Board of Directors
President: Rachel T. Newrick, Ph.D., P.Geoph., P.Geol.
Dr. Rachel Newrick is an exploration geophysicist working and teaching internationally with a focus on seismic interpretation. She completed a BSc (Geology) and BSc Honours (Geophysics) at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and a PhD in Exploration Seismology at the University of Calgary, Canada. She is the co-author of the SEG Geophysical Monograph Series #13, Fundamentals of Geophysical Interpretation with Larry Lines, a contributor to two 52 Things… books, and has presented at a variety of technical conferences and luncheons. Rachel is a member of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG), serving as VP, President and Past President (2014-2017), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), and is registered as both a Professional Geologist and Geophysicist with the Association of Petroleum Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
President-Elect: Beth McLarty Halfkenny, B.Sc. (Hons)
Beth McLarty Halfkenny is a geoscience outreach specialist providing informal geoscience education opportunities for youth, teachers and the public. She is Curator and Outreach Coordinator in the Department of Earth Sciences at Carleton University, has served as Chair, and now past Chair of EdGEO Canadian Earth Science Teacher Workshop Program, is a member of the Ottawa Gatineau Geoheritage Project, and a member of the Canadian Geoscience Education Network (CGEN), assuming the role of President in May of 2019. Beth is a graduate of Western University, with an Honours BSc. in Geology. Past work experience includes mapping with the Ontario Geological Survey in Northern Ontario, geochemical research assistant to Dr. Rob Kerrich at Western University, Earth Science Technician at Acadia University, and High School Science Assistant with the Sooke School Board in BC.
Past President: Oliver Bonham, P.Geo.
Oliver “Ollie” Bonham retired in May 2018 as CEO of Geoscientists Canada/Géoscientifiques Canada – a position he has held from 2006. Prior to joining Geoscientists Canada, Ollie served as the Executive Director/Registrar of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario
(APGO). He is a professional geoscientist who spent 26 years in mining and mineral exploration, mostly with Rio Algom, where he ultimately served as Exploration Manager South America, based in Santiago, Chile. He also spent time with Billiton and BHP Billiton, in London, England, at the time of that merger. Ollie has a B.A. in Geology from Trinity College, Dublin and an M.Sc. in Economic Geology from Dalhousie, Nova Scotia. He is a P.Geo. in BC.
Financial Director: Jen Parks, Ph.D., LEL
Jen Parks is currently an Instructor and Academic Advisor in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at the University of Waterloo. She obtained a PhD from the University of Waterloo in 2010. Her PhD research focused on using field mapping, geochronology, geochemical, and structural methods to study the tectonic evolution of an Archean greenstone belt and test different tectonic models in the Archean. Since finishing her PhD, she has focused on teaching at the undergraduate level. Jen currently teaches labs and lectures in areas of Mineralogy, Petrology, Structural Geology and Field Mapping. She served as the Vice Chairperson of the Precambrian Division of the GAC from 2011 to 2014.
Communications Director: Courtney Onstad, M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons)
Courtney Onstad completed her M.Sc. on an orogenic gold deposit at the University of Saskatchewan in 2021 and her B.Sc. (Hons.) in Geological Sciences in 2018 (USask). During her undergraduate career she completed two undergraduate honours projects. Courtney is now a PhD student at Simon Fraser University where she is studying geoscience communication. Courtney has worked on exploration programs in the Athabasca Basin and the Meliadine gold district. While completing her M.Sc. she joined RESPEC Consulting Inc. in Saskatoon where she worked on environmental-focused projects. In 2018 Courtney initiated a formal geology outreach program at the University of Saskatchewan and mobilized over 20 undergraduate and graduate volunteers. Volunteering has always been a strong passion of Courtney’s and she has sat on many executive committees including U of S SEG Chapter, Ore Gangue Student Society, U of S Graduate Geological Society, Western Inter-University Geoscience Conference, and the Alberta Women’s Science Network.
