Community Engagement

Building relationships

Earning the trust of our stakeholders by what we say and do is part of the Devon culture and one of our corporate values. We’re committed to building relationships of mutual respect with our coworkers and their families, shareholders, neighbors, landowners, mineral-rights holders, policymakers, lawmakers, suppliers, vendors, service companies and schools. Together, we can find solutions and lay the foundation for ongoing cooperation.

We recognize that industrial processes and equipment used in oil and gas development can cause traffic, noise and other impacts that affect our neighbors. We’re committed to improving the compatibility of our operations in the communities where we do business and helping mitigate the impact of industry activity. Devon has worked with industry coalitions, state agencies, business owners, individual landowners, local housing developers and others to enhance safety and quality of life in the vicinity of oil and gas operations.

Supporting first responders

Our focus on safety extends to partnering with the emergency responders who protect our communities. We reinforce our commitment to safety by allocating about one-third of our annual giving in our field areas to helping first responders acquire equipment, trucks, training and supplies to support their crucial work. We also deliver holiday treats and host lunches and dinners to show first responders we appreciate their work. Devon donated $250,000 to more than 80 emergency responder organizations in 2023, bringing our total donations to over $1.2 million since 2018.

We partnered with the First Responder Children’s Foundation (FRCF) in 2023 to distribute holiday gifts and meals to hundreds of Boys and Girls Club members in Eddy, Lea and Chavez counties in the Permian Basin. The foundation provides financial support to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty and supports educational activities and programs created and operated by responder organizations to benefit children or the larger community.

In 2023, we donated Stop the Bleed training kits to emergency responders in all of our operating areas. In South Texas, Devon employees delivered the kits to several agencies, which then trained other emergency response organizations and community members to stop the number one cause of preventable death after injury.

Hometown Hero Award

To show support for first responders in the Delaware Basin, our most active area of operations, Devon presents our Hometown Hero Award to individuals who go above and beyond the call to services. One of the 2023 recipients was Heather Slayton, who is leading the way to add diverse talent to the Kermit Volunteer Fire Department by serving as its first female team member. Slayton, the daughter of a volunteer firefighter, has earned many certifications. Hometown Heroes is one of the many programs Devon supports to show appreciation for emergency responders.

Focusing on communities

To celebrate the cultures and unique qualities of our communities, Devon donates to local fairs and events where we operate. In 2023, we contributed to the Cuero Turkeyfest, Christmas on the Pecos in Carlsbad, and Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

Devon is active in industry efforts to address the impacts of oil and natural gas industry operations on road infrastructure and road safety. In the Permian Basin, 11% of traffic fatalities occur on the region’s roads that need $3 billion in repairs to improve safety and meet expected needs. As a sponsor of the Permian Road Safety Coalition (PRSC), Devon works with a cross-section of stakeholders invested in making roads safer and improving road infrastructure across southeast New Mexico and west Texas.

Founded in 2015, PRSC leverages expertise, shares best practices and collaborates on data-driven research. Programming includes road safety luncheons, road safety training and road safety donations, including $3.2 million for life-saving equipment to first responders across the region in 2022. Devon also supports road safety through our membership in the Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP), which identified road safety as an area of urgent regional need through an analysis completed in 2018.

Nearly all of our operations in the North Dakota Williston Basin are located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, home of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation). We collaborate to earn and maintain the respect of the MHA Nation through hosting activities like our 2023 Veteran’s Day celebration. Devon also assists tribal communities through charitable giving for educational, health and safety endeavors, and installed the first-ever Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation STEM center on tribal lands at Edwin Loe Elementary School in the MHA Nation.

Devon hosted a Veteran’s Day celebration with the MHA Nation for all veterans in the area. Local speakers, musicians and tribal dancers performed for the group. Folds of Honor also spoke about their program and announced its partnership with Devon that will continue to provide local scholarships.

A team from Devon’s South Texas asset received the Neighborhood Impression award from the South Texas Energy and Economic Roundtable (STEER) recognizing companies that go above and beyond to assist the communities where they work and live. Devon employees won the award for making the “Christ of Karnes County” statue fully visible from two Texas County Roads near active Devon right-of-way and production projects. After reading about the neglected statue in a local newspaper, employees gathered necessary resources, researched land permissions and accessibility, and got the land cleared of overgrown brush.

Devon’s $20 million investment in the Permian Strategic Partnership is shaping region’s and industry’s future

The region encompassing Devon’s Delaware Basin assets in southeast New Mexico and west Texas became the world’s highest-producing oilfield in 2019. The Permian Basin — a major contributor to America’s energy security, significant job creator and regional economic development engine — is expected to yield 40% of U.S. oil production by 2025.

As one of the Permian Basin’s largest producers, Devon is keenly aware of both the opportunities and challenges stakeholders face in this prolific oil producing region. The increase in activity and growing workforce have strained the region’s infrastructure, education, healthcare, housing and social services.

In 2018, energy companies with assets in the Permian Basin recognized the need for community support and formed the Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) to strengthen and improve the quality of life for residents in the region. The PSP partners with local leaders to develop and implement strategic plans to bring about superior schools, safer roads, quality healthcare, affordable housing and a trained workforce.

In 2023, Devon renewed our multi-year commitment to the PSP’s mission with a $10 million pledge, bringing our total investment to $20 million since 2018. Our executive vice president and chief operating officer is a member of the PSP board of directors and our leader of emergency management serves on its management committee. Our impact is amplified by working together with 24 other energy companies, the Texas Tech University System and the University of Texas System to make a positive difference in the Permian Basin.

The PSP has invested more than $160 million in member contributions and convinced multiple companies to invest $1.5 billion toward projects that improve quality of life and address some industry impacts in the area since 2018. The PSP increased funding for education, invested in career training, expanded healthcare access, improved safety and infrastructure, made housing more affordable for teachers and expanded broadband access across the Permian Basin. PSP’s 2023 investments include the following:

Expanded the Holdsworth Center footprint outside of Texas to include the entire Permian Basin and districts in southeast New Mexico. The center provides evidence-based professional development and coaching for school leaders and administrators to assist them in creating strategies to improve student outcomes. Several participating school districts showed improvement in student test scores in the first six months of the program.
Funded scholarships for students seeking Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification at the master’s degree level from the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) to create a long-term pipeline of place-based licensed counselors. Currently, the Permian Basin is experiencing a shortage of counselors and other professionals who provide mental health services.
Added to the number of quality education seats available in the Permian Basin in order to improve overall student outcomes by expanding Harmony Science Academy into the Midland area.

In 2022, Devon connected the PSP with our community STEM partner, the Ripken Foundation. As a result, the PSP approved a plan to add a fully equipped STEM center in 134 Permian Basin elementary schools, touching over 60,000 students and 2,000 teachers in 22 counties. The PSP believes its $7.5 million investment in STEM centers and STEM training for teachers will ultimately inspire young learners across the Permian Basin to explore careers in STEM fields. We’re excited that our longstanding relationship with the Ripken Foundation will have a lasting positive impact on education in the Permian Basin.

Devon is proud to be a leader in this industry coalition that is giving Permian Basin communities the tools and resources they need to benefit from being a state, national and global focal point for energy development.