Full Spectrum

Abstract

Sally Zinke is an outstanding geophysicist who has left an indelible mark on SEG with her many achievements. Most notably, she is the only woman to date who has served as President of our Society. Zinke received a B.S. in geology and geophysics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an M.S. in geophysics from Pennsylvania State University, and midway through her career completed the executive M.B.A. program at the University of Denver with an emphasis in finance. She has worked for a major oil company, Mobil Oil; a large independent, PanCanadian Petroleum; was a faculty member at the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology; worked as a consultant on many exploration-related projects; and most recently was director of exploration/director of new ventures for Ultra Petroleum. Throughout that time, she has been a volunteer in her local SEG section, the Denver Geophysical Society, and has served on numerous SEG committees and several Executive Committees. While President in 2000–2001, Zinke, along with her Executive Committee, developed a Strategic Plan to take SEG into the 21st century. She also ably handled the 9/11 interruption of the SEG Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Through all of this, Zinke was a single mom, and as she claims, “My greatest success is my 22-year old daughter — I built an intelligent, strong, yet compassionate woman.”