Executive Leadership Team
Robert S. Barnwell, IV
Chief Executive Officer
Robert S. Barnwell, IV
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Barnwell serves as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Centric Infrastructure. During his 13-year tenure, he has been an integral contributor to the strategic growth of the company. Robert has worn multiple hats at Centric, ranging from field construction to billing, accounting, business development, and executive management.
Currently, Mr. Barnwell is responsible for the successful execution of the Company’s strategic vision and growth plans. Leaning on his strong financial background, he guides and supports executive management with respect to the Company’s capital allocation strategy and the oversight of all aspects of daily operations.
Prior to joining Centric Infrastructure, Mr. Barnwell worked as an Associate for a Dallas-based private equity firm focused on middle-market oil & gas investments. He began his career in Wells Fargo’s financial analyst program.
Mr. Barnwell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Accountancy in Taxation from the University of Houston.
He is a member of the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of YPO, where he currently presides as the Learning Officer. He is also active in the north Houston Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization, where he serves on the Board of Directors.
Outside of work, Mr. Barnwell enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, traveling, playing golf, snow skiing, and distance running.
Matt Milliron
President, Centric Fiber
Matt Milliron
President, Centric Fiber
Matt serves as the President of Centric Fiber. Mr. Milliron has been with the organization as an Advisor and then President since 2023 and has played an active role in the growth trajectory and vision of Centric Fiber. As President, Matt works alongside the BlackRock team and other ELT members to further elevate and differentiate the fiber organization’s platform. Mr. Milliron is responsible for overseeing the organization’s financial results, operating outcomes, and strategic growth initiatives.
Mr. Milliron has spent over two decades in the telecommunications industry, serving in C-level roles for both national and regional fiber operators. During this tenure he has been an instrumental Executive in the successful scale and eventual exit of several organizations. Most recently, Mr. Milliron served as the Chief Revenue Officer for Dobson Fiber where he was responsible for the multi-segment sales distribution, product, marketing, and new market planning before the organization’s successful exit in 2022 to Icon Infrastructure.
Outside of work, Matt enjoys all things outdoors and spending time with his wife and two children.
Barney Barnwell
Chairman of the Board
Barney Barnwell III
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Robert “Barney” Barnwell is the Founder of Centric Infrastructure Group and its underlying gas companies and currently serves as Board Chairman. He has been an invaluable contributor to the company’s unprecedented growth since its founding in 1993, and he remains active in Centric Infrastructure’s strategic vision and day-to-day operations.
Prior to founding Centric Infrastructure, Mr. Barnwell held numerous other positions of high distinction. Shortly after graduating from LSU, Mr. Barnwell served as President of Barnwell Drilling Company and Managing Partner of Barnwell Exploration Company. Barnwell Drilling owned and operated seven land drilling rigs with capacity to drill up to 17,000 feet and oversaw production operations for 300+ wells in four states. After leaving Barnwell Drilling & Exploration, Mr. Barnwell pursued a position as President of Excalibur Resources, Inc., an oil and gas exploration company located in Northwest Louisiana. While at Excalibur, Mr. Barnwell also served as President of Sabine-DeSoto Pipeline, Co., Inc., a gas transmission pipeline in North Louisiana. Mr. Barnwell also served as President of Capital Gas Distribution, Inc., Kinder Gas Processing Corporation, and Capital Gas Company prior to founding Centric.
Mr. Barnwell received a Juris Doctor Degree from Louisiana State University and was admitted to the Louisiana and Texas Bar. He is currently inactive.
Mr. Barnwell has held several positions with charitable organizations throughout his career. From 2000 through 2006, Mr. Barnwell served as the President and Co-Founder of the Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, he was successful in convincing the Texas Legislator to create the southwest Montgomery County Improvement District, where he has served as Chairman. Mr. Barnwell also served on the Board of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles from 2012 until 2018.
Outside of work, Mr. Barnwell enjoys golf, music, and spending time with his wife and four grandchildren.
Brad Zarin
General Counsel
Brad Zarin
General Counsel
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Jason Palmenberg
Chief Technology Officer
Jason Palmenberg
Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Palmenberg serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Centric Infrastructure Group where he is responsible for technical operations, innovation, and overall growth of the company. He has over 19 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure industry.
Prior to joining Centric Infrastructure, Mr. Palmenberg was Managing Partner and Founder of The Palmenberg Group, LLC, a privately held, boutique consultancy and venture capital firm which specializes in product/service innovation, commercialization, and marketing/sales strategies. Prior to creating his own firm, Mr. Palmenberg was a Partner at Strategy& | PwC (formerly Booz & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton). He began his career with Siemens Westinghouse as an engineer.
Mr. Palmenberg holds an MBA from The Wharton Business School – University of Pennsylvania, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University and is a certified lean manufacturing/six sigma master black belt.
Kevin McKenna
Senior Vice President, Business Development
Kevin McKenna
Senior Vice President, Business Development
Mr. McKenna serves as Senior Vice President, Business Development at Centric, where he focuses on the company’s strategic growth initiatives and the management of key developer & builder relationships. Kevin manages and oversees the Business Development, Customer Acquisition, Customer Experience teams.
