CANDIDATE FOR NATIONAL SECRETARY
Greetings, folks. I am a geologist working in the Land of Enchantment and have been doing so since graduating from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in the fall of 1978. I am honored to be nominated for National Secretary of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and happily accept. I extend my humble gratitude and thanks to the nominating committee.
In 1980, I was thrilled to go to work for a Certified Professional Geologist with a notable engineering company here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the three and half years I spent under his mentorship I was blessed with great field experiences and established working relationships with many geologists and earth scientists. I became aware of his associa- tion with the American Institute of Professional Geologists, as he was involved with the New Mexico Section at that time.
Employed by architectural and engineering firms in my early days taught me to focus on fiscal responsibility and the
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For me personally, the value of membership was about building con- fidence.
importance of promoting safety in the field. Water resource development was my primary responsibility while working on large-diameter, deep-water well drilling and completion projects for the City of Albuquerque and Los Alamos. My mentors at that time also began to educate me about the importance of professionalism and how to define and maintain ethical conduct.
As I continued my career with the Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1989, I was tasked with conduct- ing geologic interpretations of ground water characteriza- tions for Native American Water Rights litigation. This work required the development of valid, accurate and defensible data. In 1998, I was asked to work with the Pueblo of Isleta to develop a water resource development and protection pro- gram. Once again, in this situation the legal responsibilities of my involvement were of utmost priority. Through these years fellow scientists repeatedly encouraged me to apply for membership in AIPG. Although I had been interested in becoming a member for many years, I did not apply until 2010. I felt uncertain about meeting the qualifications and did not know what an incredible value there would be in my doing so. However, I received the certification and decided to start my own consulting business.
It was at this point, I realized the behavior and conduct of the professionals with whom I have associated with over these many years had been shaped and guided by the impressively high standards outlined by the Institute. Securing the canons of the AIPG code of ethics has been an instrumental part of guiding my business these last ten years.
For me personally, the value of membership was about building confidence. Slowly I got involved with the NM Section and was gratified that my contributions were affirmed. This
Candidate for AIPG National Secretary
John Sorrell CPG-11366
Albuquerque, New Mexico
gave me incentive to continue and start developing reward- ing opportunities to participate with others in my discipline that were not directly related to work, which I find extremely fulfilling!
I was excited to get involved with the NM Section, but initially found that it was not as active as it had once been. Some initial inquiries suggested that the large size of our state makes it difficult to schedule well-attended gatherings. However, in 2012, a successful NM AIPG field trip and meeting was conducted. I offered my help, and with additional assis- tance, the section established an executive committee. I was given presidential responsibility in 2014. In 2016, the AIPG New Mexico section was proud to help plan and co-host the National Convention. It was then I was introduced to some of the employees of the AIPG national organization, as well as the elected officials. This was the first time I witnessed the work of the Institute being conducted, and I was so impressed at their initiatives and dedication.
Our NM section frequently takes the opportunity to present an information table at local Geological Society conferences. At the 2017 conference at NMT, a young student visited and with the encouragement of our section secretary, decided to start a chapter - which now has 70 members! In April 2018, we held a joint meeting in Socorro, which was attended by former AIPG President Doug Bartlett.
My vision as an AIPG national officer is to integrate the existing work of supporting recent graduates, student chapters and young professional initiatives with a push to identify and recruit existing professionals not currently members of the institute. In doing so the intent is to grow the pool of men- tors available to students and young professionals. It would be incredible to witness other currently working geologists throughout the country have the same experience I have been so lucky to have. I appreciate the personal pride and satisfaction I have received because of my membership with AIPG, but - more importantly, it has fostered my eagerness to stay involved and keep giving back to the organization and our community.
www.aipg.org
Apr.May.Jun 2021 • TPG 25
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