Meet Your DPA Councilors 57896

Photo above (left-to-right) Row 1: Catherine “Cat” Campbell, Jon Brenizer, Bruce Falkenstein, Tim Rynott, Donald Burdick, Robert Nail, Mary Van Der Loop,  John Hogg; 
Row 2: Ralph Baird, Mohit Khanna, Meredith Faber, Sarah Stanley, Michael McWalter, Douglas Davis;
Row 3: Jonathan Brady, Michael Bone, Joseph “Carl” Fiduk, Jeffrey Smith, Peter Dekker, Jack Klotz, Flavio Feijo, Ronald Meers.

U.S. Sections 

Eastern Section

Jonathan Brady
Independent/Student 

Education

• BS in Geology, University of Pittsburgh, 2005 
• MS in Geology, West Virginia University (In progress) 

Brady has worked the Appalachian Basin since obtaining his BS degree, and has extensive experience in both conventional and unconventional reservoir development. He became an AAPG member in 2006, and a DPA member in 2015. Johnathan served as the Eastern Section Councilor from 2016-19 and received the DPA Recognition of Distinction Award in 2019. Currently, Brady has returned to school at West Virginia University to pursue a master’s degree in geology.

“I became a DPA member not only to gain certification, but also to be involved with the part of AAPG that deals with ethical practices and professionalism. When I was originally approached about being a DPA councilor, I was delighted to represent the Eastern Section in DPA and be part of the division that helps set the AAPG’s professional standards.”

Gulf Coast Section 

Joseph “Carl” Fiduk 
Fiduck Consulting, LLC 

Carl Fiduk is an independent consultant and owner of Fiduk Consulting, LLC. He has 36 years of combined exploration, production, research, service-company and private consulting experience in the petroleum industry and academia. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from the University of Florida, an M.B.A. from the University of Texas Permian Basin, and a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Fiduk previously has been an explorationist at Gulf Oil, BP and Freeport McMoran, a researcher at the Bureau of Economic Geology and the University of Colorado, and the chief geologist at CGG, CGGVeritas and WesternGeco. At various times, he has been employed as either a geophysicist or a geologist. He has done everything – from prospect generation to regional seismic mapping; from modelling petroleum systems to detailed sequence stratigraphic analysis; from 2-D structural restorations to seismic project management; from mentoring young professional to teaching industry training classes; and much in between. To his consulting clients, he provides expertise on petroleum exploration, salt tectonics, marine depositional processes, basin analysis, seismic interpretation, seismic processing and structural geology.

He has explored in almost all the major salt basins of the world. He has published just over 100 peer reviewed abstracts/papers and is a past AAPG Distinguished Lecturer.

“I am a member of the DPA because I believe that all members in our society should behave civilly and be governed by ethical conduct. I agreed to run for councilor so I could give back to our society. I look forward to being a mentor and helping others.”

Ronald Meers
Consulting Geologist 

• Joined AAPG in 1974
• Joined DPA in 1985

A travel and motorcycle enthusiast, Ronald Meers is a proud fourth generation Texan, born and raised in Pampa. He currently is an independent retired geologist, but he enjoyed a great 40-year corporate career with three companies – Gulf Oil Corporation, Northern Natural Gas Company and 30 years with the Big Australian, BHP. Meers was a member of BHP’s first Gulf of Mexico deepwater exploration team, which helped spearhead the company’s participation in several major oil discoveries in the Atwater Foldbelt play fairway.  While at BHP, he also worked and managed several exploration and appraisal teams, who were responsible for activities in many areas of the world: Gulf of Mexico; Atlantic Margin (particularly offshore Brazil); South Africa; Southeast Asia; Australia; and onshore US/Canada.

Meers considers himself fortunate to have traveled to and worked through some of the most incredible geology (and petroleum systems) in the world. He has also met and worked with some top-notch geoscientists!

 “The DPA helps to strengthen the link between the science and business of petroleum, and it expects high ethical and professional standards from the membership. I support these goals and am proud to give some of my time and effort back to the membership.”

Sarah Stanley
Geophysical Insights 

Education

• 1982 – MS Geology, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.
• 1979 – MA Secondary Education, Biology, and General Science, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. 
• 1975 – BS Education, Biology and General Science major, Earth Science minor, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.

