Mr. John Baza is the Director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, having been appointed to that position in May 2005.  He holds BS and MS degrees in petroleum engineering from Stanford University, and his work experience includes engineering positions with major and independent petroleum companies including Phillips Petroleum Co., Amoco Production Co., and Flying J Oil and Gas Inc.   Mr. Baza has been in public service with the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining over two different time periods dating back to 1984.  Now as the Director of DOGM, he administers the Division’s efforts in the areas of petroleum, coal mining, and mineral mining, along with abandoned mine reclamation.

In addition to his responsibilities as Division Director, he also serves as the Official Representative for Governor Spencer Cox of Utah on both the Interstate Mining Compact Commission (IMCC) and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC).  He is also a state representative on the national Ground Water Protection Council, and he currently serves on the Board of GWPC, having been elected by his peers to Board membership in 2015.