(Board member since May 2002) Since co-founding GeoPark in 2002, James F. Park served for 20 years as our Chief Executive Officer until his retirement effective June 30, 2022. Jim initially founded, built the team, and led the strategy and growth of GeoPark from its small footprint at the southern tip of South America into becoming one of the leading oil and gas companies operating across Latin America today. He continues to serve as Vice Chair of our Board of Directors, Chair of the Strategy and Risk Committee and a member of the Technical and SPEED Committees. Beginning as a drilling rig roughneck in his teenage years, Jim has 50 years of experience in all phases of the upstream oil and gas business, with a record of achievement in the acquisition, technical operation, and management of international projects and teams across the globe, including projects in North America, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East — and with a successful emphasis on people, communities, and the environment. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Geophysics from the University of California at Berkeley and previously worked as a research scientist focused on earthquakes and tectonics at the Geophysics Laboratory of the University of Texas. Jim has a degree in environmental management from the University of California at Santa Barbara and is a member of the Board of Directors of GoodRock LLC. He is a former member of the Boards of Directors of the humanitarian non-profit, SEE (Surgical Eye Expeditions) International, and the service and advocacy non-profit, Girls, Inc. Jim is a member of the AAPG and SPE, and has lived in Latin America since 2002.