Professional Affiliations

• AAPG
• AAPG-DPA Certified Petroleum Geologist # 5013
• Houston Geological Society 
• Education and Employment Committees
• Secretary (2002-03)
• Texas Professional Geologist #1866

AAPG Activities

• Joined AAPG 1981
• House of Delegates (HoD), representing Houston Geological Society
• HoD Honors and Awards Committee
• HoD Newsletter Committee
• DPA Publications Committee Editor
• Technical Training Center (chair for two years)
• AAPG Education Committee

Honors and Awards

• HoD 15-Year Certificate of Service
• HoD 9-Year Certificate of Service;
• AAPG Certificate of Merit 06/30/2004
• Harrison Schmitt Award (for leadership in the development of public centers for workstation training)

Sarah Stanley has spent her entire career in Houston, but has worked a wide variety of basins. She began her career in 1981 with City Service Company’s International Group as an exploration geologist, covering South and Central America. She moved to Wainoco Oil and Gas Company, where she worked the Appalachian Basin and south Texas for a year. She then spent four years with CSX Oil and Gas Corporation (Total Minatome Corporation), working onshore exploration and exploitation. She then spent three years mapping coalbed methane project properties in the Black Warrior Basin for Metfuel Inc. 

Stanley then switched gears for six years, educating geoscientists, first as an adjunct geology faculty member with Geoscience Technology Training Center (GTTC) at North Harris College (now Lone Star College) while consulting. She became director of the GTTC Center, where she led and greatly expanded a first-of-its-kind beginning and mid-career computer training program for geoscientists. 

Merging education and industry, she next spent four years with Schlumberger GeoQuest as curriculum supervisor, then as supervisor of GeoQuest GeoLab. Stanley took her passion for training geoscientists to Seismic Micro Technology (SMT), which later became part of IHS Markit, where she developed the first full-time training center supporting the SMT software, managed more than 150 internal applications for IHS technical staff, and spent eight of her 15 years there as director of U.S. Operations Training and Certification. She finished her time at IHS Markit as senior principal of Governance and Common Codes, leading a team dedicated to standardizing input codes, sanitizing data inputs, quality control, data governance, and merging Canadian and U.S. data into single database.

Since 2017 she has been working with Geophysical Insights, a company that provides artificial intelligence software specifically designed for geoscience applications.  

“I have been a proud member of the Division of Professional Affairs as a CPG for many years. In the past I have served as DPA editor, and this assignment will allow me to continue to actively contribute to the society. I am looking forward to working with my fellow Gulf Coast councilors as well as the DPA group at large.”

Mary Van Der Loop 
Sanctuary Oaks Consultants Int’l Inc. 

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree Geology 1975, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Master’s Degree Geology 1983, University of Texas at Arlington
• Seeking Ph.D. Geology/Carbon Sequestration, University of Houston

Mary Van Der Loop began her career with a two-year stint at Texaco, working Permian Basin conventional exploration and production. She then moved to Monsanto Oil Co. for nine years, working the same types of plays, before moving to BHP and Energy Exploration Management for three years each. She then spent a couple of years working a combination of Permian Basin conventional and frontier exploration projects for ARCO. 

Van Der Loop then moved to new areas, delving into exploration and production projects in the Anadarko Basin and offshore Gulf of Mexico with Vastar for six years. After that hiatus from the Permian Basin, she returned with BP to work horizontal gas projects, while still working the deep Gulf of Mexico.

In 2002 she established Sanctuary Oaks Consultants Int’l Inc., where she works unconventional resource plays in the Permian Basin, Fort Worth Basin, Anadarko Basin, Arkoma Basin, Williston Basin, Black Warrior Basin and Appalachian Basin. She also provides services for conventional exploration and production geology in onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico, including deepwater, plus international projects in Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Africa. Her primary emphasis since 2004 has been on shale exploration and production, shale basin studies and sweet spot identification.

Van Der Loop has published articles on Permian Basin Wolfcamp detrital carbonates, Devonian/Pennsylvanian chert detritals, reserve analysis issues, Wolfcamp stratigraphy and Wolfcamp overpressure. For more details, visit www.maryvanderloop.com.

“I was active early in my career in the West Texas Geological Society and I loved the field trips, the associations and the friendships I formed there. At this stage in my career, I now see that those professional associations and friendships formed early are primarily responsible for our best career moves, our best job opportunities and our best peer recommendations. I see the Division of Professional Affairs as a great opportunity for a young person to advance their career opportunities and form those same lifelong associations for themselves. They also learn professional ethics, professional behavior, professional opportunities and come in contact with the best in our industry.”

