Kelcy Warren is the founder of Energy Transfer Partners. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University, and he has three children. He lives in Dallas, Texas. Warren became the first person to graduate from college in his family when he graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology and mathematics. After graduating from SMU, Warren served four years in the U.S. Army as an Army helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, where he flew over 140 combat missions. 1974 he earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
In 1982, he founded Crestwood Equity Partners. In 1998, the company was renamed Crestwood Midstream Partners LP and became a master limited partnership (MLP). At that time, Kelcy Warren also served as the chairman of the board and president. Warren also started Energy Transfer Partners in 1995. He continues to serve on the board of directors of the company today.
In 2014, Warren was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year and was a finalist for Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year Award. In 2016, he was named one of Fortune’s 40 under 40, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Dallas Business Hall of Fame.
Kelcy Warren has received many awards over the years, including the 2014 International Petroleum Finance Award from the London-based International Petroleum Exchange. He also earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Associated General Contractors of America and is a John W. Campbell Leadership Fellow.
Kelcy Warren is also involved in philanthropic causes, including as chairman of the Dallas Arts District. He worked to expand the Arts District by having new museums, hotels, residential buildings, retail stores, and restaurants built.
Warren also created the Kelcy L. Warren Foundation to support causes surrounding education, veterans’ programs, and arts organizations. The foundation is currently the most significant corporate donor for SMU’s George W. Bush Institute. Refer to this article to learn more.
More about Warren on https://ir.energytransfer.com/board-member/kelcy-warren