Travis F. Thompson

2026 Distinguished Alumni Award

Thompson is an energy entrepreneur, operator, and land executive with a proven track record of building upstream oil and gas companies in the Midland Basin. As CEO of FireBird Energy, he leads the company’s acquisition, development, and operating strategy focused on high-quality upstream assets.  

Under Thompson’s leadership, FireBird Energy built a substantial operating footprint and, in 2022, sold approximately 1,000 wells, 22,000 BOE per day of production, and 75,000 acres to Diamondback Energy. Following that transaction, he and his team launched FireBird Energy II, which today produces approximately 35,000 BOE per day and holds roughly 60,000 acres in the Midland Basin. 

Before FireBird, Thompson founded and co-founded multiple energy-sector companies, building a foundation in land, finance, operations, acquisitions, and resource development. That experience shaped his approach to identifying opportunities, assembling teams, attracting capital, and developing upstream assets.  

A proud Texas Tech alumnus, Thompson earned a B.B.A. in petroleum land management from the Rawls College of Business in 2002 and continues to support the university through his service on the Rawls Advisory Council.  

Beyond the energy business, he and his wife, Lexi, established Twister T Ranch in Collingsworth County, Texas, in 2021, followed soon after by Twister T Beef.  

Thompson resides in Fort Worth with Lexi and their daughter, Piper. He also has two sons: Troy, a sophomore at Texas Tech University, and Trevor, his oldest son, who is married to Christina. Trevor and Christina are Texas Tech alumni and parents of Travis’s grandson, Truett.