Editor's note: Candidates for AAPG office have been given the opportunity to respond briefly to the subject: "Why I Accepted the Invitation to be a Candidate for AAPG Office." Their responses -- and biographical information provided by each candidate and edited only for grammar and spelling, including the biography -- will be published in the EXPLORER beginning here and continuing through the next two issues. Responses will be available throughout the election on the AAPG Web site. Ballots will be mailed in the spring.
Here are the responses from president-elect candidates Alfredo E. Guzman,Peter R. Rose and Charles R. "Chuck" Noll. Candidates were asked to limit their responses to 500 words.
Alfredo E. Guzman
This
is a difficult question for me to answer -- not for
a lack of reasons, but because I have too many of
them and I’m not sure which is the most important
one.
I guess the one closest to my heart is because of
my dad, who was an Honorary Member and a vice president
(1967) of AAPG, and who exposed me to this organization
since I was very young. When I grew up there was always
at home a BULLETIN issue, or a Special Publication
under review, or mail with the letterhead of AAPG,
or talk of an upcoming meeting, lecture tour or event.
My dad loved the association, and he transmitted that
feeling to me.
A very important reason why I accepted this invitation
is because I want to give something back to AAPG.
I owe the association much of what I am professionally.
The source of information that has had the largest
influence in my career development are the publications,
the BULLETIN, the Memoirs, the Reprint Series, the
Course Notes, the Treatise, the Studies in Geology
Series, the EXPLORER and, very importantly, the meetings,
conferences and courses.
AAPG has given me the knowledge, the skills and the
confidence that allowed me to become the head of exploration
for Pemex Exploración y Producción, and once there
to establish the bases for the expansion the company
is experiencing.
More recently, thanks to that knowledge provided by
the association, I have been able to face the challenge
of being the first geoscientist ever in Pemex to be
in charge of a business unit, the North Region, that
drills over 500 wells a year in six basins both on
and offshore, produces 1.4 bcfd and 73,000 bd, with
more than 13,000 employees, has a capex of over 3,000
mmUSD and manages reserves of over 20 billion barrels
of oil and 30 tcf of gas.
I want to help AAPG achieve its goals on membership
growth, education, internationalization, publications,
financial health, integration with sister societies,
environmental initiatives, application of new technologies
and the promotion of ethics and best professional
practices and in general, services to its membership.
Looking
at some statistics of the association, I’d like to
compare them with the life cycle of a typical oil
field or province. After a fast, steep growth early
in its life, the numbers peak and, after a slow decline,
they tend to level off with time. If the same philosophy
that may be applied to rejuvenate an oil or gas field
is applied to these issues -- such as strong leadership,
integrated multidisciplinary team approach, technology,
new paradigms -- together with hard work, full commitment,
sense of ownership, creativity and, why not, some
ingenuity -- I’m positive the declining trends may
be reversed.
AAPG is facing new challenges that need to be addressed
with renewed enthusiasm and a very fresh view so that
it will be healthy and strong as it prepares itself
to enter its second century.
Peter R. Rose
AAPG
is today vibrant, forward-looking and solvent because
our predecessors and contemporaries lent their energy
and wisdom to build a successfully evolving professional
association. It’s an honor even to be considered for
leadership of such an accomplished and engaged group
of colleagues. But the presidency itself is much more
than an honor—it is approaching a full-time job,
with extensive travel to at least 20 meetings per year,
heavy official reading and correspondence, and continuing
oversight of an $11 million annual business.
It’s a terrific organization! And working together,
we can make it even better! First, we must nurture the
many activities that have demonstrated their value.
Then we must anticipate future needs, plan responsive
new initiatives—and examine existing functions that
might benefit from adjustment.
Generally, I applaud the association’s recent priorities
and directions, and want to help continue and expand
them into the future.
Five main themes seem particularly significant:
Service to Members—I’m
"member-driven"—I want AAPG membership to be such
a compelling bargain that all petroleum geoscientists
will affiliate before graduation, and remain participative
members throughout their careers. We should constantly
look for additional services—technical, professional
and personal—that AAPG can add to those it already
provides.
In particular, I would like to see more emphasis given
to serving our large (and growing) contingent of independent
prospectors and consultants.
Tulsa
Headquarters—I am pleased with headquarters’
improved performance under executive director Rick Fritz’s
leadership, and endorse his recent delegation of management
and accountability to the four "directorates"—(a)
business; (b) communications; (c) outreach; and (d)
science. This should disperse even greater efficiency
and responsiveness throughout the entire HQ organization,
and free Rick to focus on emerging long-term trends
and initiatives.
