After 10 months, 60 applications, 12 video interviews and eight in-person interviews, I am proud to announce that we finally have a new executive director! Believe me, this has been a challenge. We have had applicants from all walks of life, from a fireman to a therapist. Fortunately for AAPG, we had many of our own members step forward to put their applications up for review, including past officers of the organization.
I applaud our Search Committee, whom I mentioned last month, and the Executive Committee for being steadfast in their resolve to find the best possible candidate, and now we can all breathe a sigh of relief.
By the time you read this, there will have already been a press release, but if you didn’t catch it, the new executive director is Thomas Wilker, a 31-year member of AAPG. He has also been a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists for 27 years and the Houston Geological Society for 29 years. Tom has his bachelor’s degree in geology with minors in business and mathematics from California Lutheran University, and his master’s degree in geology from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He has served as president, senior vice president and chief of staff for several companies in his career, with his last position being the chief operating officer for PetroSkills. He currently lives in The Woodlands, Texas.
Tom has all the skill sets and foundational science for which we were looking. Not only does he have the business acumen that is necessary for AAPG to move forward in a positive financial position, but a deep understanding and love for the upstream energy and technology portion of the business that drives many of the members of AAPG. I believe he will prove to be a great asset to the organization for many years to come.
He will have to hit the ground running, and there will be a very steep learning curve because there are so many facets to being the executive director. Not only is he the executive director for AAPG, but sits on the Board of Datapages and will be involved with the AAPG Foundation. All of these jobs have different moving parts to learn and understand how they all fit together.
Elections and Volunteers
Have you voted yet?
We are still in the voting period for AAPG Executive Committee candidates. Please don’t forget to vote. We have some excellent candidates this year both from the sections and regions. Positions up for election are president-elect, secretary, vice president-regions and editor. Those elected will join President Brian Horn, Treasurer Rebecca Caldwell, Vice President-Sections Lorena Moscardeli and the incoming Chair of the House of Delegates David Hawk.
Volunteers are needed in the regions!
In a discussion I had recently with our Vice President-Regions Sa’id Al-Hajri, it was noted that some regions have difficulties finding people to run for region offices. Most recently this has come up for the European Region. One person had to bow out of taking an office because of new work duties, which left a gap in the election process. The first thought was that the person newly elected would be seated and the runner up would follow in the chain of leadership. This is not in the Bylaws, and it would take an Executive Committee decision to bypass the Bylaws in this election process. After several weeks, however, enough people volunteered to run for the office being vacated that the elections for all the positions will move forward to completion and all leadership positions will be filled.
Being a volunteer is rewarding in many respects. Not only does it help with learning leadership skills, but it helps one expand his or her network. This is especially important for the YPs and students in that region. Then, of course, there is the benefit to the organization – in this case, AAPG. The regions rely heavily on AAPG staff to handle events and governance issues. More volunteers within the regions could take the place of staff time, and that, in turn, would cut down expenditures relating to events and such. This was something I discussed in the December President’s Column. It is never too early to start climbing the ladder of leadership and expanding your network as you go. You may meet your BFF’s for life in the process!
Next month: Closing up for the year and Bylaws changes
Best,
Deborah