Ralph Baird
Baird Petrophysical International

Ralph Baird is an experienced oil finder, independent consultant and an expert in geophysics as it relates to hydrocarbon reservoirs, water injection capacity and containment limits, plus he instructs others on the subject of “Prediction of Potential Drilling Hazards by High Resolution Geophysical Techniques.” This experience is “cross disciplinary,” combining geology with geophysics and engineering.

Baird preaches that “Knowledge is the Key to Life,” a quote visible on the wall of his elementary school. He selected, and graduated with honors from, the Colorado School of Mines in 1971 with 190 hours to his credit. While at Mines he was elected to the earth science honorary, Sigma Gamma Epsilon. As editor, he placed the American flag on the cover of the yearbook, while other universities were burning the U.S. flag. 

While employed by Conoco, Ralph Baird developed computer contouring software, identified proffered places to drill for CAGC (Conoco, Arco, Getty, Cities) and was asked by the CAGC exploration manager to research offshore drilling problems, which he documented in the report he wrote. This report was adopted by the U.S. Offshore Operators Committee and the Petroleum Research Institute of France (Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP)). The sources of information were the planning and operational errors made while drilling and the solution he proved was to predict the risks before drilling. His work and leadership saved millions and avoided the loss of lives. Ralph predicted blowouts. One of his clients labeled him “The Driller’s Geophysicist.”

In 2011 the Petroleum History Institute presented him with the 2011 Colonel Edwin L. Drake Legendary Oilman Award, for his dedication and leadership in earth science education as board director of the United Nations-sponsored International Year of Planet Earth, the Electronic Geophysical Year and the Earth Sciences Matters Foundation. The award was presented on the Ohio River, near Marietta.

Baird has authored and contributed to a host of papers and journals, including the original and updated Springer Encyclopedia of Geoscience, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists’ Leading Edge, and numerous privately published documents for major and independent companies.

Today, Baird supports DPA certification and recognition by peer-review, not state regulators. He is a PG in Texas and a PE in Colorado. The AAPG DPA certification provides credibility beyond buying a state occupational license. His advice today to the next generations of professional geologists is to learn from others’ mistakes – to build on the bad (and good) experiences of the past. The British at one time called this un-taught excellence “ill-success.”

“I got involved with DPA to let potential clients and regulators know that my professional experience AND education AND integrity AND reliability AND credibility are recognized by my DPA peers, peers who have the proven knowledge to know.”

Bruce Falkenstein
LUKOIL, International 

Bruce Falkenstein is a successful seasoned manager and entrepreneur, with the proven ability to generate successful outcomes. Bruce has 40 years’ experience with the operational, strategic and tactical aspects of exploration, development, production, joint operation, budgeting/strategy, contract negotiations/troubleshooting, regulatory reporting/compliance, government relations, community relations and public relations.

During the last 20 years he held roles managing multidisciplinary functions within the oil and gas sector, most recently as manager of Joint Operations & License Management/Compliance within the legal department of LUKOIL. Falkenstein also held similar roles in Vanco Exploration, and was a founding partner of Transmeridian Exploration, with the position of vice president of exploration and geology.

His work included managing corporate compliance activities in Africa, and compliance reporting to regulatory agencies in Africa and the CIS countries, as well as compliance reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission. His career is built on a foundation of 20 years with BP Amoco and Amoco, during which time he successfully held increasingly responsible technical and management roles in oil and gas exploration, development and business development.

Falkenstein holds separate professional licenses in geology, geophysics and physics, and is a certified Community Relations practitioner.  

“I joined the DPA many years ago to lend support to its initiatives in educating the general membership on the professional aspects of our practice. I believe the DPA’s role within the AAPG is important and I hope I can contribute towards the DPA’s success. Poor practices and behaviors from older generations still haunt our workplaces. Those unwilling to learn, grow and change behaviors and practices will continue to be a burden on our practice.

“The DPA should be a valuable venue for the majority of the AAPG membership to remain updated on the most recent legislation, rules and regulations, and best practices regarding compliance, professional conduct and ethics, as well as to provide the AAPG with a community of subject matter experts and practitioners.”

