Richard Berg, 2025 Career Achievement Award

Dick Berg has been honored upon his retirement this year after 50 years of service at the Illinois State Geological Survey. When he was named State Geologist in 2015, he had worked under seven of the 13 ISGS directors who preceded him since the survey’s founding in 1851. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University, a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in soil geomorphology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Berg is a pioneer in 3D geological mapping and groundwater protection. As part of a governor’s task force, he helped develop the State Groundwater Protection Act of 1985. He has since played immense roles on the state, national, and international scene in advancing the essential role that geological mapping plays in addressing the needs of society.