Outreach Director: Amanda McCallum, P.Geo.
Amanda is owner and President with her business Ignite Education Inc. in St. John’s, NL. She is a geologist, prospector and educator with 20 years experience. Her primary areas of professional services include geoscience education and outreach, project management, public relations, STEM communications, geological heritage and geopark development. Amanda’s had a progressive career leading international, national and regional projects, including serving as the past Chair of NL Mining Week, Chair/Founder NL Women in Mining Forum and author of the Women in Mining Career Connections Guide. She recently created the application dossier for Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark and led this international project to secure Newfoundland and Labrador’s first UNESCO Global Geopark designation.
Amanda has a Bachelor of Science (Geology) and a Bachelor of Education degree, both from Memorial University and a Masters Certificate in Project Management from Schulich School of Business, York University. Amanda is currently the Chair of Women in Resource Development Corporation (WRDC), and President of the Canadian Geoscience Education Network (CGEN).
International Director: Katherine Boggs, Ph.D.
Katherine is passionate about the geosciences because she is fascinated by the processes that form the “Earth beneath our feet”. She has been a geology professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary since 2003 and was part of the team that lead the transition from a two-year university transfer to a four-year BSc Geology Major Program. Her PhD was completed at the University of Calgary constraining the offset
and timing of displacement along the Purcell Thrust Fault that cuts across the Rocky Mountain Trench in southern BC. Katherine did her MSc at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi determining the P-T-t trajectories for a granulite dome in the Grenville Province. She completed her BSc (Honurs in Biology-Geology) at Carleton University in Ottawa. While trained as a field based metamorphic petrologist through graduate school, Katherine has found herself promoting EON-ROSE as the next mega-
geosciences project in Canada. She is also the Director for the Community Science Liaison program embeds place- and curriculum-based citizen science projects in Canadian K-12 classrooms. Teachers appreciate these projects because they bring the real world into their classrooms, students feel empowered because they feel as though they are contributing towards understanding their backyards and scientists get rejuvenated about their disciplines through these student’s enthusiasm for understanding their “backyard laboratories”.
Special Projects Director: Linda Ham, M.Sc.
Linda started her career as a geology student working in the Yukon, followed by two summers in the Baker Lake area of what is now Nunavut. She obtained her B.Sc. (Hon) at Queen’s University, worked for two years in private industry, travelled for a year, and then obtained her M.Sc. at Dalhousie University. She worked as a Regional Geologist with the now-Nova Scotia Geological Survey until 2003 when she and her young family moved to Iqaluit, Nunavut. Since that time, she has worked with now-Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, and the Government of Nunavut, Economic Development and Transportation as Manager and Acting Director of Minerals and Petroleum Resources. In 2015, she became Chief Geologist with the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office (CNGO), Nunavut’s ‘de-facto’ geological survey, on an Interchange Canada agreement, becoming full-time with CNGO (NRCan-GSC) in 2019. Linda is a Professional Geologist in Nunavut.
External Engagement Director: Andrew Abraham
From a kid collecting fossils in Lyme Regis, to a geological career exploring for metals in remote regions of the world, Andy has lived, breathed, and never stopped marveling at the Earth’s dynamic processes. He brings his love and enthusiasm for every aspect of earth science, the environment, and the quest to understand our sense of place in today’s world.
After graduating from Aston University in the UK, Andy completed his M.Sc. at the University of Regina and his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where he was part of the ore deposits research group. He has been a geologist for almost forty years and has provided his knowledge and expertise for over twenty to North American and international exploration and mining projects. Experience working on multi-faceted complex cultural and ethnic challenges, developed his genuine passion for diversity and inclusion. He is equally enthusiastic about educating the public and building increased recognition of the historical role of earth science in society and how it will continue to positively shape its future. Whilst not working on geological problems, Andy spends time with his family and is becoming recognized as an artist and writer, creating geologically inspired images and poetry.