I accepted the invitation to be a vice president-
Regions candidate because I see that there is a
special era ahead for AAPG, and I would like to be
part of it. I want to help lead the transition of AAPG
into a modern, progressive and vibrant association
player amid the changes the energy industry is
undergoing on a global scale.
International membership has been growing
steadily during the past few years, accounting
for over 45 percent of total members in 2020,
with 55 percent of that being students and young
professionals who are the future of geoscience
and the Association. For this reason, this office is
evermore so important and entirely relevant, thus the
positive impact that can be achieved is truly exciting.
I am passionate about holding office because to
take part in this role is to serve others and create
a constructive influence through taking action,
motivating, mentoring, inspiring and aligning
disparate visions to achieve our common goal: To
advance the geosciences from service to career's
members. Serving as Regions vice president would
provide the opportunity to employ my strengths and
to lead by example. Having benefitted personally
from all that AAPG offers, I would like to have the
opportunity to give back to the Association and to
the AAPG community.
I have spent the past four years as part of the
leadership team of the Latin America and Caribbean
Region; a very young, vibrant, groundbreaking, and
energetic Region. I am not quite sure if I could say
exactly that the recent challenging times have tested
all of us in our resilience, but something that I can
say for sure is that we have learned a lot about
reimagining the way we do things. Leading the LAC
region with an upbeat and responsive attitude during
this COVID-19 pandemic pushed me to adapt quickly,
think creatively and build consensus on how we
should take our approach as a region. Launching the
Tuesday Talks LACR VGP webinar series, DL LACR Virtual Series, Virtual Executive Forums on Energy
and the AAPG LACR Virtual Research Symposia, a
series of technical conferences highlighting basins
throughout the region, allowed the Region to be
pertinent and thoughtful about any geoscientist
that sought to develop their career during this tough
time and at the same time generate the revenue to
sustain the educational programs. The Association
should always serve all the members as such.
For me, it is important to talk about the energy
industry because consolidation of the sector is
under way. Expanding AAPG’s reach beyond the
oil and gas sector is imperative – we are part of
the energy sector, one of the most important in the
sustainable development goals, and our members
are recognizing this value and therefore are moving
toward it. The Association should be evolving with its
members and providing support and resources.
Finally, I would like to conclude by emphasizing
that the Association is each one of us, members,
leadership and staff; a big family with the same
objective, to grow together.