Who we are

Founder and President

Dr. Wessel holds degrees in Geology from Colorado School of Mines (PhD) and the University of Missouri-Rolla (BSc and MSc; now called the Missouri University of Science and Technology). He is also licensed in the State of Washington as an Engineering Geologist. Dr. Wessel has over 40 years of experience in metals and industrial minerals exploration, geologic hazard abatement and environmental restoration, geotechnical applications and mapping of geologic hazards, the development of agricultural minerals (sulfur and potash) in Texas, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia, and the recovery of magnesium salts (for metal production) in Russia. He has specialized in geologic mapping and structural geology and has mapped large areas of the southwestern United States and the Altiplano of Bolivia using aerial photography and extensive field work. Dr. Wessel has authored or co-authored over 25 articles and abstracts, including maps available from the Washington Geological Survey, the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, and a widely used educational chart available from the Geological Society of America entitled The Geology of Plate Tectonics. He is a tireless advocate for sustainability using full-cost accounting, especially as applied to the exploitation of natural resources.

Vice President

Dr. Greenberg recently retired as Professor of Geology from Wheaton College (Illinois), where from 1986 to 2018 he taught classes in physical, historical, environmental, structural and field geology, petrology, geochemistry, and geophysics.  Dr. Greenberg received his PhD in Geology in 1978 from the University of North Carolina and his MS in 1975 from the University of Kentucky. He received his BS in Geology from Florida State University in 1973. Jeff has authored numerous publications, including geologic and geophysical maps of parts of Kentucky and Wisconsin, field trip guidebooks, and articles on Precambrian geology, igneous petrology, and most recently religious faith as a motivation in using geosciences to develop a sustainable future.  He is a respected authority on geophilanthropy, both in general and as applied by him and his students in a variety of service projects in Europe and Africa. Dr. Greenberg has organized student missions projects (typically applying geoscience and engineering to service the public good) in South Africa, Tanzania, Kosovo, and Haiti, and served as the Human Needs and Global Resources advisor at Wheaton for a number of nations in the developing world. His research interests range from the application of appropriate technology in community development in impoverished areas to the tectonics of the southern Appalachians.

Mr. Ernst holds degrees in Geology (BS, University of Rhode Island), Oceanography (MS, Oregon State University, and Business (MBA, University of Washington). He has retired after a 45-year career that included stints with the US Army Corps of Engineers during Second Powerhouse construction at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, petroleum well logging in Utah and New Mexico, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hazardous Materials Response Branch, and Boeing’s Corporate Environmental Affairs. Will’s interest in the earth sciences continues in retirement with a focus on climate impact adaptation measures and several volunteer activities including with the Association of State Boards of Geology concerning state licensure of geoscientists, as a member on the Board of Advisors supporting the Dean, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University, and with Geology in the Public Interest.

Dr. Ellen Metzger is Professor of Geology and Science Education at San Jose State University (SJSU), where she has taught for 35 years. She holds a PhD and MS in Geology from Syracuse University and a BS in Earth Science from the University of New Orleans. A metamorphic petrologist by training, Dr. Metzger teaches courses in mineralogy, geochemistry, and Earth system science. She co-designed “Sustainability, Human Development, and the Earth,” a general education course which is part of SJSU’s Minor in Sustainability. Since 1990, Dr. Metzger has co-Directed the Bay Area Environmental STEM Institute (BAESI; www.baesi.org), which has provided more than 3,000 teachers of grades 4-12 with professional development around Earth and environmental science and sustainability.

Dr. Metzger has authored several publications that highlight support for high-quality Earth science education as a key component of the geoscience community’s toolkit for addressing challenges to sustainability and part of its ethical responsibility to society.

Beth began her interest in Geology around the age of ten on a family trip to the East Coast by way of the Grand Canyon. She and her husband, Dave (also a geologist) enjoy seeing geology wherever they may travel now that they are retired. They share an interest in promoting applied geology as a benefit to society and encouraging geology as a career choice. While none of their three girls followed them into geology, a nephew did (maybe one of their five grandkids will). Beth received her BS in Earth Sciences from the honors program at Portland State University and her MS in Geology from the University of Utah. She worked in a variety of temporary positions in coal production, minerals exploration, as a teaching assistant, and as a geotechnician. She worked for Chevron in oil and natural gas for six years in the U.S. and Canada. After working at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia Washington as a part-time instructor for seven years, Beth was hired at Pierce College as a full-time tenured faculty member in 1997 teaching a variety of geology classes, oceanography, and environmental science and retiring in 2021.

Dave is a former Washington State geologist and manager of the Washington Geological Survey (WGS). He retired in 2019, after 30 years with the Department of Natural Resources and WGS. Prior to WGS management he worked in mine regulation and reclamation, geological hazards, and geological mapping. He also has experience working in private sector oil and gas, mineral, and geothermal exploration, and engineering geology. He received his BS in Earth Science from Portland State University and his MS from University of Utah. He is a licensed geologist, hydrogeologist, and engineering geologist in Washington state. He has had a long term interest in societal issues regarding mining, geological hazards, geothermal energy, ground water, carbon sequestration and data preservation. His current interests are in increasing the visibility of geology to the public and improving K-12 education as it relates to geology.

Etzy is an accomplished researcher and project leader with experience in innovative projects in the geochemistry and mining sectors, including developing circular economy models for mining and the theoretical analysis of critical and strategic minerals for Mexico. In addition, she has experience in the research and execution of environmental geochemistry projects, the characterization of sites contaminated by mining activities, and integrated management of mining-metallurgical waste. Etzy is passionate about science outreach and sustainable development and eager to expand her work in responsible mining and its socio-environmental impacts. Her MS from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México was on a “Circular Economy Model for the Mining Industry: Valorization of Mining metallurgical Waste and the Significance of Waste Characterization.” She is now at the Colorado School of Mines, where she is working on a PhD in Hydrobiogeochemistry centered on mining issues in Peru. Fluent in two languages and with a working knowledge of two more, Etzy’s skills and interdisciplinary approach are critical for projects that cross cultural and political boundaries, as so many do.