I accepted the invitation to be a candidate for an AAPG office because it is important to give back. As I have mentioned before, to almost everyone I speak with, the AAPG has already given me so much. The AAPG not only provides access to amazing research, but it has also allowed me to build an amazing professional network – a network that I consider family.

A few years ago, Executive Committee (EC) members asked for people to get involved with the AAPG, so I did, and I believe I can help more. I want to give back to show my appreciation to all of the members who gave their time so this Association could last more than 100 years. This is my way of thanking them.

Without previous EC members’ resolve, wisdom, and brilliance over the years we may not have the AAPG today. I want to show people we can be proud of this Association, our profession and the petroleum industry, and still attract new membership. I want to help attract new people from everywhere – people from every state and every country who are interested in petroleum geoscience, exploration and production – and support them as much as I can from the EC.

I want to promote petroleum geosciences and this Association. Without petroleum there is NO other industry, and we need to do a better job sharing that. Without petroleum, society will not continue to grow. We need people from all four corners to be able to meet the growing reliable energy demand. I believe everyone who works hard has the right to be successful in this industry and the AAPG can support them throughout their careers. I’m excited to see where this all leads.

Thank you to everyone in the AAPG for your support.