Howard Willard III

Mr. Willard joined the SM Energy Board of Directors in January 2026 upon the closing of the merger with Civitas Resources, Inc. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and member of the Governance and Sustainability Committee.

Mr. Willard most recently served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chairperson of the Compensation Committee, and as an independent director of Civitas Resources, Inc. Prior to joining Civitas, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Altria Group, Inc. from May 2018 to April 2020. Previously, Mr. Willard served as Altria’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from March 2015 to May 2018, and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from January 2011 to February 2015.

Mr. Willard joined Altria in 1992 as Assistant Controller and progressed through a series of increasingly senior leadership roles throughout his tenure. Earlier in his career, Mr. Willard worked at Salomon Brothers and Bain & Company.

Mr. Willard also served as a board member of SABMiller plc from 2009 to July 2015.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.