Mid-Continent Section

Jon Brenizer
Devon 

• Penn State, BS, 2003
• The University of Illinois, MS, 2006

Newly elected Midcontinent Councilor Jon Brenizer has spent his career working nearly every aspect of geology within the oil and gas business, from exploration to the well head. His primary love is for exploration. He has worked on prospects from 40-400,000 acres, across most of the continental United States.

Brenizer focused his education on mantle mineralogy.  Fresh out of school, Brenizer joined the Illinois State Geological Survey, where he had the opportunity to interact with a large number of independent geologists and smaller companies. He started working in the industry for Rex Energy Illinois in 2008, where he was the 16th employee. He worked on secondary and tertiary recovery projects and conventional exploration throughout the Illinois Basin. After briefly working for Rex’s Appalachian Division on the Upper Devonian Burkett shale, he moved to Oklahoma City to work for Range Resources, and from there on to Devon Energy, where he is currently employed.

Brenizer’s focus throughout his career has been utilizing technology to help discover more oil, but always remembering the quote from Wallace Pratt – “Where oil is first found … is in the minds of men” – to remind himself that the computer is a useful tool, but is never capable of finding new opportunities alone. 

Brenizer has found the most valuable career and personal development during his exploration failures, even if the successes are more exciting. His focus as he moves into the middle of his career has shifted to include more mentoring, which has been “a fun opportunity to get to know many more of my fellow geologists and how they think. I encourage everyone who will listen that the first thing they have to do when starting a new project is think of a process that can lead to a successful outcome, and then try as hard as possible to prove themselves wrong, then share it with their peers and ask them to do the same. I encourage them to be bold enough to try to convince people that their prospect has been overlooked by many very smart and capable geologists for 100-plus years, while also being humble enough to remember that their prospect will fail.”

“I was very proud to join DPA, and eager to interact with other experienced geologists who have helped me succeed, both as a scientist and a businessman. In many ways, joining DPA felt like I was coming of age, and offered me affirmation that I had grown from a young geologist fresh out of school, to a fully contributing member of our discipline. I became a councilor to help rebuild the DPA membership by increasing awareness of the group throughout the Midcontinent Section, and to highlight the benefits of being peer-certified to the next generation of oil and gas geologists, so they can continue developing as oil and gas professionals. I look forward to getting to know many more of you in the coming years.”

Donald Burdick
Olifant Energy II 

1984: M.Sc. Geology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma

1982: B.Sc. Geology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Work Experience:

• CEO – Olifant Energy II (2019-Present)
• CEO – Olifant Energy I (2017-19)
• VP Geology/New Ventures – Panther Energy II (2013-17)
• Manager, A&D – Laredo Petroleum (2009-13)
• Various other technical and managerial positions with Cimarex, Questar, Vintage Petroleum, Samson and Marathon Oil (1984-2009)

Professional Activities:

• Joined AAPG 1982; Division of Environmental Geosciences (DEG), 1993; DEG Charter Member; Division of Professional Affairs (DPA) CPG# 5801, 2002; DPA Mid-Continent Council Member, 2013-16; DPA Membership Committee co-chair, 2014-15; chair, 2013-14
• AAPG Annual Meeting Speaker, 2018
• NAPE Summit Business Conference Speaker, 2019
• Mid-Continent Section MoneyMaker Speaker, 2019
• Trustee Associates, 2018-Life
• AAPG Mid-Continent Section (MCS) officer, MCS past president, 2015-17; MCS president, 2013-15; MCS vice president, 2011-13; MCS treasurer, 2009-11
• Sections Committee, MCS president, 2013-15
• AAPG House of Delegates (HoD), Tulsa Geological Society (TGS) delegate, 2010-16; TGS alternate delegate, 2007-10; HoD Nomination and Election Committee, 2014-15; HoD Honors and Awards Committee, 2012-13
• Membership Career Services Committee, 2009-16
• AAPG Certificate of Merit, 2015
• Chairman, AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting

• Professional Affiliations
• Tulsa Geological Society (TGS)
• Founder/Past President of ADAM-Tulsa (2011)
• Past Board Member OIPA (2018-19)
• Board Member ADAM-Houston (2015-20)

“In simple terms, I believe joining the DPA and becoming a Certified Petroleum Geologist is part of a responsible professional career as a geologist in the oil and gas industry. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I met the qualifications to join, and I am grateful for the many professionals I have come to know through participation in the DPA.

