Steve Kennedy founded Amegy Bank's energy group 26 years ago and directly managed it through 25 years of growth to over $4 billion of loan commitments, including commitments in 90+ reserve-based loans (RBLs) with offices in Houston, Dallas and Denver. His title at Amegy was Executive Vice President & Head of Energy Banking and he is currently Founder & Senior Advisor - Energy Banking at Amegy, as a consultant. Mr. Kennedy has 36 years of energy banking experience, beginning with MBank (Dallas) in 1986 and continuing in 1992 with Wells Fargo (Dallas) and Amegy Bank (Houston) in 1997. In June 2023, he was appointed Director of Via Renewables (NASDAQ: VIA) and he joined Opportune LLP (energy consulting and energy IBK) as a Managing Director where he is currently forming a private senior debt fund to make loans to upstream energy companies. 

Prior to beginning his career in energy banking, Mr. Kennedy worked in the field operations of an independent oilfield service company and was Managing Partner of Kennedy & Bachelor Oil Company, a third-generation family-owned business. He graduated from Texas A & M University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering and earned a Master of Business Administration from Baylor University in 1986.

He is a member of the IPAA, SPE, TIPRO, Houston Producers Forum, Houston Energy Finance Group, is a Director of the Petroleum Club of Houston and is its immediate Past-President. He has authored several articles on energy matters, including one regarding energy derivatives published in the October 2005 edition of "Oil & Gas Financial Journal".