Even in Texas, it is surprising how poor the energy industry’s image can be. That’s why Pat French is using his trade association experience to get the word out, as president of the Foundation for Energy Education, an affiliate of the 3,300-member Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. Based in the group’s Houston office, French leads a multimedia campaign to teach children, train educators, and inform the public about the key role oil and gas plays in the Texas and national economies.

These efforts grew out of a 2005 survey that documented some alarming public attitudes. More than 50% of respondents thought the Texas oil and gas business was under-regulated, and 70% wanted to give surface owners supremacy over the rights of the mineral estate. The Lone Star energy industry, French says, has to confront the fact that it has lost its traditional rural base of support as more people are urbanized. Too, newer residents who have moved to Texas in the past three years have a much different, and less positive, attitude toward oil and gas than longtime residents do.

Clearly, a new, more precise message has to be sent.

French knows how to get a message across. A 1975 graduate of the University of Maryland with a B.A. in government and politics, he began his career on Capitol Hill in 1977 with the finance committee of the Republican National Committee, supporting fund-raising for candidates for office. Next, he served 12 years with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a liaison to Fortune 500 companies, with assignments in Chicago, Dallas, San José and Washington.

In 1991, he became a senior partner with The Association Development Group, a Washington consulting firm that helps national business/trade associations. There, he was first exposed to the oil and gas industry through major clients such as the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the American Gas Association.

In 2000, he came to Texas and joined the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, recruited by its president, Alex Mills, a friend from IPAA days. Today he is senior vice president of the alliance and president of its Foundation for Energy Education.

French, a former board member of the Global Energy Management Institute at the University of Houston, is currently on the advisory boards of the National Corrosion Center at Rice University and the Houston Committee for Foreign Relations.

We talked with French about the foundation’s ad campaign, which this year goes live on CBS Internet radio in Dallas and Houston. A broader public effort begins in March with an interactive Internet program prepared in conjunction with new videos from Schlumberger at the foundation’s website. These programs, and more, are meant to repair the “huge disconnect between how the public perceives this industry, and how it perceives itself,” says French.

Investor What did you glean from your time with the Republican National Committee?

French I learned a real appreciation for the party’s emphasis on business and the economy, and their importance to the nation as a whole. It made a big impression on me. I’ve been with business lobbies ever since.

Investor What are the alliance’s main activities?

French Our government-relations efforts were rebuilt from the ground up in 2000, when we merged the West Central Texas Oil & Gas Association with the North Texas Oil & Gas Association. This includes direct, personal lobbying, building those critical relationships with legislators. Second, we have focused on coalition building with other oil and gas groups and even non-industry groups. Third, we have developed a major grassroots capability. Finally, since Texas is home to the largest number of independents in the U.S., we decided we needed a Washington presence, so in 2007 we hired former Democratic representative Charlie Stenholm. He knows the congressional leadership and can provide that all-important access.

Two things are important to us: to be substantive and to be effective. We want to show measurable results. A large membership base is important because it translates to a stronger voice and greater political influence.

Investor In 2010, what will be the focus for the Foundation in Energy?

French We have four initiatives: one is a broad media campaign to educate the public about oil and gas. Then we have a program for teachers and students, as well as a media campaign specifically about the importance of natural gas, and finally, a program we call The Citizen Partnership.

Investor What is this partnership?

French It focuses on building better community relations. We provide an Internet clearinghouse or link to factual information where people can go for answers. There will be interactive video added to our website, which is being developed by Schlumberger and should be ready by March. It will address leasing, drilling, safety issues, pipelines and the environment, among other topics.

There’s finally a consensus in the industry that public perception affects the bottom line. There’s no question that if you can change public attitudes toward the industry, you can change public policy.