H. Kent Brock grew up in Lake Jackson, Texas, and entered The University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1976. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering with Highest Honors in 1980. Currently, he serves as president of Strand Energy, L.C., in Houston and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.

Upon graduation in 1980, Kent moved to Denver, Colorado, to begin his career at Mesa Petroleum Company, becoming the first petroleum engineer hired directly out of college by the company. At Mesa he worked in operations and also had the opportunity to generate several development plays, drawing on the engineering, geological and petrophysical skills he learned in Austin.

In 1983 Kent joined Harvard Petroleum Company in Roswell, New Mexico, where he handled operations, reservoir engineering and project evaluations. While at Harvard Petroleum, he was able to participate in wells that the company drilled. Kent later moved to Midland, Texas, to open a local office for the company.

In May 1986, Kent joined IP Petroleum Company in Houston where his primary responsibilities were the evaluation of drilling prospects and acquisition opportunities. While at IP he was responsible for the discovery of the Sugg Ranch Field in West Texas in 1987 and was subsequently named exploration manager. This success led him to form Strand Energy, Inc., in 1988 to focus on the generation and development of oil and gas prospects in several areas of Texas.

In 1996 the assets of Strand Energy, Inc., and another small private company were merged to form Strand Energy, L.C. Kent has served as president and a board member of the company since that time. Strand is an active, private exploration and production company focused on several geologic basins within Texas and Louisiana. Since inception, Strand Energy, L.C., has drilled over 250 wells and developed over 30 million BOE of reserves.

In addition to directing Strand’s activity, Kent has participated in the mentorship program at UT Austin, served on UT PGE’s External Advisory Committee, and helped endow a UT PGE scholarship in honor of his late brother, Cary D. Brock.