David Curtiss, former director of the AAPG GEO-DC office, has been named executive director of AAPG and the AAPG Foundation effective Aug. 16, succeeding Rick Fritz, who resigned in April after 11 years at the helm of the Association.
Additionally, the AAPG Executive Committee named AAPG Chief Financial Officer David Lange to the newly created post of deputy executive director for AAPG and the AAPG Foundation. Lange had served as interim executive director since April.
AAPG President Paul Weimer, in making the announcement, said, “The promotion of Curtiss and Lange to these two positions will ensure that AAPG continues to flourish as a professional society as it addresses the diverse and complex needs of its membership.”
Curtiss served as director of the AAPG Geoscience and Energy Office in Washington, D.C., since 2008, after serving as deputy director of the office since its inception in 2005.
He previously was manager of international strategy and development and was senior adviser to the director of the Energy and Geoscience Institute (EGI) located at the University of Utah.
In that position he was involved in government affairs on behalf of EGI, developed strategic alliances and assisted in identifying and developing research programs, was involved in public outreach, developed marketing strategies, conducted contract negotiations and was the primary liaison with EGI’s 63 international industry sponsors.
He also contributed his geologic expertise to industry-funded petroleum studies in Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uganda and the United States, plus several global exploration opportunity assessments.
Curtiss first joined EGI in 1995 as a research assistant and was manager of program development when in 2001-02 he served as a Legislative Fellow, serving in the office of U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), who also was chairman of the Republican Conference in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Curtiss has a bachelor’s degree in geology from Wheaton College (Ill.), a master’s degree in earth resources management from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in business administration from the University of Utah.
He is a member of AAPG.
Lange joined AAPG as business director in 2002 and was named AAPG’s chief financial officer in 2006, and is responsible for oversight of all financial activities for both the AAPG Association and AAPG Foundation.
Lange manages AAPG’s business directorate, which includes accounting, membership, information technology and office services.
Lange received a bachelor’s in business administration from Southeast Missouri University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Missouri. He previously was vice president of marketing and administration for Mitsubishi International.
He also has held executive management positions at Saddleman Inc. in Logan, Utah, and Purolator Products in Tulsa. He also was a consultant for Welling & Vanderslice, in Tulsa and served as statistics editor for the Oil & Gas Journal.
“We extend our very best wishes to both David Curtiss and David Lange in their new positions,” the Executive Committee said in making the announcement. “We are confident that the Association and Foundation are in capable hands that will help lead the future success of the organization.”
The current AAPG Executive Committee, in making the announcement, also thanked the Search Committee, which comprised the 2010-11 Executive Committee (David Rensink, Search Committee chair, who was AAPG president for 2010-11; Marvin Brittenham; Alfredo Guzmán; David Hawk; William Houston; Steve Laubach; Jim McGhay; and Paul Weimer, SC vice chair) and William Fisher (AAPG Foundation).