Most recently prior to joining Centric, Mr. McKenna served as Managing Partner at Teleios Commodities in The Woodlands, TX, where he managed operations, business development, and investments during a period of strong growth. Before Teleios, Mr. McKenna was VP of Business Development at a Houston-based oilfield technology company serving the upstream E&P space in North America.
Kevin has over twenty years of experience in business development and executive management helping privately held businesses increase revenues, margins, and market share. In his role as head of business development, customer acquisition, and customer experience, Mr. McKenna ensures that Centric delivers value to its customers which leads to sustainable growth for the firm.
Mr. McKenna holds a MSc in Global Energy Management from the University of Colorado in Denver and a BS in Geology from Trinity University. He is an active volunteer in Boy Scouts of America and serves on the Board of Directors for the North Houston FCA. Mr. McKenna lives in The Woodlands, TX, with his wife and three children, and enjoys mountain sports, golf, and running.
J. Ross Buttermore
Chief Financial Officer
J. Ross Buttermore
Chief Financial Officer
Ross Buttermore serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Centric and has been with the Company since 2017. Mr. Buttermore has played an active role in the company’s growth into new markets over the last four years.
As CFO, Ross works alongside the CEO and the BlackRock team with respect to Centric’s growth financing and capital deployment strategy. He also oversees the company’s corporate finance, treasury and accounting functions and is heavily involved with strategic planning.
Mr. Buttermore has worked in energy finance for over a decade. Previously, Mr. Buttermore served as Manager of Finance for JP Energy Partners LP and its successor American Midstream Partners LP where he oversaw the strategic and corporate finance requirements of the company’s operating segments. While at JP Energy, he played an active role with the company’s IPO. Prior to JP Energy, Mr. Buttermore served as a Senior Financial Analyst at Regency Energy Partners (an Energy Transfer Company) where he helped structure and support over $2 billion of public debt and equity issuances. Ross holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.
Outside of work, Mr. Buttermore enjoys traveling, the outdoors, golf, and spending time with his wife and three children.
Richard Bard
Senior Vice President, Engineering & Construction
Richard Bard
Senior Vice President, Engineering & Construction
Mr. Bard serves as the Senior Vice President, Engineering for Centric. During his time at Centric, he has helped streamline the operations of Centric and helped the company efficiently execute on its strategic growth projects.
Richard has served in a variety of capacities at the company, but he is primarily responsible for the design and layout of fiber optic and natural gas systems. He manages key relationships with builders & developers and is responsible for the procurement of permits and franchise agreements, the negotiation and acquisition of surface and subsurface easements, and works to ensure design layouts maximize land-use. Mr. Bard is also responsible for working with Centric’s field operations team to ensure timely commencement of construction and services are delivered seamlessly.
Prior to joining Centric Infrastructure, Mr. Bard worked as the Land and Site Development Group Manager for BGE, a national civil engineering firm. Prior to that he was a Land and Site Development Project Manager for a civil engineering firm in the Houston area.
Mr. Bard holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University. Mr. Bard is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas. Outside of work, Mr. Bard enjoys spending his time outdoors and with his wife and son.
Richard Oussedik
Chief Operating Officer
President, UniGas
Richard Oussedik
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Oussedik serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Centric, where he is responsible for the planning and execution of engineering and operational activities across the fiber and gas divisions. Mr. Oussedik also provides executive oversight of the group’s Environmental, Safety and Governance (ESG) and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) activities.
Prior to joining Centric, Mr. Oussedik worked for Exxon Mobil Corporation for 25 years, holding a wide range of executive positions. During this time, he has lived in the UK, Norway and U.S.A, and travelled extensively across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. This experience of diverse corporate operations helps Mr. Oussedik to bring a broad perspective to support Centric’s successful growth.
Mr. Oussedik is a native of the United Kingdom and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Materials Engineering from Imperial College, London.
Outside of work, Mr. Oussedik enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, travelling, watchmaking and collecting, and cheering on his football team.
Claire Peters
Vice President,
Human Resources
Claire Peters
Vice President, Human Resources
Claire Peters is the Vice President of Human Resources at Centric, where she leads the company’s people strategy to drive growth, innovation, and an exceptional employee experience. Since joining in early 2024, Claire has focused on empowering teams, fostering a values-driven culture, and aligning HR initiatives with business goals to support Centric’s dynamic growth and success.
With over 15 years of HR experience across industries including financial services, venture capital, public accounting, and construction, Claire brings a broad and strategic perspective to her role. Prior to Centric, she was a member of the leadership team at Golden Section, a Houston-based venture capital and investment firm, where she built and led the HR function from the ground up. There, she served as a trusted partner to founders of early-stage B2B SaaS companies while championing a culture of excellence and accountability internally. Before that, Claire spent several years at First American Title, a Fortune 500 financial services firm, where she led a national team of HR business partners supporting more than 2,000 employees across multiple divisions in all aspects of the employment life cycle. Her contributions were recognized in 2020 with the People First Award, an honor given to individuals who embody the company's core values.
Claire holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University and is a SHRM-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), underscoring her dedication to continuous learning and professional excellence.
Outside of work, Claire enjoys time with her husband and their two young children – often at a little league field, on a hiking trail in Colorado, or cheering on her favorite teams in Houston and College Station. Claire brings the same energy and passion to her personal life that she brings to her leadership at Centric.