Rachel Austin has had no time to ease into her new job.<\/p>\n
Newly named executive director of the West Texas Geological Society, or WTGS, Austin immediately went to work helping plan the society\u2019s upcoming centennial celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored to serve as executive director during such a historic time for the organization. As we celebrate 100 years, I\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to build on the work of those who came before me and help position the society for a strong future. I see my role as supporting our members, telling their stories, and helping ensure this organization continues to serve the geological community for many years to come,\u201d she told the Reporter-Telegram.<\/p>\n
Austin succeeds Shellie Crossland, who died along with several family members in last July\u2019s floods. Austin said: \u201cAlthough I didn\u2019t have the opportunity to know Shellie personally, it has become very clear just how much she meant to WTGS and the geological community. The stories members share about her speak to the passion, kindness, and dedication she brought to the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization has honored Crossland\u2019s memory in several ways, including by awarding her an honorary life membership at last year\u2019s symposium. Crossland\u2019s daughter accepted the honor. Members have also celebrated her life through tributes, toasts and memorial donations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope to honor her memory by building upon the strong foundation she helped create and continuing the work she cared so deeply about,\u201d Austin said.<\/p>\n
Austin has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a focus on leadership, communications, event planning and community engagement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat drew me to WTGS was the opportunity to work with an organization that has such deep roots in West Texas and such a dedicated membership. Joining during its centennial year has made the experience even more special, as we celebrate the people and history that have shaped the organization over a century while looking toward its future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Austin said building relationships is one of her greatest strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also bring a fresh perspective. Because I came into WTGS from outside the geology industry, I naturally ask questions and look for opportunities to make the organization more accessible and engaging while respecting its traditions and history,\u201d Austin said.<\/p>\n
Austin added: \u201cI\u2019ve learned a great deal about geology since joining WTGS, but what has impressed me most is the generosity of our members. They are passionate about their profession, eager to mentor others, and deeply committed to preserving the history of the industry. It\u2019s been a privilege to get to know them.\u201d<\/p>\n
As executive director, Austin said her biggest goal is to help ensure WTGS continues to thrive for the next 100 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means strengthening member engagement, expanding community outreach, preserving the organization\u2019s history and continuing to provide valuable educational and networking opportunities,\u201d she said. \u201cI also hope to help more people outside the industry better understand the important role geology has played and continues to play in shaping the Permian Basin and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rachel Austin has had no time to ease into her new job. Newly named executive director of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,223,462],"class_list":["post-386386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-news","tag-oil"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}