Because my term as EMD president will end in June, this will be my last contribution to the Energy Mineral Division’s quarterly EXPLORER Division Column. I would like to introduce the incoming president, Edith Wilson.
Edith has been serving as president-elect during the past fiscal year, getting to know the people and business of EMD. Edith came highly recommended by AAPG President Denise Cox as a person who is energetic and capable of hitting the ground running, and she did just that. Edith took on the challenge to recruit new councilors to fill vacancies in our sections and regions.
Upcoming Events, Ongoing Projects
Our councilors fulfill an important role by coordinating activities between the Executive Committee and the local sections and regions. For example, EMD has been working with the Latin America & Caribbean Region to develop technical sessions for the AAPG 2019 International Conference and Exhibition that will be held in Buenos Aries, Argentina, Aug. 27-30. We are also coordinating with the Gulf Coast Section to take on a more proactive role in planning EMD-sponsored technical sessions, workshops and field trips for the 2020 Annual Convention and Exhibition in Houston. We hope to bring back some alternative energy-focused topics that have been overshadowed in the past by the high interest in EMD-sponsored unconventional resource themes.
I also wish to thank the other members of the EMD 2018-19 Executive Committee – Vice President Bob Coskey, Secretary David Barnes and Past-president Doug Wyatt – for their tireless support to help build a better EMD. Together we have brought in new committee chairs, streamlined our committee structure to improve efficiency and added a new Critical Minerals Committee. David has the thankless task of recording our meeting minutes and making them available in a timely manner on our website, and will continue with this role through next year. Bob Coskey is leading our Communications Committee to work with AAPG to improve functionality of the EMD webpage and develop alternative outlets for communication in new formats expected by our members. Doug Wyatt has been busy recruiting candidates for vice president and president-elect so we can have an approved slate of candidates ready for you to vote before the annual changeover in July. Be sure to look out for the ballot and vote.
Bylaws Revisions
This year we began holding quarterly Leadership Meetings with the Advisory Council, which is composed of the Executive Committee, councilors and committee chairs. Because of the delayed officer elections, we only scheduled three meetings, but we were able to cover a lot of ground, including an update of our bylaws that are being prepared for a general member vote. Revisions to the bylaws have been a work in progress by past executive committees, and I am pleased with this new accomplishment and recommend approval. Please be sure to cast your vote.
Our technical committees perform a vital role in the public education of the broad range of unconventional and alternative energy sources championed by EMD. The committees work hard to compile annual review articles for our members, and I am proud of their work. They are in the process of completing the 2018 Annual Reports that will be available on the EMD webpage in July. We continue to explore the format and delivery of these reports in a manner that best serves our members. Please contact the technical committee chairs to become involved with this important EMD mission at www.AAPG.org/About/AAPG/Overview/Committees/EMD-committees.
Annual Meeting Announcement
Our next business meeting is the Annual Leadership Meeting scheduled for 1-3 p.m., Saturday, May 18, 2019, in conjunction with the 2019 ACE in San Antonio. This is an open meeting and all are welcome to attend. Please check the EMD webpage for the agenda an announcement of the meeting room at www.AAPG.org/divisions/emd.
See you in San Antonio!