Opening KeynoteMonday, May 11th, 3:30pm, Hall E
Sponsored by:
Were the Canadian Rockies Made in Nevada?
The Opening Keynote will be delivered May 11, 3:30pm on the Exhibit Hall E stage.
Nicolaus Zentner
Nick Zentner is a nationally recognized geologist and educator whose career spans over three decades of teaching, public outreach, and media engagement. He earned his B.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1986 and his M.S. in Geology from Idaho State University in 1989. From 1989 to 1992, Nick taught geology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, before joining Central Washington University in 1992, where he continues to inspire students and the public with his dynamic approach to Earth science.
Nick’s commitment to making geology accessible and engaging has earned him numerous prestigious honors. In 2015, he received the James Shea Award from the Geological Society of America (GSA), recognizing his exceptional delivery of Earth science to the general public—a distinction shared with luminaries like John McPhee, Jack Horner, and Robert Ballard. His PBS-TV series Nick On The Rocks won two Emmy Awards in 2021 from the Northwest Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, celebrating its innovative storytelling and educational impact.
In 2023, Nick was honored with the GSA’s Public Service Award for materially enhancing public understanding of the Earth sciences, joining a distinguished list of recipients including Lucy Jones, Richard Alley, and Stephen Jay Gould. In 2024, he received the Neale Medal from the Geological Association of Canada for sustained excellence in sharing Earth science with Canadians, and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Institute of Professional Geologists for his major contributions to the profession.
Professor and G&G Enthusiast
Panelist
Shelley Leggitt
Shelley Leggitt is VP of Geoscience at Kiwetinohk Energy Corporation (KEC) and brings 35 years of technical and leadership experience in conventional and unconventional plays in Western Canada. Prior to joining KEC, Shelley was VP of Geoscience at Velvet Energy responsible for a large technical team working on leading-edge technologies to develop the Montney at Gold Creek and Pouce Coupe and further develop seismic techniques to exploit deep basin gas.
Before Velvet Energy, Shelley was VP of exploration at NAL Resources working on a large portfolio of assets extending from SE Sask to AB Sturgeon Lake Montney. A highlight of her career was her tenure as Exploration Manager at EOG Canada responsible for early development of the Horn River Basin and initial exploration and the first well in the Duvernay East Shale basin. Shelley has also held leadership roles at Enerplus and Encana/PanCanadian and worked early in her career at the Petroleum Recovery Institute where she focused on enhanced oil recovery projects.
Shelley holds a Master’s degree in Geology from McMaster University and is a registered Professional Geologist in Alberta. Shelley has been active with the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (now CEGA) for many years, having served as finance director, education director, Geoconvention chair, Calgary Geoleaders co-chair, and is President of the society.
Jennifer Young
Jennifer is a senior energy leader with 20 years of Canadian and international upstream experience. She is currently on sabbatical from Suncor Energy and has held diverse technical and leadership roles spanning exploration, development, new ventures, reclamation, strategic planning, and governance.
Her career highlights include serving as Manager for Equinor Canada, where she led the Exploration and Development of Bay du Nord—Equinor’s largest discovery outside of Norway and one of Canada’s lowest-carbon potential oil developments. Jennifer also played a key role in expanding Petro-Canada’s U.S. portfolio during the shale boom, led Suncor’s in situ growth strategy, and managed its portfolio of legacy reclamation sites in Canada’s Arctic.
Jennifer holds a B.Sc. in Geology and M.Sc. in Geophysics, both from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from the University of Victoria. A registered Professional Geoscientist in Alberta and a Fellow of the Energy Futures Lab, Jennifer is also an avid nature enthusiast, soccer player, dedicated volunteer, and most importantly, mom of two.
Panelist
Panelist
Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart is Professor of Geophysics, holds the Cullen Chair in Exploration Geophysics, and is Director of the Allied Geophysical Laboratories at the University of Houston. Prior to his current position, he was employed with Chevron’s Oil Field Research Lab in California; ARCO in Dallas; and Veritas Software in Calgary. Stewart was Professor of Geophysics at the University of Calgary, held its Chair in Exploration Geophysics, and co-founded the CREWES Project, a university-industry consortium.
He received the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Houston in 2013 and was presented with the UH Provost’s Teaching Excellence Award in 2014. Rob is a licensed geoscientist in Alberta (P. Geo.) and Texas (P.G.).
Stewart was a Society of Exploration Geophysicists’ (SEG) Distinguished Educator and received the SEG Lifetime Membership Award. He also served as President of the Canadian SEG and received its Honorary Membership Award and Medal. He served as Vice President of the Geophysical Society of Houston and is currently Vice President of the SEG.
Stewart received his Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.