Bonanza Creek Energy, an oil and gas exploration and production company, has appointed Jim Casperson, Marvin Chronister, and Kevin Neveu to its board of directors. All three are the board's first independent directors.

Casperson has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and finance and accounting in the public and private sectors. Casperson is currently a private consultant to the energy industry. From 2005 until 2008, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Ellora Energy and, from 2000 until 2005, the CFO of Whiting Petroleum Corporation. Before Whiting, Casperson spent 15 years as president of Casperson Incorporated, a private consulting firm specializing in the energy industry. Casperson has been appointed as chairman of both the audit committee and the reserve committee.

Chronister has over 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry and is currently an independent investor, energy finance and operations consultant for Enfield Companies and on the board of Sonde Resources. From 2004 until 2006, Chronister was the financial operations practice director of Jefferson Wells International. He served as managing director of corporate finance for Deloitte and Touche from 1990 to 2003 with previous positions in industry and investment banking. He has been appointed as chairman of the environmental safety and regulatory compliance committee and will serve on the audit committee.

Neveu, with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, currently is a director, president and chief executive officer of Precision Drilling Corporation. Neveu was previously president of the Rig Solutions Group of National Oilwell Varco, where he was responsible for the company's drilling equipment business. He has been appointed to serve on the compensation committee and the environmental safety and regulatory compliance committee.