Jim grew up in Louisiana, Florda and New Jersey. He has a BS in Geology from LSU and a PhD in Geology from The University of Texas at Austin. Jim worked for more than 40 years in the petroleum industry and retired from ExxonMobil in 2017 as a Division Manager in the Upstream Research Company. While at ExxonMobil, Jim served in a variety of technical, supervisory, managerial, and executive positions, in Exploration, Production and Research. Over the course of his career, Jim has traveled to over 42 countries and worked geology across the world.
Jim is currently a member of The Geological Society of America. During his career he has also been a member of American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Society of Sedimentary Geology, The American Association for the Advancement of Science and Sigma Xi. He was also a licensed Petroleum Geologist in the State of Alabama. He has served on the advisory boards of University of Florida Department of Geosciences and the Louisiana State University Department of Geology and Geophysics.
Upon retirement, Jim and Debra bought a home in Breckenridge where, when not visiting grandchildren in Houston Tx and Buffalo NY, they spend most of their time. They both are very active in the community. Jim is past President and Chairman of the Board of the Breckenridge Backstage Theatre as well as a former board member of Breckenridge Creative Arts. Along with his wife of 48 years Debra, a former captain in the US Army and AP Science teacher, they also volunteer with the Summit Historical Society and Friends of Dillon Ranger District
Jim and Debra love all that living in Breckenridge provides, skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. They are both proud of, and active supporters of, the arts community in Breckenridge. The NRO is a unique asset to our community, and Jim is pleased to be a member of the board of trustees.