“Serving as a DPA councilor is not just a way to ‘give back’ to an organization that has been very helpful in my own career development, it is, in fact, a great benefit to be able to work with others in the DPA to help forge an evergreen leadership plan to ensure we thrive today and into the future. I am thankful to have the opportunity to continue help and serve.”

Michael Bone
Independent Geologist 

Michael Bone earned his bachelor of science degree in geology at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and his master of science degree in geoscience at the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tenn. On a whim, he joined AAPG and drove to Norman, Okla., for the annual Mid-Continent AAPG Student Expo in 2008. He received a job offer not too long after and moved to Oklahoma to begin his career at Chesapeake Energy. In 2015 he started B1 Exploration, a geological consulting company, where he has been actively exploring in the Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast, and Rockies.

Bone immediately became active in the local Oklahoma City Geological Society and began getting more involved with AAPG. His first House of Delegates meeting was as an alternate in 2015, and he was elected as a delegate for the Mid-Continent Section in 2018. He joined the DPA in 2016, looking to further build his network of colleagues with not only a technical geologic background, but also an oil and gas business focus.  

Bone also serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Geological Foundation, where he enjoys helping both students and teachers raise the bar in earth science education across Oklahoma. He also is the vice chair for the Oklahoma City SIPES Chapter.

“I wanted to join the DPA to better connect with people well-versed in the business of oil and gas.”

Douglas V. Davis Jr.
D-Ex Production Co. 

Education

• Wichita State University, Bachelor of Arts, Geology/Earth Science

AAPG, EMD and DPA

• HoD Committee, Delegate
• Visiting Geologist, Committee Member
• Section officer, past president
• DPA – Council member, Alternate Council member
• Mid-Continent officer (multiple positions)
• DPA past treasurer
• Midcontinent MoneyMaker Playmaker Forum Committee
• HoD Nomination and Election Committee

Kansas Geological Society, Honorary member

• Past President
• Delegate to AAPG HoD

Douglas Davis Jr. joined the geoscience workforce as an upper-level undergraduate by interning with Robert J. Gutru in Wichita, Kan., where he spent two years. He then joined High Plains Consulting Inc. as VP of operations/geologist, working as a well site geologist.

Davis then chose to try the independent life, and became owner of his own consulting service, where he provided well site service for a dozen years. In 1990 he joined Charter Production Company Inc. as project geologist over the Anadarko Basin’s Hugoton Embayment. Several years later he took a new direction and became consulting manager for right of way and mapping at Koch Pipelines L.P. of Koch Industries. Davis returned to upstream operations as an exploration geologist in the Anadarko and Sedgwick basins for American Energies Corp. (now Trek AEC LLC), where in 2009 he picked up his first horizontal drilling experience.

Today Davis is an independent geologist, working through the auspices of D-Ex Production. In addition to holding a DPA certification, Davis also is licensed through the Kansas State Board Technical Professions.

Pacific Section

Jeffrey Smith
Maranatha Petroleum, Inc. 

Education

• Bakersfield Junior College, 1966, AA
• University of California, Santa Barbara, 1970, BS
• Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 1974, MS

Employment:

• Union Oil of California, Summer hire and later Development Geologist
• Union supported my MS, Carbonate Stratigraphy (Redwall Limestone) in Arizona
• Chaparral Petroleum, Engineering Geologist,            Drilling and Production Training
• Maranatha Petroleum, Inc. – Owner, 1978 – current

In his current role with Maranatha, Smith provides well site contracts with Chevron, Exxon, Shell and many independents (now over 3,000 wells). He worked on the development of the Arroyo Grande oil field (150 wells) to determine field limits, developed numerous oil and gas fields in California over the past 52 years, including Canfield Ranch, Todhunters Lake, Sacramento Airport, South Cuyama Unit, Oxnard and Fruitvale. He still loves the smell of fresh drilling mud saturated with oil and natural gas.

Jeffrey is an operator with production in Bakersfield and Sacramento, Cali., areas.

“The ethical side of our business has always been intriguing, so when old friend Jim Hill questioned me about becoming a councilor, I accepted. Ethics should drive all of us to be better at life, Lord, family and work. I have always desired to, and hope to have become, the best at what I can be, as all should, and happy in that pursuit.”

