Melanie Werdon is the new State Geologist of Alaska

Melanie B. Werdon has been named State Geologist of Alaska and Director of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys. Melanie previously was the chief of the Mineral Resources section at the Alaska state survey. Best wishes in your new role, Melanie!

Ron Zurawski is completing his time as State Geologist of Tennessee

Ron Zurawski, the longest serving state geologist in the USA, has announced his pending retirement after 51 years of service with the state, and 28 years as State Geologist. A graduate of Vanderbilt University with B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology, he started with a private engineering firm, where one of the duties was to inventory the Tennessee Division of Geology oil and gas well files. That led to a career with the state and contributions to the Tennessee Geological Survey, beginning in 1974. Zurawski was appointed State Geologist and Director of the Tennessee Division of Geology in January 1996. He has now been named recipient of the David Draughon Excellence Award from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Congratulations, Ron!

Scott Tinker to complete his time as State Geologist of Texas

Scott Tinker has announced his pending retirement as Director of the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, a position he has held since 2000. Before joining UT, he spent 17 years in the oil and gas industry, and he has been a very prominent commentator as the Chairman of the Switch Energy Alliance during his time in Austin. He earned his B.S. in geology and business administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, his M.S. in geological sciences from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in geological sciences from the University of Colorado. He has served as president of AGI, AAPG, and the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS). Dr. Tinker is an AGI Campbell Medalist, AAPG Halbouty Medalist, GCAGS Boyd Medalist, and a Fellow of GSA. For AASG, Scott served as 2004-2005 VP, 2005-2006 President Elect, 2006-2007 President, and 2007-2008 Past President. Thanks for your tremendous service, Scott, and best wishes for much more to come!

Mike Timmons, State Geologist of New Mexico

On January 2, 2024, Dr. J. Michael Timmons will be State Geologist of New Mexico. Dr. Timmons received a BSc in geology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and a master’s and Ph.D. in geology from the University of New Mexico. Besides serving as the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources deputy director, he also has served as program manager of the Geologic Mapping Program. Best of luck in your role, Mike!

Steve Mabee to complete his time as State Geologist of Massachusetts

Stephen B. Mabee, Ph.D., PG will retire as State Geologist and Director of the Massachusetts Geological Survey on February 2, 2024, a position he held since 2002. A Massachusetts native, Steve received his B.S. degree in Geology from Tufts University in 1974 and an M.S. degree in Geology from the University of Colorado in 1978. He worked as a consultant for a decade, and then received his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1992. He was a visiting assistant professor at Amherst College from 1992 to 1995, and joined the faculty in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts in 1995. He was AASG Historian from 2013 to 2017. Thanks for your superb service, Steve!

Nelia Dunbar to complete her time as New Mexico State Geologist

Dr. Nelia Dunbar will step down on January 2, 2024 as director of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and state geologist for New Mexico, a position she has held since 2016. From March 2022 to January 2023 she served as New Mexico Tech interim vice president for research. Nelia received her master’s and doctoral degrees in geology from New Mexico Tech and has worked as a researcher at the bureau, and adjunct faculty member in the Earth and Environmental Studies Department, with much effort in her volcanology research in Antarctica. Thank-you for your superb service, Nelia!

Jeremy Lancaster is the State Geologist of California

On October 4, 2023, Jeremy Lancaster was appointed to lead the California Geological Survey (CGS). Jeremy joined CGS in 2006, and most recently served as Associate State Geologist and chief of the CGS Watershed Hazards and Climate Adaptation Branch. He has completed large multi-agency and multi-disciplinary projects that provide land-use planning tools, geologic mapping for wildlife habitat relationship assessments, and community planning tools for pre- and post- wildfire flash flood and debris flow hazards mitigation. He is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University-Pomona.

 

Mankin Award to Texas

The AASG Charles J. Mankin Award is given each year to the best recently-published, nominated state geological survey geological map, compilation, or report on regional, energy, or mineral resource geology. The award honors Charles Mankin (1932-2012), who as Director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey for forty years (1967-2007) was a tireless advocate for geologic mapping. The 2023 AASG Mankin Award has been presented to Stephen C. Ruppel of the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, for editing the two-volume publication: Anatomy of a Paleozoic Basin: The Permian Basin, USA. Congratulations to Stephen and to all of the authors!