AAPG EXPLORER Leadership begins at home: Steve Sonnenberg with his dad, Frank, at various parts <strong>of</strong> his “career” – including a field trip where they were “checking the geology” in the mid-1950s. The late Frank Sonnenberg was a longtime AAPG member. Sonnenberg from page 28 One <strong>of</strong> the goals is to get operators to think, literally, out <strong>of</strong> the geologic box. “Operators tend to focus on their early successes,” he said, “so I advise them to remember other aspects <strong>of</strong> the play, including the well-known concept that part <strong>of</strong> the production comes from the shales, in addition to the silty dolostone reservoirs.” Leading this project, he says, has given him the ability to see the bigger picture and to give advice to other consortium members. Or at least, he tries to. “Some <strong>of</strong> them listen,” he says. On Bakken, though, he wants to make sure the right story gets out. “The general public gets lots <strong>of</strong> mixed information about what is going on,” he said, speaking about the play that has dominated the media’s energy reporting. “If there is bad news to report (such as an operational problem), the public generally always hears about it,” he said. “The good news on employment and the economic benefits <strong>of</strong> the Bakken unfortunately doesn’t get the press that it should.” Working On a Dream But if his work in and with the Bakken is his job, much <strong>of</strong> his passion is expressed in geology – and in the opportunities for leadership that the pr<strong>of</strong>ession has provided. “My greatest success so far in all that I have done is being president <strong>of</strong> AAPG,” he said, proudly. “It’s one <strong>of</strong> the most enjoyable and challenging things that I have done.” He talks <strong>of</strong> the traveling to various conferences and experiencing the global perspective on oil and gas. “It was fantastic,” he said <strong>of</strong> his time heading the AAPG Executive Committee. “Interacting with geologists around the world was – and still is – great.” As a geologist, as a leader, he knows that it’s never just one thing that makes a person an effective leader. “The qualities that mark good leadership include: Commitment, competence, character, communication, attitude, relationships, focus, integrity, passion and vision,” he said. Sonnenberg also knows that awards (and he’s won many) do not happen in a vacuum – and that’s a lesson he learned early in his career. “I did my master’s degree under Bob Berg at Texas A&M University and my Ph.D. degree under Bob Weimer, Colorado School <strong>of</strong> Mines,” he said. “Both are Sidney Powers medalists from AAPG, and they both inspired me and all the rest <strong>of</strong> their students to get involved in pr<strong>of</strong>essional societies.” They were instrumental, in fact, in him becoming an active member in the Rocky Mountain <strong>Association</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geologists</strong>, first as a program chairman and then in a variety <strong>of</strong> other ways as the results <strong>of</strong> networking became evident. Asked whether those leadership opportunities were circumstance or design, he says, for certain, at least one experience was the result <strong>of</strong> a dream. “I set a goal in the leadership arena to be the president <strong>of</strong> AAPG early in my career,” he said. “This goal was accomplished through committee work, being active in all areas <strong>of</strong> AAPG governance.” Don’t Forget to Remember … He is biased, he’ll tell you that, but he 30 MAY 2013 WWW.AAPG.ORG See Halbouty Award, page 38
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