Rocky Mountain Section

Catherine “Cat” Campbell
Camino Natural Resources 

Cat Campbell is a senior geologist with Camino Natural Resources, an independent oil and natural gas company operating in the core of the SCOOP and Merge plays of central Oklahoma. Previously she was a member of the geoscience teams at Robert L. Bayless, Producer, a private oil and gas operator where she helped manage global exploration, and Encana Oil and Gas, where she started her career working throughout Rocky Mountain basins.

Her passion for geology is evident from her volunteer work teaching The Geology of the Life Cycle of Oil and Gas and leading field trips for the Global Energy Management Program at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), as well as presenting at Women in Science events throughout the Rockies and at local science fairs.

Campbell served as the co-chair of the Onshore Operations Subcommittee for the National Petroleum Council Prudent Development of North American Oil and Gas Resources, is a past president of AAPG’s Rocky Mountain Section and is the incoming president-elect of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists. She also regularly presents research at conferences and has received multiple awards for this work.

Campbell graduated from the University of Wyoming with an M.S. in geology, and she also has a B.A. in environmental studies from Connecticut College. Outside of work, you can find her chasing her two toddlers through the mountains, trying to find new outcrops to explore and understand.

“Being a member of AAPG is an outstanding way to network, gain knowledge and expand career horizons. Being a member of the DPA takes that one step further, showing one’s additional commitment to become certified in a field. I also believe strongly in the legislative work supported by DPA. As a councilor for the Rocky Mountain Section, I hope to give back to AAPG and support the section in any way possible.”

Tim Rynott
Ridge Resources LLC 

Tim Rynott has 38 years of oil and gas experience, primarily focused on prospect generation/evaluation, operations, and acquisitions and development. During his career, he has generated/endorsed countless discoveries, and has been personally investing in oil and gas drilling projects since 1985.

“I cultivate a lot of value from DPA membership via people and politics. On Capitol Hill the DPA advocates my core beliefs to prominent listeners and, in the oil and gas arena, the DPA represents a condensed group of individuals WHO GET THINGS DONE. The DPA embodies the hardest working and most dedicated demographic I know in our fine Industry.”

Southwest Section

Robert S. Nail 

Robert Nail has more than 25 years’ experience practicing petroleum geoscience in onshore and offshore basins worldwide. Onshore United States basins include the Permian, Mid-Continent, Williston and Paradox basins. Offshore work includes Gulf of Mexico, Campos and Potiguar basins (Brazil), Venezuela, Argentina, North Sea, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Gabon, Israel and Bohai Bay (China). Most recent experience has focused on unconventional and conventional assets within the Permian Basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico.

Nail has served as a member and team lead of many inter-disciplined teams (geoscience, engineering, geophysical, and land) focused on both exploration and development assets. Select accomplishments include three asset sales resulting in greater than $540 million; multiple examples of reserves added for both carbonate and clastic reservoirs; and multiple examples of capital preservation through recommendations not to participate in specific market deals.

Nail earned his geoscience Ph.D. from Texas Tech in 1996; his master’s from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1991; and his bachelor’s from Texas Tech in 1986. His academic studies provided the basis for understanding and application of stratigraphy, sedimentology, petrophysics and depositional environments in the pursuit of oil and gas exploration and development. It was during this time he realized the significance of professional societies and the role they play in assisting both young professionals (being a direct recipient as a student) and experienced professionals.

Throughout his career he has chosen to volunteer for service as a board member (AAPG Texas Tech and UTA Student Chapters’, NAMS, PBS-SEPM, WTGS), AAPG delegate (WTGS), DPA councilor, and various committees (GCS-SEPM, WTGS, PBS-SEPM, AAPG-SWS); receiving Distinguished Service awards from GCS-SEPM and WTGS. Nail recognizes the professional networks built and the resulting communication and learning from others has significantly shaped his career.

“I chose to become a member of the DPA, and subsequently a DPA councilor, because I find value in all the purposes stated in the DPA bylaws under Article I. These purposes encompass strengthening professional status, requiring high standards and promoting communication among geoscientists, the public, academia and government agencies regarding issues of petroleum geology.

