that supported continued asset growth.

Sam is energized by identifying overlooked opportunities and working across technical disciplines to turn subsurface insights into actionable leasing and development decisions. He is motivated by helping organizations grow, mentoring the next generation of geoscientists, and maintaining a continuous growth mindset. At Phoenix Energy, he aims to leverage his multi-basin experience to reduce uncertainty, evaluate new opportunities, and create long-term value for the company.

Originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, Sam is married to Ashley and is the proud father of three boys. Outside of work, he enjoys fly fishing, playing guitar, BBQ, and exploring Colorado’s mountains with his family.