PLANO, Texas, Jan. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE:DNR) ("Denbury" or the "Company") announced the following officer appointments:

  James S. Matthews as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

  J. Phillip Webb as Vice President, East Region

James Matthews will join Denbury as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in late January, bringing over 21 years of legal experience to the Company. Mr. Matthews has represented public and private companies, private equity funds, real estate companies, commercial banks, commercial finance companies, mezzanine funds, borrowers and issuers in connection with a wide variety of commercial and corporate transactions in the United States and Asia, with a primary focus on oil and gas finance transactions.  Prior to joining Denbury, Mr. Matthews was a Partner for 11 years at Vinson & Elkins LLP, an international law firm with a widely recognized energy industry practice, most recently serving as Managing and Administrative Partner of Vinson & Elkins' Tokyo office. Mr. Matthews holds a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University, a master's degree from Ohio University, and a juris doctor degree from Emory University School of Law. Mr. Matthews has been listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Matthews will succeed Ray Dubuisson, currently Vice President of Legal, upon Mr. Dubuisson's retirement in the first quarter of 2012.

Phil Webb will join Denbury as Vice President, East Region in mid-January. Mr. Webb brings to Denbury over thirty years of upstream experience with ConocoPhillips in the United States, North Sea, Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Most recently, Mr. Webb served ConocoPhillips as Vice President overseeing its operations in Indonesia. In the United States, Mr. Webb's roles included Manager - Field Development, Asset Manager - Gulf Coast business unit, and Exploration Manager - Gulf Region Shelf & Onshore. Mr. Webb holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from Louisiana Tech University. In his new role, Mr. Webb will oversee all of Denbury's operations in Mississippi and Alabama, succeeding Barry Schneider, currently Vice President, East Region, who is moving to the position of Vice President, North Region. The changes are part of a transition plan to fill the position of Greg Dover, currently Vice President, North Region, who will be retiring during the third quarter of 2012.

Phil Rykhoek, Denbury's President and CEO said, "I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Jim and Phil to their respective roles. Their experience and proven track records make them superb additions to our organization as we continue to execute our growth strategy while focusing on organizational excellence. I also want to express my appreciation to Ray and Greg for their many years of dedicated service to Denbury."

Denbury Resources Inc. is a growing independent oil and natural gas company. The Company is the largest oil and natural gas operator in both Mississippi and Montana, owns the largest reserves of CO2 used for tertiary oil recovery east of the Mississippi River, and holds significant operating acreage in the Rockies and Gulf Coast regions. The Company's goal is to increase the value of acquired properties through a combination of exploitation, drilling and proven engineering extraction practices, with its most significant emphasis relating to tertiary recovery operations. For more information about Denbury, please visit www.denbury.com.

The Denbury Resources Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11385

CONTACT: Phil Rykhoek, President and CEO, 972-673-2000
         Mark Allen, Sr. VP and CFO, 972-673-2000
         Jack Collins, Executive Director,
         Investor Relations, 972-673-2028