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Candidate for President-Elect (2025-26)

Elvira Gomez Hernandez

Colombia Exploration Team Lead

CNOOC International, Bogotá, Colombia

Meet the Candidate
Acceptance Statement

A conversation with John Casiano and Elvira Gomez Hernandez

A conversation with John Casiano and Elvira Gomez Hernandez.

I accepted the invitation to be a candidate for AAPG president-elect because AAPG is currently facing significant challenges, and I want to contribute to its endurance and success.

I aim to lead the organization through its ongoing transition into a modern, progressive, and vibrant Association in the context of global changes reshaping the energy industry. I also envision developing a strategic business plan to guide our initiatives and ensure sustainable growth for the future.

One of my key strengths is finding common ground and building consensus. If elected, I would focus on serving our members and creating a positive impact by motivating, mentoring, inspiring and aligning diverse perspectives to achieve our shared objective: advancing the geosciences and enhancing support for our members and their careers. Having personally benefited from all that AAPG offers, I would welcome the opportunity to give back to the Association and the broader AAPG community. My business career, along with my AAPG experience as vice president of Regions, Advisory Councilor, Regional delegate, and leadership positions within the Latin America and Caribbean Region – an energetic and dynamic region – have thoroughly prepared me for the role of president-elect.

In the last decade, different challenges have tested our resilience and taught us valuable lessons about improving our methods. Leading the LAC region with a positive and responsive approach during the COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to adapt quickly, think creatively, and build consensus on addressing regional challenges. Initiatives like the Tuesday Talks LACR VGP webinar series, DL LACR Virtual Series, Sustainable Development in Energy Competition, Virtual Executive Forums on Energy, and the AAPG LACR Virtual Research Symposia – technical conferences highlighting basins throughout the Region – helped engage geoscientists across the LACR while generating revenue to sustain our educational programs.

It is essential to recognize that the consolidation of the energy sector is underway. AAPG has a long history of involvement in energy minerals (EMD) and environmental concerns (DEG). Expanding AAPG’s reach beyond the oil and gas sector to include subsurface geoscientists across the entire energy landscape is crucial. Oil and gas remain the cornerstone of the energy sector as we strive to provide energy to an energy-hungry world in environmentally responsible ways. As our members' needs evolve, the Association must adapt alongside them, continuously offering support, resources, and strategic planning.

Lastly, I want to emphasize that our Association is made up of all of us – members, leadership and staff – creating a large family united by the shared goal of growing together.

I look forward to working on your behalf toward an even better AAPG!

Career
AAPG Activity
Publications

Academic Degrees

2019 – MSc., Geophysics, National University of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
2000 – BSc., Geology, National University of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia

Experience

2021-present – Colombia Exploration Team Lead, CNOOC International, Bogotá, Colombia
2016-21 – Senior Geologist Team Lead, CNOOC International, Bogotá, Colombia
2010-16 – Senior Geologist, Nexen Petroleum Colombia Limited, Bogotá, Colombia
2003-10 – Geologist, Nexen Petroleum Colombia Limited, Bogotá, Colombia
2002 – Development Geologist, Secondee, Nexen Petroleum Colombia Limited, Bogotá, Colombia
2001-02 – Junior Geologist, Canadian Petroleum Colombia Limited, Bogota, Colombia
2000 – Field Geologist, Geominesa, Colombia

AAPG Activities

Joined AAPG in 2007
Member DPA, EMD

2024-present – ICE Program Committee, special sessions Co-Chair
2024-present – IMAGE, Next Gen Programs, ESG Co-Chair
2023-present – Sustainable Development Committee Co-Chair
2022-present – LACR Student and Young Professional Leadership Summit, Senior Advisor
2023-present – Grants-in-Aid Committee (Reviewer)
2023 – General Chair, Energy Opportunities, Mexico
2020-present – AAPG Women’s Network SIG
2019-present – AAPG Visiting Geoscientist Program SIG
2021-23 – Executive Committee, Vice President-Regions
2021-23 – AAPG Foundation L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grant Committee
2021-22 – Session Chair/Committee, Caribbean Technical Symposium and E&P Summit
2021 – AAPG ACE Technical Session Co-Chair (Denver)
2020-21 – Energy Opportunities Virtual Experiences
2019-21 – President, Latin America and Caribbean Region
2019-21 – International Regions Committee
2019-22 – Sustainable Development Committee
2020 – AAPG Latin America and Caribbean Region Virtual Research Symposia Steering Committee
2019-20 – AAPG Advisory Council (LACR Alternate Advisory Councilor)
2019 – AAPG International Conference and Exhibition Committee (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
2019 – Convener, Unlocking Mexico's Offshore Potential Geosciences Technology Workshop, Mexico City, Mexico
2018-22 – Education Awards Committee
2018-20 – Latin American and Caribbean Region Student & YP Chapter Leadership Summit Committee
2018-19 – President-Elect, Latin America and Caribbean Region
2018-19 – International Regions Committee
2018 – Latin America and Caribbean Region Energy Opportunities Conference Committee, Cartagena, Colombia
2018 – General Co-Chair, Optimizing Exploration and Development in Thrust Belts and Foreland Basins Geosciences Technology Workshop, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
2016-18 – AAPG House of Delegates

AAPG Honors & Awards

2008 – Best Poster for Unconventional Category, AAPG-SEG Conventional and Unconventional Hydrocarbon Resources International Congress, Colombia.
2006 – Co-author commendation, Gabriel Dengo Memorial Award for Best International Paper, AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Perth, Australia.

2014 – Gomez, E.P., De Armas, J. and Escobar, C., Is There a Potentiality in the Turonian Source Rocks of the Eastern Cordillera Basin to Name Them Unconventional Reservoir? How Can It Be Assessed? AAPG GTW Colombia – Expanding Unconventional Resources, Bogota, Colombia.
2008 – Gomez, E.P., De Armas, J., Guerrero, J. and Leyva, I., Reservoir Assessment of an Underexplored Distal Foreland Basin, Llanos Basin, Colombia, EGG Nexen Forum, Canmore, Canada.
2006 – Gomez, E.P., De Armas, J. & Leckie, D., Exploration of Non-Conventional Fractured Reservoirs for Caballos Formation, Girardot Subbasin, Upper Magdalena Basin, Colombia, EGG Nexen Forum, Kananaskis, Canada.

Other Candidate

John Casiano

General Info

Candidates for AAPG office have been given the opportunity to respond briefly to the subject: "Why I Accepted the Invitation to be a Candidate for an AAPG Office."

Their responses and biographical information were provided by each candidate and edited only for grammar, spelling and format.

This information will also be provided as hard-copy in an early issue of the EXPLORER and available on the AAPG website through the election period. Ballots will be mailed, online in the first quarter of each year. Results will be posted mid-May.

Candidates were asked to limit their biographies to 350 words and responses to 500 words.