After graduating from LSU in Chemical Engineering, Debbs joined Mobil Oil Co. in New Orleans in 1980 working in the Drilling and Completion group. In his 23 year career with ExxonMobil he held various positions in Drilling and Production in numerous North American locations. He had 16 years of experience managing field operations for ExxonMobil prior to departing the company in 2003.

In 2003 he joined Arena Offshore as their Operations Manager responsible for Drilling, Construction, and Production activities in the Gulf of Mexico. During his tenure at Arena he supported their operations as they grew from operating 2 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to over 50 platforms by 2012. In 2012 he retired from Arena Offshore. After retiring from Arena he consulted for Cenovus a Canadian oil sands company and served as a board member for Wellsite an oil and gas service provided. In 2023 he accepted a position as Board Chairman for Bluedrop USA.

Debbs is 65 years old and lives in Houston with his wife, Wendy.