Governor Abbott Names Chair And Appoints Nine To The Technical Advisory Committee To The Bureau Of E
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Dan Hill, Chris Hillman, Dana Jurick, Hal Macartney, Kris Nygaard, Craig Pearson, Brian Stump, Scott Tinker and Robie Vaughn to the Technical Advisory Committee to the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) for terms at the pleasure of the Governor. Vaughn has been designated as presiding officer of the Committee. House Bill 2, passed by the Legislature during the 84th Legislative Session, created the Advisory Committee and appropriated $4.47 million to UT for the purchase and deployment of seismic equipment, maintenance of seismic networks, and modeling of reservoir behavior for systems of wells in the vicinity of faults. The Committee will advise the Bureau of Economic Geology on the use of the funding, including the TexNet Seismic Monitoring Program and collaborative research relationships with other universities in Texas, and on the preparation of a status report to the Governor and Legislature.
Dan Hill of College Station is a professor and the Stephen A. Holditch Department Head Chair of the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. He is a Distinguished Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and a member of its board of directors, and is a technical editor for the SPE Productions and Operations Journal. Additionally, he is a member of several SPE committees, including the Global Training Committee, International Faculty Achievement Award Committee, Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Program Committee and the Asia Pacific Hydraulic Fracturing Program Committee. Hill received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin.
Chris Hillman of Irving is city manager for the City of Irving. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association and the Texas City Management Association. Hillman received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration from Brigham Young University.
Dana Jurick of Houston is manager of Seismic Analysis for the Geoscience and Reservoir Engineering Organization at ConcoPhillips Company. He is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and he was honorably discharged from the United States Army Reserve. Jurick received a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University and a Master of Science from The University of Texas at El Paso.
Hal Macartney of Irving is geoscience manager of Sustainable Development for Pioneer Natural Resources. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Geophysical Union, Seismological Society of America, Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Macartney received a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmoth College.
Kris Nygaard of Houston is senior stimulation consultant for ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Mechanical Engineers, Seismological Society of America and the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. Nygaard received a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Arizona.
Craig Pearson of Midland is the State Seismologist for the Railroad Commission of Texas. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, Seismological Society of America, American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the International Society Explosives Engineers. Pearson received a Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas Permian Basin and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Southern Methodist University.
Brian Stump of McKinney is a professor and the Albritton Chair of Geological Sciences at Southern Methodist University. He is a member of the Seismological Society of America, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, International Society Explosives Engineers and the American Geophysical Union. Additionally, he is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the American Association for Advancement of Science. Stump received a Bachelor of Arts from Linfield College and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Scott Tinker of Austin is the State Geologist of Texas, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, acting Associate Dean of Research and Edwin Allday Endowed Chair of Subsurface Geology and professor at The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences. Additionally, he is director of the Advanced Energy Consortium. He is a past president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Association of American State Geologists, Austin Geological Society, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, and current president of the American Geosciences Institute, representing over 250,000 geoscientists worldwide. He is a certified Professional Geoscientist in Texas, holds appointments on the National Petroleum Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and is a member of numerous other professional societies and boards. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, trustee associate of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation and trustee of the American Geological Institute Foundation and the Association of American State Geologists Foundation. Tinker received a Bachelor of Science from Trinity University, Master of Science from the University of Michigan and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Colorado.
Robie Vaughn of Dallas is the owner of Vaughn Capital Partners, LLC. He is a co-founder and member of the Dallas Producers Club and member of the Dallas Petroleum Club and of the Society of International Business Fellows. He is a member of The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee, Harry Ransom Center Advisory Board and the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors and a life member of The University of Texas at Austin Development Board, President’s Associates, Texas Exes and Texas Cowboys Alumni Association. Additionally, he is a member of the Athletics Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, and the Culver Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. In addition, he served on The Commission of 125 as co-chair of the Resources and Infrastructure Committee for The University of Texas at Austin in 2003-2004. Vaughn received a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.