Charles M. Davis Jr. was named Vice President, Corporate Development, in December 2008. He had been senior vice president of corporate development for Dallas-based natural gas processor Regency GP LLC.

Davis, 47, will work with Atmos Energy's senior management to develop and implement a strategy to identify and evaluate internal and external growth opportunities. He will report to Kim R. Cocklin, president and chief operating officer of Atmos Energy Corporation.

Davis has more than 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions as well as financing in the pipeline industry. Before joining Regency, he was managing director and head of mergers and acquisitions for Challenger Capital Group, Ltd. Davis also served as managing director in the energy and power group at UBS Investment Bank and in the global energy and power group at Merrill Lynch. Earlier, he worked for First Boston Corporation in its corporate finance and merger and acquisition groups and for McKinsey & Co. in its energy group.

Davis earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School. He and his family live in Dallas.