Geological Society of America names new executive director
The Geological Society of America (GSA) announced that Vicki S. McConnell will become its new executive director, effective April 1, 2015. Judy Totman Parrish, a former GSA president, will serve as interim executive director from Jan. 3 through March 31, 2015.
McConnell is presently the state geologist of Oregon and executive director of the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, appointments by the governor that she has held for the past decade. She was president of the Association of American State Geologists in 2011-2012. Under her direction, Oregon has been a leader in earthquake-risk reduction in schools and emergency facilities, tsunami-hazard mitigations and preparedness, and acquisition of LIDAR for applications in land-use planning, ecosystem restoration, and geologic and hazard mapping.
McConnell received her Ph.D. in geology/volcanology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1995. She has also been a research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an adjunct professor of Geology at Eastern Oregon University. Her scholarly work has focused on understanding volcanic eruptive histories and their impact on magma-generated hydrothermal systems. She applies geologic field mapping and geochemical research to volcanic hazards and renewable geothermal energy systems.
She is a GSA fellow, and was chair of the local planning committee for the 2009 GSA Annual Meeting in Portland, OR. She is also a member of the American Geophysical Union, Association for Women Geoscientists, National Center for Science Education, Association of American State Geologists, and American Institute of Professional Geologists. She has served on numerous boards and councils, including the USGS Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee, and the Federal Advisory Committees for the National Cooperative Geology Map Program and the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program.
