Ohio University B.S. Geology ’81, Ohio University M.S. Geology ’83
I was born in Tennessee and grew up in Poland, OH, near Youngstown. I completed my B.S. in Geological Sciences in 1981 focusing on hydrology. I finished my M.S. in Geological Sciences in 1983 based on research in well design and efficiency under Dr. Moid Ahmad. The results were presented at the International Groundwater Conference in Johannesburg in 1984.
I started my career with Shell nbsp;in New Orleans in 1983 as a geophysicist. Initial assignments included Gulf of Mexico exploration and processing. I moved to seismic acquisition in 1986, eventually becoming Party Chief of the R/V Shell America, the most advanced seismic vessel of that time. In 1991, I moved back into interpretive and leadership assignments that ranged from rank exploration to field developments and redevelopments.
In 2000, I transferred to The Hague to take a role in the Shell flagship project Sakhalin II. This posting culminated in the position of Chief Geoscientist for Shell Russia with significant travel to Moscow and Sakhalin Island. I returned to the United States in 2007 as the Development Team Leader for Alaska. In 2009, I moved to Exploration as the Geophysical Coordinator, Appraisal Lead for the deep water Appomattox discovery (2010-2013), Appraisal Manager (2013-2014), Mesozoic Exploration Manager (2014-2017), and Paleogene Exploration Manager (2017-2020). After 37 years with Shell, I retired in 2020 as the most successful Gulf of Mexico explorer from 2010-2020.
I worked with the Geological Sciences Department to establish the Alumni Board in 2008 and co-founded the Yeats-Smith-Nance Field Camp Endowment along with the Moid U. Ahmad Hydrologic and Environmental Studies Endowment. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and adventurous travel.
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