AGI Announces Appointment of Dr. Maeve Boland as Director of Geoscience Policy

Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Maeve Boland as AGI’s new Director of Geoscience Policy. AGI’s Geoscience Policy program serves as a link between the geosciences community and policymakers by sustaining communication, ensuring quality information flow, and representing the voices of AGI Member Societies.

Boland has a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies surrounding geoscience policy. She has extensive experience in industry, academia, and policy settings. After receiving B.A. and M.Sc. degrees in Geology from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, Boland worked in petroleum and mineral exploration in the private sector, and industrial minerals at the Geological Survey of Ireland. She later received her Ph.D. in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado, where she developed her policy expertise and taught multiple courses on the intersection of science and policy. Most recently, Boland served as a AAAS Executive Branch Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the USGS (2010-2012) and as the American Geophysical Union Congressional Science Fellow in the U.S. Senate (2009-2010). During her fellowships, Boland collaborated with stakeholders from Capitol Hill, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Energy, the White House, and the private sector to address geoscience policy issues crucial to society. In her new role, Boland will serve as a focused voice for the shared policy interests of the geoscience community.

Dr. Wayne Pennington, AGI past president, said, “Dr. Boland brings an outstanding array of experiences in different branches of the US government, as well as a great deal of respect from the geoscience community to AGI and its Member Societies. We look forward to the opportunities she will create for advancing the use of geosciences in public policy and for the public good.”