Dr. John W. Valley, Charles R. Van Hise professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin – Madison has been inducted as the newest member of the GIA’s Board of Governors at the body’s recent meeting in Carlsbad.

Valley is an acclaimed researcher in many fields in Earth science, including the early Earth, astrobiology, paleoclimatology, mineralogy, geochemistry and petrology. He is a fellow of five professional societies, including the American Geophysical Union, and served as president of the Mineralogical Society of America. He received the N.L. Bowen Award from the AGU and was a Fulbright Scholar at Edinburgh University. He has published over 300 articles and has held editorial positions for numerous scientific journals including Elements, where he has been principal editor since 2011. Valley received his Ph.D. from University of Michigan in 1980, and bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College.

Following the meeting, Jeffrey H. Fischer, president of Fischer Diamonds, Inc. in New York and president of Fischer Diamonds Ltd. in Israel, retired from board after six years of service. Earlier this year, Paul E. Kreutz, an attorney working with emerging companies in Southern California, also left the board.