George H. Davis

I was a graduate of Upper St. Clair High School (Pittsburgh) and went on to attend The College of Wooster (Ohio), graduating in geology. I married another Wooster graduate, Merrily Siepert. I received a MA degree in structural geology/tectonics from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in economic geology from the University of Michigan. Merrily and I have three sons: Michael, an educator, Matthew, a pastor, and Andrew, an attorney. We brag on our five grandchildren

My professional career has been, almost exclusively, at The University of Arizona (Tucson), where I began as Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences, rising through the ranks to Full Professor, and then chosen as a Regents Professor. My primary scientific interest has been field-oriented structural geology, with applications in regional tectonics and active tectonics.

I have published extensively on the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau tectonic provinces and structures recent pubs, and I have brought my passion for structural geology into the classroom, into the research advising of undergraduate and graduate students students served), into textbook writing, and into research seminars. My current research is in Greece, where I am a team leader on the Mt. Lykaion (Zeus) Sanctuary and Excavation Site in the Peloponnesus. My role is to interpret the geologic history of the site, including active tectonics, in specific relationship to the archaeology of Lykaion.

I began my career at the University of Arizona as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences, becoming Full Professor, and then Regents Professor. I served as Chair of the Department of Geosciences, a department now regarded as one of the top geo-programs in the world. Both in graduate school and as an assistant professor, I was inspired by academic geologists who became college and university leaders, and this has influenced my broadening range of university work. At the University of Arizona, I have served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Executive on Loan to the Board of Regents, and Interim Vice President for Business Affairs. I then left The University of Arizona to serve The University of Vermont as its President, returning to the University of Arizona to carry out research and teaching, and then to serve as Executive Vice President and Provost. I stepped down from these administrative posts in May, 2007.

My outside interests are broad ranging. I enjoy reading and traveling widely, with particular attention to arts and humanities, and I spend serious time in pursuit of my interests in photography and playing chromatic harmonica.

Since 2008 I have taught a variety of courses: Active Tectonics, Geological Disasters and Society, Undergraduate Structural Geology, and Honors Seminars for first-year students. On July 1, 2012 I begin serving as President of the Geological Society of America.