Robert Jolley assumed responsibilities as the Amarillo Field Manager and the Federal Helium Programme in July 2013. He led the BLM’s efforts to implement requirements of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 and the renegotiation of the current storage contracts. During his career, he has worked for the BLM on two separate occasions: once from 2005-2007 and again from 2008-2010, both times as the BLM’s senior environmental engineer in its Washington Office.

Jolley was born and raised in East Tennessee and at 17 he joined the US Marine Corps. After 12 years in the marines, he enrolled at the University of Tennessee and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He worked for the State of Tennessee as a supervisory environmental specialist for eight years performing CERCLA oversight at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site Office before joining the Federal government in 2002. Jolley attended graduate school while working for the BLM and graduated from Arizona State University with a Masters of Science in Environmental and Resource Management. He has worked in both line and staff positions in the Department of Defence and the Department of the Interior, and received a Superior Civilian Service Award for his work as a munitions clearance project manager at various sites throughout Iraq and a Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his work as the Director of Public Works in Bagram, Afghanistan, on separate voluntary civilian assignments. Jolley has also worked for the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Air Force, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Army Materiel Command.

He has been married for over 31 years to his wife Phyllis. They have two children, Jessica and John. In his free time he enjoys visiting national parks, riding his motorcycle, and fishing.