HGS ELECTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
May is a busy month in the Houston area, with pleasant weather enabling us to attend various outdoor social activities at our parks and museums, participate in community programs and fundraising events, and, of course, enjoy gatherings with family and friends. May is also a busy month for the Houston Geological Society, as it is time to vote for your 2025 – 2026 HGS Board of Directors, renew your membership in HGS, and attend the numerous HGS meetings and short courses.
HGS Board of Directors Elections
In accordance with HGS’s Bylaws, voting for the 2025 - 2026 HGS Directors concludes at midnight on May 10, 2025. And, hence, since the May 2025 HGS Bulletin is published the first of the month, this gives everyone who has not voted as of yet 10 days to review each candidate’s brief biography and statement of interest in serving on HGS’s board and promoting HGS’s mission statements and goals. As you read each candidate’s documents, you will see a common theme of a strong interest in commitment to support HGS’s goals of increasing membership, promoting innovative technologies and research in geoscience, enhancing networking events, developing mentorship programs, and maintaining a financially sound business plan. I encourage everyone to meet the candidates in person at upcoming HGS events and get to know them.
HGS Membership Renewal
HGS begins its annual membership renewal process during the month of May. Per HGS Bylaws, HGS is required to conduct business on a fiscal year basis, and, therefore, the deadline for HGS membership is June 30, 2025. However, we at HGS are fully aware that this is the start of summer vacations, and so we do have a grace period.
Why is it so important to renew your membership and pay your dues in a timely fashion? Succinctly, it is to enable the 2025-2026 HGS Board to develop a fiscally sound and financially sustainable budget for their upcoming year’s activities. In order to organize and host HGS activities, HGS needs to plan ahead on HGS’s revenues and expenditures to develop a financially sound budget for the fiscal year. Membership dues, sponsorships, and meeting registrations are three primary income-generating revenues. Conversely, renting conference facilities and catering for our meetings, conferences, and events are some of the primary expenses. As one might expect, these revenues and expenditures are not fixed monthly numbers but rather vary throughout HGS’s fiscal year. Equally important for timely membership renewal is that it enables HGS to review its memberships and focus its attention on the interests and critical needs of HGS members. Thus, HGS will be better able to provide focused, informative networking platforms for the exchange of new advancements in our geoscience community.
Does HGS receive all its membership dues by June 30 of the fiscal year? The short answer is “No.” In part, because members renew their membership when they return from summer vacation or possibly after they receive a gentle phone call from our membership committee. In part, because HGS has new members continually joining HGS throughout the year and submitting their dues. A brief shout-out to thank everyone for bringing in new members! To further answer this question, though, I reviewed the last 5 years of HGS’s membership dues and found a few interesting and consistent trends. First, HGS receives approximately 50% of membership dues between the months of May through June and 70% by August. By October, HGS receives 90% of its annual membership dues. Thus, the HGS Board and Committee Chairs must compile and propose their budgets with knowledge from past year’s data to develop a financially sound fiscal year budget.
Upcoming Technical Events
May 5 – 8, 2025, The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) will be held at NRG Center, Houston, Texas. On May 8, HGS will join with OTC and SPE to host an “Energy Professional Hiring”.
On May 12, 2025, the HGS Dinner meeting will host guest speakers, Jeff Spencer and Francesco Gerali, who will give a presentation on “The Challenges of an Oil Historian in the 21st Century”. This meeting will be held at the Spanish Flower, located in the Heights.
On May 19, 2025, HGS will host a continuing education course on “Carbonate Reservoir Characterization with Lucia Petrophysics”. Dr. Bill Raatz will give the course and will be held at Occidental Petroleum. The course will include lectures and exercises on reservoir characterization of carbonate systems and will cover topics on critical principles for geological modeling.
On May 29, 2025, HGS will host a continuing education course on ”Analytical Organic Geochemistry for Energy and Environmental Applications.” Dr. Jagos Radovic, Director of the Center for Petroleum Geochemistry at the University of Houston, will give the course, which will be a half-day in-person and Zoom class.
Please visit the HGS website for more information on these and additional upcoming events.
I close my letter with a quote from Benjamin Franklin: “You may delay, but time will not.” Please do not delay casting your vote for HGS’s 2025-2026 Directors! In addition, please log onto the HGS website and renew your membership today!
I look forward to seeing you at our May HGS events!
Penny E. Patterson