Tony Best is the president and chief executive officer of SM Energy. Mr. Best joined SM Energy in June 2006 as president and chief operating officer. In December 2006, he relinquished his position as chief operating officer when Javan D. Ottoson was elected to that office, and on February 23, 2007, Mr. Best was elected chief executive officer of SM Energy when Mark Hellerstein retired from that position. Mr. Best was appointed to the board of directors concurrent with his appointment as chief executive officer. From November 2005 to June 2006, he was developing a business plan and attempting to raise capital for a start-up exploration and production entity. From 2003 to October 2005, he was president and chief executive officer of Pure Resources, Inc., a subsidiary of Unocal, where he managed all of Unocal's onshore U.S. assets. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Best had an oil and gas consulting practice, working with various energy firms. From 1979 to 2000, he worked in a variety of positions with ARCO, including a period as president: ARCO Permian, president; ARCO Latin America, field manager for Prudhoe Bay; and vice president of External Affairs for ARCO Alaska.

Mr. Best has served on numerous industry and nonprofit boards, including Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS), Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry (CACI), New Mexico Oil & Gas Association (NMOGA), Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), and the United Way. He is also on the board of the Private Enterprise Research Center (PERC), as well as the Advisory Council for Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He was elected president of the 10,000-member Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association in 2006, and also serves on the board of the 12th Man Foundation at Texas A&M.

Mr. Best earned a master of science degree in engineering management from the University of Alaska and a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1972. Following graduation, he served five years in the U.S. Air Force as an engineering officer.