On January 19, 2012, the Board of Directors of Williams Companies, Inc. announced that three new members have been elected to the company's Board of Directors. The new members are John Andrew Hagg, Steven W. Nance and Murray D. Smith. John, Steve and Murray all bring significant leadership experience as well as a deep knowledge across multiple disciplines in the North American energy industry to the company's board. The new directors succeed William R. Granberry, George A. Lorch and William G. Lowrie on the Williams board, all of whom resigned and were elected as initial directors of Williams' former exploration and production business, WPX Energy, Inc. John A. Hagg has 35 years of experience as a senior executive in the petroleum industry working in the exploration and production, service and financial sectors in Canada and the United States. He is the currently chairman of Strad Energy Services Ltd., a public company providing drilling and production services to exploration and production companies in the United States and Canada. He's also currently chairman of Clark Builders and a director of TMX Group Inc., and The Fraser Institute. Hagg resides in Calgary, Alberta. Steven W. Nance has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the oil and gas industry. He is currently president and manager of Steele Creek Energy, LLC. He is also currently a director for Cloud Peak Energy Inc. Nance also previously served as president of Peoples Energy Production Company and he was also previously chairman, president and chief executive officer of XPLOR Energy. He resides in The Woodlands, Texas. Murray D. Smith has extensive experience in the energy industry and public service in Alberta, Canada. He served as Minister of Energy for Alberta from 2001 to 2004, where he was responsible for gaining global recognition for Alberta's oil reserves. He later also served as a diplomat, representing Alberta in Washington, D.C. He is currently a member of the energy advisory board of TD Securities Inc., the advisory board of Hatch, a Canada-based global engineering firm, and president of Murray Smith and Associates, which provides strategic advice to clients in the North American energy sector. He is also a board member of Surge Energy Inc.; and N Solv Corporation. He resides in Calgary, Alberta. Beginning March 1, 2012, Hagg will serve on the board's Audit and Finance committees, and Nance and Smith will serve on the board's Compensation and Nominating and Governance committees.