D Hills Statement

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Denise Hills, Geological Survey of Alabama

ESIP Governance Committee Chair Nominee

It is an honor to have been nominated for the position of Chair of the ESIP Governance Committee. My involvement with ESIP goes back to 2012, when I virtually attended my first meeting and immediately felt welcomed into a community that truly is about Making Data Matter. Being "new" was no barrier to getting involved, as I was able to engage right away in various committees and clusters. Since the Geological Survey of Alabama became an ESIP member in 2013, I have been involved in several committees and working groups, including serving on the Constitution and Bylaws committee (what is now Governance) for two years, helping establish the process of having a nominating committee and serving as its first chair, and most recently as chair of the Visioneers working group.

Being a part of ESIP has allowed me to grow in my career. I am an "accidental" informaticist, with little formal training. I am constantly learning more things that I don't know but I know that I can rely on ESIP to help me find the people I need to learn from and collaborate with in order to move geoscience data forward. If you want more detail on my career and professional experience, please check out my CV.

A unique aspect of ESIP is just how much of the work is from the ground up. ESIP is very much a community, but one reason it functions so well is the light-weight and flexible governance in place. The work of the Governance Committee enables the community to concentrate on the important things - the hard work of making data matter. With my experience within ESIP, and extensive experience with other non-profit groups such as Alabama PTA (Parent Teacher Association) and AWG (Association for Women Geoscientists), I would be able to provide appropriate guidance to the Governance Committee. Mike Daniels has provided excellent leadership for the past two years, and I look forward to continuing his work on the continually evolving Policies and Procedures documents.