Kaes Van’t Hof ’08 never envisioned a career in energy. Today, Van’t Hof is CEO and director of Diamondback Energy, an S&P 500 company and one of the nation’s largest independent oil and natural gas producers. He also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Energy Advisory Council.

“It’s a big world out there, and you never know where life is going to take you,” Van’t Hof said.

Building a Foundation at Marshall and Leventhal

That openness to opportunity was clear while at USC Marshall. While competing as a Division I athlete and serving as captain of the USC men’s tennis team, Van’t Hof completed a double major in business administration and accounting.

Julia Plotts, professor of clinical finance and business economics, was one of the Marshall faculty members who made an impression on him. He especially remembers her Financial Analysis and Valuation class, where students analyzed companies and learned how to assess their value.

“Kaes was always very engaged in class. He was smart and had strong judgment,” Plotts recalled. “Through case studies and a final valuation project, students applied what they were learning to real companies.”

Having earned enough credits to complete both degrees in four years, Van’t Hof viewed the accounting degree from USC’s nationally recognized Leventhal School of Accounting as a valuable addition to his Marshall education.

“I might not want to be an accountant, but it’s a really good opportunity to have a degree from one of the top schools,” he said.

From Wall Street to West Texas

Van’t Hof graduated in 2008 during the financial crisis. He spent nearly two years competing professionally in tennis before pivoting to finance and landing an investment banking position with Citigroup in New York, where he gained rigorous financial training.

He then joined the private equity firm Wexford Capital, helping develop operating models and business plans including Diamondback Energy’s initial public offering. In 2016, after gaining operating experience as CEO of Bison Drilling and Field Services, his relationship with Diamondback’s leadership team drew him to the Midland, Texas-based company. Over the next nine years, he took on increasing responsibility across strategy, corporate development, and finance before being named CEO in May 2025.

When Diamondback first went public in 2012, it produced roughly 3,000 barrels a day. Since then, the company has seen significant growth. Today, Van’t Hof said, Diamondback produces more than 1 million.

“We’ve gone from a company that nobody wanted to buy to one of the top companies in the U.S. oil and gas space,” Van’t Hof said.