Explorer

A New Gateway to Geoscience’s Future

Redesigned AAPG Foundation websites connect donors and supporters with a $25-million campaign to strengthen education, research and talent development.

Vern Stefanic

7 August, 2026

An ambitious and era-defining initiative to ensure the future of geosciences, energy and the profession has begun – and everyone can be part of the story.

Joining the effort is easier than you thought. Also, it’s more important than you might imagine. We’re talking about the AAPG Foundation’s historic $25-million capital campaign, now underway, which is a bold, purposeful response to the crisis facing the geosciences.

The easy part? New websites – designed specifically for both the Foundation in general and the capital campaign in particular – make information about and engagement in the campaign just a quick click away. Even those unfamiliar with the AAPG Foundation’s storied impact on geoscience education and professional development can visit the sites and get a compelling picture of its importance to the past, present and future of geosciences.

You can find the newly designed Foundation website at aapgfoundation.org. Trustee Associates also can visit a dedicated website at https://ta.aapgfoundation.org.

The important part: Action and participation are needed now in response to fast-changing industry dynamics and, especially, the challenges to geoscience education at the university level and lower.

“Across the country, universities are experiencing declining enrollments, shrinking research capacity and fewer opportunities for students to gain applied experience,” noted Foundation Chair Jim McGhay. “At the very moment when energy, environmental and subsurface challenges are becoming more complex, the academic pipeline that supports our field is under real strain.

“That’s why we decided now is the time for action,” he added. “The pressures are real, but so too are the opportunities.

“We have an urgency to build a better future for the geosciences and our profession – for all of us – so we’re making it easy for everyone to participate.”

Sudden Impact

The AAPG Foundation’s capital campaign – its first in more than 15 years – was unveiled earlier this year but was years in the making.

“It was carefully considered by financial experts and geoscience veterans,” said Foundation Executive Director Rick Fritz, “and designed specifically for this critical and defining moment for the profession, the industry and the science.

A “quiet phase” for the campaign, going on since earlier this year, has generated $5.1 million in support. Fritz, who played a major role in the campaign’s planning and development, said that supporting the campaign is an opportunity for current professionals to help give future geoscientists the same opportunities.

“Simply put,” he said, “this capital campaign is designed to make a difference right now, which is how we’re working to secure the future of geoscience research, education and talent development for decades to come.”

The campaign’s meta-story, as well as practical details, are the focus of the new websites, which feature:

Detailed information on goals and the specific projects that will benefit from the capital campaign
Interviews with people who donate to and also receive benefits from the fund
Testimonials from those who have felt the impact of the AAPG Foundation
Answers to frequently asked questions
Tools that make it easy to support the campaign

A final note: 100 percent of all contributions to the Foundation go to the programs you designate. Immediately. You can start making a difference today.

For detailed information, and to support the capital campaign, visit the newly designed Foundation website at aapgfoundation.org. Trustee Associates also can visit a dedicated website at ta.aapgfoundation.org.

Also, feel free at any time to contact the Foundation team members by email at info@aapgfoundation.org.

New Trustees Elected

Longtime petroleum geologists Martin D. Hewitt, of Calgary, Canada, and James M. “Jim” Funk, of Houston, have been elected to the AAPG Foundation’s Board of Trustees by the group’s Members of the Corporation.

Hewitt fills the vacancy created earlier this year when Trustee J. Michael Party, of Midland, Texas, stepped down from his role, while Funk joins the board as the Foundation’s seventh trustee following the MoC’s approval of the 2026 Bylaws amendment expanding the board.

“We’re delighted to welcome Marty and Jim to the board,” said Foundation Chair Jim McGhay. “Marty brings exceptional global exploration and leadership experience, while Jim has demonstrated decades of dedicated service to both AAPG and the Foundation. Together, they will strengthen our board and help advance our goal of advancing the geosciences.”

“Of course, as Marty and Jim join us, the Trustees and I want to thank Mike Party for his distinguished service and leadership to the Foundation,” McGhay said. “He was a valuable part of our efforts, and we are grateful for his many contributions.”

Party has been elected trustee emeritus, “with our gratitude,” McGhay noted.

Hewitt, an AAPG Honorary Member, is a geology graduate of McMaster University and holds an MBA from the University of Calgary. He began his career at Petro-Canada and progressed through PanCanadian Petroleum, Encana and Nexen, working the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, offshore Eastern Canada, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and international business development.

Hewitt’s commitment to AAPG includes serving as chairman of the House of Delegates, president of the Division of Professional Affairs, and a term as AAPG Treasurer.

“It’s an honor to serve as a Trustee of the AAPG Foundation,” Hewitt said. “We have a real obligation to the next generation of geoscientists – and to the profession and society they will shape. I look forward to working with my fellow Trustees and the staff toward that end.”

Funk has been a dedicated supporter of the AAPG Foundation for many years, contributing his leadership, expertise and passion for advancing the geosciences. A member of AAPG for more than 50 years, he served on the AAPG Corporate Advisory Board from 1989-92 and 1993-99, before joining the AAPG Foundation Trustee Associates in 2009.

Since then, Funk has served on the Foundation’s Bylaws Committee, Scouting Committee and Project Review Committee, and as a reviewer for the L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grant Program and the Foundation’s inaugural Advanced Energy Geoscience Innovation and Support (AEGIS) grant program.

Funk earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Wittenberg University, a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut, and a doctorate from the University of Kansas. He enjoyed a distinguished career spanning more than four decades, including executive leadership roles with Shell Oil Company, where he retired as president of Shell Continental Companies and chairman of Pecten International.

He later served as president of Equitable Production Company (now EQT) and currently serves as president of J.M. Funk & Associates Inc., and Star Ridge Energy.

He and his wife, Sherree, currently serve as co-chairs of the AAPG Foundation’s Capital Campaign.

“Serving the AAPG Foundation has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” Funk said. “I am honored to join the Board of Trustees and look forward to helping advance the Foundation’s mission of investing in the future of geoscience.”

Hewitt and Funk join a Board of Trustees that includes, in addition to McGhay, Scott Cameron (vice chair), Valary L. Schulz (treasurer), Michael Wisda (secretary) and Jeffrey W. Lund.