David Spigelmyer, who took over as president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition seven years ago, is retiring, the Robinson-based trade group announced Thursday.

The longtime gas industry advocate was chairman of the group before taking the helm from its inaugural leader, Kathryn Klaber.

Mr. Spigelmyer will be succeeded next week by David Callahan, another longtime Marcellus Shale Coalition advocate who most recently served as vice president of government relations with JKLM Energy.

Mr. Spigelmyer was a vice president of government relations at Chesapeake Energy when he became involved in the founding of the industry group in 2009. He went full time with the Marcellus Shale Coalition in 2013.

For years, he was the voice of the shale industry in Pennsylvania, advocating against a severance tax on shale gas extraction, writing numerous letters to the editor across the state, and marshaling the support of labor unions and small-business owners who stood to benefit from natural gas development.

In a statement, Mr. Spigelmyer called his time at the organization “an honor of a lifetime.”

“I’m proud of our work that’s allowed all Pennsylvanians to realize shale’s many benefits,” he said.

The group’s chairman, Christopher Rimkus, praised Mr. Spigelmyer in a statement.

“Throughout his service to the MSC, Dave has forged a deep partnership with the skilled building trades, led efforts to modernize regulations, guided the development of best practices, and was a fierce advocate for the safe production, transportation and use of domestic natural gas,” said Mr. Rimkus, who is also assistant general counsel at MPLX.

Anya Litvak: alitvak@post-gazette.com 

First Published: January 28, 2021, 9:17 p.m.