Newfield Exploration Company, a crude oil and natural gas energy company, has appointed Richard Stoneburner to its board of directors, effective as of Feb. 8.  

Stoneburner has over 35 years in the oil and gas industry, most recently having served as president of the North America shale production division for BHP Billiton Petroleum.

Prior to BHP, Stoneburner served as president and chief operating officer at Petrohawk Energy from 2007 to 2011. Previous to this role, he served as executive vice president of exploration. He joined Petrohawk in 2003.

Stoneburner has also held positions of increasing responsibility at energy companies Texas Oil and Gas; Weber Energy;  Hugoton Energy;  and 3TEC Energy.

The appointment of Stoneburner to Newfield Exploration's board increases the board's size to 12 directors, 11 of whom are independent.