The Delegates' Voice
February 2013

Committee: Nomination & Election

Paul Britt

Candidate: Chair-Elect

Paul Britt

Independent Geologist and President of Texplore
Houston, Texas

Born: 1955, Ann Arbor, Michigan

It is an honor to be nominated as a candidate for HoD Chair-Elect, and I would like to express my appreciation to the Nominations Committee for their consideration of me for the position. I have been a Delegate in the House for many years, have run for office twice before, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve the House and the AAPG membership.

Growing up on the shores of the Great Lakes, I always had an interest in rocks, minerals and fossils, starting a collection that I still have today. I started my career as a geologist in the oil industry sitting wells mainly offshore Gulf of Mexico, and spent the next 14 years working for medium and large companies before starting my own company. I have been self-employed for the past 21 years, through bad times and good. This broad spectrum of experience has given me insights from the employee perspective to that of the independent geologist. This experience mirrors the makeup of the House, which ranges from delegates with large multi-nationals to independents. The House is a key element and an integral part of the AAPG organization, and provides the membership with a direct voice to their organization.

As an AAPG member for the last 32 years, it has been an important facet of my career. I began my society involvement locally, being active in the HGS and the SIPES Houston Chapter. Becoming active in AAPG and SIPES at the national level was the next logical step, growing my professional networks to the national and international level. This is the real value of the AAPG, offering the geoscientific professional the opportunity to make business contacts, friendships, and to share, collaborate and exchange information and technology with other professionals from many experiences, companies and countries, directly.

As the AAPG grows globally, the HoD will be the leader in the direction that AAPG takes. With a solid U.S. membership base, it is important that this growth does not lose sight of the core ethics and issues that has made the AAPG the premier scientific society that it is, and continues to serve the incoming membership needs as well as the existing membership base.

If fortunate enough to be elected to serve as your Chair-Elect, I will eagerly work with the HoD and AAPG leadership to support membership interests, guided by the HoD Delegates as representatives of the membership at-large. When it comes to solutions, I remember one of the first lessons in Dr. Ogden’s structural geology class; “When presented with multiple complex solutions, the simplest solution is usually the best answer.” I again thank the nominating committee and the delegates, and I am looking forward to the upcoming year.

Academic Degrees and Certifications:

Professional Experience:

American Association of Petroleum Geologists

Other Professional Societies

Honors and Awards