“Recently, I find motivation in being a DPA member to educate my colleagues, family and friends about the role and value our petroleum industry brings to society. I have heard many times, at many conferences, that the public is not knowledgeable of the professional and ethical practices of our industry because we have not effectively shared our story. My goal is to help improve this communication and knowledge sharing of the value our petroleum industry provides world society.”

International Regions

Africa Region

Peter Dekker
PetroSA 

Education

• Studied marine geology at Free University in Amsterdam.

Professional Experience

• His professional career started with Shell International, in the United Kingdom (UK), working on both the North Sea and the West of Shetland exploration.
• After six years in the UK, Dekker was moved to the Middle East (Oman) where he gained experience as a production geoscientist.
• In 2001 he joined Preussag Energie (which subsequently was taken over by Gaz de France), as chief geologist.  
• Gaz de France employed him as global exploration manager in Paris.
• Moved to Sasol, in South Africa, as exploration manager of Africa.
• Since 2013, Dekker has been working for PetroSA as chief geophysicist.

In his current position, Dekker has the possibility to transfer his knowledge and experience from the petroleum industry to upcoming G&G staff in the national oil company of South Africa. It is energizing to see that the new generation of geoscientists is keen to learn and apply the experience from seasoned persons together with new technology.

“As chairman of the SAMOG Code Committee (the South African Code for the Reporting of Oil and Gas Resources) and a member of the Readers’ Panel for the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, I find it essential to be recognized as a professional geoscientist. DPA provides the avenue to demonstrate those credentials.”

Asia Pacific Region

Michael McWalter
Oil Search PNG Ltd. 

Education

• Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology, and a Post Graduate Certificate in physics education from Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, England.

Professional Experience

• Member and Certified Petroleum Geologist (CPG) of AAPG.
• Fellow and Chartered Geologist (CGeol) of the Geological Society of London.
• Director, Board of the Transparency International – Papua New Guinea (PNG).
• Vice president and a director of the Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources.
• Board member, Finance Board of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of PNG and the Solomon Islands.
• President of the AAPG Asia-Pacific Region.

Michael “Mick” McWalter is a petroleum geologist specializing in petroleum industry regulation, administration and institutional development with 40-years’ experience of the oil and gas industry, predominantly in the ministries and agencies of newly emerging oil and gas producing nations. 

Although British born and educated, he has had a long association with Papua New Guinea (PNG), where he served two years for the British volunteer program, Voluntary Service Overseas, in 1976 for two-years as a science teacher to Catholic Mission Fatima, Banz, Western Highlands Province (now part of the new Province of Jiwaka). He returned to PNG in the early 1980s as a geologist working on many petroleum exploration wells throughout PNG. He subsequently was appointed as a senior petroleum geologist in the Petroleum Resource Assessment Group of the Geological Survey of Papua New Guinea in 1987. 

In 1990 he became the director of the Petroleum Division of the Department of Mining and Petroleum, and in 1997 he was appointed as the adviser to the newly-formed Department of Petroleum and Energy under funding of the World Bank, and from 2006 remained as an adviser directly to the government, albeit on a part-time basis, until 2014.

Since 2004 he served as an oil and gas specialist for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and for USAID, and accomplished a total of 99 missions for those development agencies working variously in Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Sao Tome and Principe, Cambodia, Ghana, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Seychelles, Liberia and, most recently, in South Sudan, with their various and respective governments’ petroleum ministries and agencies. In recent years, up until July 2017, he advised Twinza Oil, Ltd. and Port Moresby Petroleum Co. Ltd. and consulted to several other entities on various petroleum matters. He was appointed as special adviser (government and commercial) to the managing director of Oil Search, Ltd., PNG’s leading oil and gas company in August 2017.  

He holds the awards of Commander, Royal Order of Sahametrei (CS) of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Officer of the Order of Logohu, Papua New Guinea, plus the award for Excellence in Africa at the 22nd African Oil Week, 2015. He also is one of some 58 individuals included in the AAPG’s centennial publication: The Heritage of the Petroleum Geologist, Volume II, 2017.

He is an advocate of good governance in the petroleum industry, though the application of good petroleum geoscience/engineering, and the establishment of sound institutional management and good regulation/administration of the oil and gas sector. 

“Although a member of AAPG since 1985, I only joined the DPA very late in my career as a result of often being too busy either to complete or to lodge the forms for application with the required sponsorship forms and references. I nevertheless typically attended the DPA’s luncheon at the Annual Convention and Exhibition each year, always enjoying and admiring their professional gathering. Eventually, I got my paperwork done and I joined what I consider to be the powerhouse of AAPG, which manages professional standards and professional acceptability.

