Letter from the Chair
On July 1, your Chair took up his position on the AAPG Executive Committee, along with newcomers John Lorenz, President Elect; Rusty Riese, Vice President of Sections; and Kay Pitts, Treasurer. It will be a pleasure serving with John, Rusty and Kay, as well as Scott Tinker, President; John Hogg, Vice President Regions; Ted Beaumont, Secretary; and Gretchen Gillis, Editor. I also look forward to working with our Executive Director Rick Fritz, and his fine support staff at HQ. We have much to do between now and next June 30; with help and input from you as AAPG’s elected delegates, along with your Chair-Elect, Steve Sonnenberg and Secretary/Editor, Sigrunn Johnsen, I believe much will be accomplished.
House Committees
In the matter of House activities, our Committee Chairs have been confirmed and population of each Committee is underway, or complete. The following delegates will serve through June 30, 2009:
- Terry Hollrah – Chair, Constitution and Bylaws, hollexco@sbcglobal.net
- David Dolph – Chair, Resolutions, ddolph@talisman-energy.com
- Robert Suydam – Chair, Rules and Procedures, basuydam@bresnan.net
- James McGhay – Chair, Honors and Awards, jmcghay@aol.com
- Mark Rainer – Chair, Nomination and Election, mrainer@jonesenergy.com
- Patrick Gooding – Chair, Credentials, gooding@uky.edu
- Sigrunn Johnsen – Chair, Newsletter and Minutes Approval, sigrunn.johnsen@rwe.com.
Membership Initiative
We will continue to work on our “grass roots” membership initiative through AAPG Member Services and Delegate involvement at the local, section, regional, national and international levels. I look to each of you to become involved in some capacity as we recruit new potential members. Following are some highlights from a letter recently e-mailed to you relative to the membership initiative:
AAPG has an ongoing membership drive. As leaders within the organization, we should all be actively recruiting!
The goal of the AAPG Recruitment, Reward and Recognition Program is to build and strengthen our organization by increasing the Active membership and to recognize the members who work toward this achievement.
By inviting a colleague to join our professional community, we are helping to further the profession and the science, and therefore expanding the professional aspect of our lives. It also helps the Association grow, which is a major player in creating and maintaining the reputation we enjoy as petroleum geoscientists. In addition, it also helps to keep our dues reasonable.
Get complete details of the program, as well as the list of current recruiters. Applicants may join online or forms are available for download; remind applicants to list your name (as recruiter) on the appropriate form.
As leaders of AAPG, Delegates have the opportunity to lead by example; setting the standard for those who follow our direction and guidance in serving AAPG on a volunteer basis. In order to help AAPG’s Recruitment, Reward and Recognition Program, and continue the grass roots membership initiative within the House of Delegates it will help if you can assist in the assignment of a point Delegate in your local society. This person can act as a local membership ambassador with the prime responsibility of promoting AAPG membership at local society events. The Delegate will also be a conduit for providing sponsor names and streamlining the membership process. One-on-one contact can be a very successful form of recruitment and Delegates are ideally positioned to carry out this function for AAPG.
Please remember that one of the main reasons people don’t participate is that no one asks them to do so.
I encourage you to discuss this membership initiative within your delegation, identify a membership ambassador for your delegation and recruit at least one new member for each Delegate by June 30, 2009. Offer a challenge within your delegation or challenge other societies to see who can/will recruit the most. It’s a win-win situation for all involved.
There are two proposed changes to the Bylaws for your review. Additional changes are anticipated at the mid-year meeting scheduled January 16-17, 2009 in Houston.
Please at grbole@sbcglobal.net or Chair-elect Steve Sonnenberg at ssonnenb@mines.eduwith your ideas. Together we all can build a better AAPG - one member at a time.
Future Meetings
I plan to attend the Delegates’ Breakfast meetings at the Eastern, Gulf Coast, Pacific and Southwest Section Meetings, as well as the International Conference and Exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa. Sigrunn Johnsen, HoD Secretary/Editor will attend the meeting in Oslo, Norway in early October; I’ve also been advised that John Hogg, AAPG’s Vice President, Regions will be there too. And, of course we’ll have our Annual HoD meeting at the Convention and Exhibition in Denver next June. Many of you will also attend these meetings and I look forward to seeing you then. Please encourage your fellow Delegates and colleagues to participate, if at all possible, in these and other activities as well.
Your ideas and comments are always welcome.