Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (ARLP) announced that Kirk Tholen has joined the ARLP executive team as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer ("CSO"), reporting to Joseph W. Craft III, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and assisting Mr. Craft in the development of ARLP’s strategic initiatives. He will be located in the partnership’s Tulsa, Oklahoma office and also serve as President of ARLP’s oil & gas minerals segment. Working with the senior executive team, Mr. Tholen’s responsibilities will include creating viable business opportunities for ARLP’s coal business, building its emerging oil & gas minerals business and executing enterprise-wide business strategies and operating plans for long-term growth. Mr. Tholen most recently served as a Managing Director within the Oil & Gas Group and Head of the Acquisitions and Divestitures Practice for Houlihan Lokey in Houston. From 2012 to 2015, he was Head of A&D for Credit Agricole CIB and was responsible for creating and leading their A&D platform to service domestic and cross-border client transactions as well as assisting in reserve-base lending, equity offerings and high yield debt offerings.