More recently, as I concluded my three-year term as president of the Asia-Pacific Region in June 2020, I accepted a position on the DPA Council as a councilor, so that I may stay usefully engaged with the AAPG. I believe that we must strive to maintain our excellent professional standards in these years of energy transition and these digitally evolving days, where fundamental skills are often forsaken in favor of applications and apps.”

Canada Region

John Hogg
Skybattle Resources Ltd. 

John Hogg has 38 years of experience in frontier exploration, mostly in Canada, including the offshore Atlantic margin of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and offshore Western Greenland. He has extensive experience in the PanCanadian Arctic, including the Beaufort Sea, Mackenzie Delta, the Sverdrup Basin and Baffin Bay.

Hogg has been directly involved in numerous discoveries throughout his career, including the discovery of the North Triumph and Deep Panuke gas fields in Nova Scotia; the Mizzen and King’s Cove discoveries, offshore Newfoundland; and the Ellice discovery, on the Mackenzie Delta. He led the exploration team that drilled the first subsalt wells in the early 2000’s in offshore Nova Scotia, and while at MGM, his team drilled the first unconventional well just south of the Arctic Circle. 

Hogg also served as the first DPA international councilor back in the early 2000s, before all of the Regions were offered a Council seat.

“I have been a DPA member for 30 years. Early in my career as a petroleum geologist I saw a need for connecting with others on a professional level. Garnering a Canadian certification as a Professional Geologist through the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, combined with the designation of Certified Petroleum Geologist through the DPA, turned out to be very useful in building my professional network.” 

Europe Region

Mohit Khanna
Jersey Oil and Gas PLC 

Education

• MSc, geology, University of Lucknow
• Ph.D., geology, University of St. Andrews

Mohit Khanna has 30 years of upstream experience, leading teams and providing geological knowledge across the full value chain in oil and gas exploration, development, production operations and commercial skills to influence decisions on major investments, divestments and risk management. 

Mohit has extensive experience and regional geological knowledge of basins worldwide in both clastic and carbonate systems, including fractured carbonates, and is an expert in reservoir characterization and 3-D modelling. 

He started his career in Norway working for Norsk Hydro and Statoil (now Equinor) for their international operations, as well as North Sea assets before moving on to international roles with BG and Salamander in India, Indonesia and Thailand. In 2013, he joined Petrofac to establish their Technology Centre in Delhi, India, before moving back to UK as chief geologist. In 2016 became head of subsurface for Petrofac-EPS, where he led projects to deliver plans for onshore and offshore development. In September 2019 Mohit joined Jersey Oil and Gas as subsurface manager to lead the redevelopment of the Buchan Field in the North Sea. 

“I became a DPA member as I wanted to be part of an international organization that has a professionally certified pool of geologists, from which to build a wider network and add value to my CV by being a Certified Petroleum Geologist. After being a member of the DPA for a few years, I wanted to serve the DPA in a voluntary role, where I could add value during these changing times for our industry.”

Latin America / Caribbean Region

Flavio Feijo
Independent 

Education

• B.Sc. 1967 and M.Sc. 1992, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 

Professional Experience

• Worked 46 years for Petrobras in Reconcavo, Tucano, Sergipe, Alagoas and Parana Basins, Brazil. Performed surface mapping, mudlogging, basin analysis and prospect generation. The last 20 years were in the company’s training center as a teacher, lecturer and mentor. 
• Lately teaching and lecturing in a number of universities as an AAPG Visiting Geoscientist.

“Throughout four decades, both AAPG and DPA have been a great help in advancing my technical skills by providing trustful and reliable professional guidance. Being a DPA member further improved my commitments to the profession and kept ethical behavior at the forefront of my thoughts, while working in a number of activities in the industry. I always include a discussion of DPA as a plus for career development when lecturing in local universities.”

Middle East Region

Jack Klotz
Consultant 

Education

• BA, Capital University
• MSc, Bowling Green State University

Professional Experience

• 1980-87: Cities Service Oil & Gas
• 1987-2019: Occidental Oil & Gas Corp.
• AAPG CPG #3866

“AAPG is a great resource, and I am proud to have an opportunity to give a little back.”