Financial—Underpinning AAPG’s usefulness to
the membership is its long-term financial health. We
must maintain a tight grip on annual budgets, and keep
the business "in the black." I know we can control variable
costs effectively and find ways to increase revenues,
preferably through accessing external sources and providing
additional revenue-generating services.
Membership—The best way to grow membership
is to make AAPG membership a growing bargain! We also
must accelerate active expansion into the international
sector, and broaden the Visiting Geologist Program.
In every E&P organization, we should identify AAPG
members to connect with entry-level geoscientists and
introduce them to AAPG’s benefits. Full AAPG membership
should begin at age 24, not age 34!
Professionalism and Ethics—We need an inexpensive,
engaging short course on professionalism and practical
business ethics available on our Web site, aimed at
identifying and resolving characteristic business ethics
problems. The EXPLORER should resume monthly publication
of "sanitized" but compelling accounts of real professional
problems, their consequences and outcomes. Every AAPG
member should receive a free copy of the Code of Ethics,
suitable for framing and office display.
In the past 15 years I have worked on-site in more than
20 different nations, learning firsthand about the interests
and needs of many international geoscientists, whose
friendships I cherish. Of course, there are many different
interest groups within the AAPG constellation. If elected,
I intend to reach out to them all, seeking their input
and involvement, because each has a part to play in
this wonderful organization.
Through next May I’ll attend every meeting I can that
involves AAPG members. I’m looking forward to visiting
with new friends and old, listening to your ideas and
answering whatever questions I can.
Charles R. "Chuck" Noll
One
of my favorite verses is "Faith, hope, love abide, these
three, but the greatest of these is love." I'm a movie
buff, and one of my favorite lines is the letter from
Andy to Red in "Shawshank Redemption": "Remember Red,
hope is a good thing, it may be the best of things,
and hope never dies." My greatest hope and love is for
AAPG to grow and prosper. To that end I am committed.
I have talked with a large group of members about petitioning
for the president-elect position. Their favorable reaction
leads me to believe that I can make a difference, and
I have "faith" that I am doing the right thing.
My three cornerstone projects for AAPG involve the past
three committees I have served. When I was secretary
three years ago, the Executive Committee decided someone
needed to step forward to see what we at AAPG could
do to compete with NAPE. After all, these were geoscientists'
prospects and the landmen were making the profit. I
took up the challenge and APPEX was born. We are on
track to match and top NAPE over their 10-year growth
period. APPEX has proven there is need for at least
two prospect shows per year, and APPEX lowers the cost
of finding exploration partners. This coming year we
plan on broadening our base to bring in a larger audience
and viewers.
Last year I formed and chaired the Student Job Fair
Oversight Committee, a project with which I have been
involved at both Rice and Norman (University of Oklahoma).
I chaired the Student Job Quest in Pittsburgh, my original
hometown, in conjunction with the AAPG Eastern Section
meeting on September 6-10, 2003. This resulted in almost
doubling the size of last year's meeting. Over 50 students
came and were interviewed by six companies. I am particularly
proud that Martha Lou Broussard, former AAPG vice president,
was the founder at Rice, of this great program. Rice
(Houston Expo) has grown in six years to over 200 students
and almost 20 company sponsors. OU and Laramie have
grown in three years at a similar pace. My ultimate
"hope" is that AAPG will be "partners" with various
companies, thereby saving money and finding more employment
opportunities for our many geoscientists. This coming
year we will have a Student Job Fair in each Section.
We plan to have Student Job Centers in El Paso, Texas;
Bakersfield, Calif.; and Norman, after Houston and Laramie.
My experience since 2001 as your representative on the
Petroleum Technology Transfer Council Board of Directors
has been tremendously gratifying and informative. Basically,
it is the research center for the independents and increasing
numbers of larger companies. Seminars, classes and field
trips are conducted mostly for the price of a $35 lunch.
The latest technology on drilling, well site cleanup,
new geophysics applications and many others are made
available by top notch people such as Roger Slatt, Charles
Mankin, Doug Patchen, Rodney Reynolds, John King, David
Boneau, Gene Ames and others from SPE and SEG, and from
various states and surveys. Currently we completed a
new five-year contract, matched dollar for dollar by
the Department of Energy. President Bush's support for
maintaining a fossil fuels bill similar to the past
is key for this program. To show our support, Eddy David
was named by Steve Sonnenberg to replace me, starting
in 2004.
I can't wait to work more for AAPG and still manage
Exploration for Live Oak Reserves, our E&P company.
In my career I've been involved with the drilling and
exploring of over 2,500 wells and I would like to expand
our exploration into and with our good neighbors on
our south (Mexico). To that end, I will work with Pemex
and the Mexican government on future projects to enhance
both their reserves and ours. AAPG has a bright future
worldwide and I would like to be a part of our expansion.
Read President-Elect Candidate Biographies