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Focus on Ethics

Over the past year, GSA has stepped up Which parts of the ethics program is GSA implementing
its focus on ethics, becoming a leader in right away?
driving positive culture changes in the Right after the May 2019 Council meeting, GSA implemented
geosciences. On 31 August 2019, GSA two new initiatives. One is a complaint-handling policy known
hired Nan Stout as its first Ethics & as the “Policy & Procedures for Handling Potential Ethics
Compliance Officer. We are pleased to Violations,” which sets forth the rules GSA will follow to pro-
share the following interview with Nan. cess possible ethical violations. This policy was designed to bal-
Nan Stout Read on to hear what Nan has to say ance GSA’s goal of promoting ethics and integrity and to be fair
Ethics and about her new role and the steps GSA is to members alleged to have engaged in wrongdoing by providing
Compliance Officer taking to advance professional ethics. them reasonable due process and an opportunity to be heard.
(A copy of the policy is available online: go to www.geosociety
How did you get started in Ethics & Compliance? .org, click on the “About” tab, and then click on “Ethics.”) GSA
I started my career as an employment attorney. I did a lot of also recently updated its bylaws to underscore the importance of
trial work early on, but what I loved most was helping clients get ethics. Going forward, the bylaws make it clear that all members
ahead of problems by developing sustainable practices to do busi- must comply with GSA’s Code of Ethics and may be disciplined,
ness the right way, both legally and ethically. I began dedicating up to and including termination, for failing to do so. Finally,
myself to this kind of work in 2004, when I became head of global GSA has updated many of its internal documents to ensure that
business conduct and ethics for a large multinational company. it continues to select qualified candidates for leadership posi-
Since then, I’ve continued to work in the ethics field. I was drawn tions, honors, and awards—and that the individuals in these
to GSA because of its mission and passion for making a difference roles embody the Society’s high ethical standards.
in the way people are treated and welcomed into the profession.
Prior to taking on my current assignment here at GSA, I was a What changes are on the horizon?
clinical professor in business ethics at Colorado State University. One of the most exciting things GSA is doing is replacing its
aspirational Code of Conduct—adopted in the late 1990s—with
Why did the Society create the Ethics & Compliance Officer a new enforceable Code of Ethics. GSA’s new Code of Ethics
role? will describe the professional ethical standards of conduct GSA
Adding the Ethics & Compliance Officer role reflects GSA’s expect of its members, together with examples of prohibited
longstanding commitment to promoting greater diversity, inclu- behavior that may result in a member’s discipline, suspension, or
sion, integrity, and professionalism in the geosciences. GSA has termination from the Society. An ad hoc committee has begun
had a Code of Conduct since the late 1990s, and the Society first drafting the new Code of Ethics based on an outline approved by
published its Diversity Position Statement in 2010. In 2016, GSA the GSA Council. Once the committee has completed an initial
launched the Events Code of Conduct through the Respectful draft, members will be invited to review and submit comments.
Inclusive Scientific Events (RISE) program. In concert with all We plan to submit a final draft to the GSA Council at the GSA
these efforts, in 2018, based on the recommendations of an Ad 2019 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Council also
Hoc Ethics Committee, the GSA Council recognized that it approved the idea of a Fellows revocation policy, so this will be
wanted to be a leader in promoting professional ethical conduct coming sometime next year.
and removing barriers to full participation of all talent within our
profession. GSA invested in a dedicated Ethics & Compliance Does GSA work with other societies on these issues?
Officer to jump-start this process and quickly begin adding Yes! In addition to having periodic conversations with other
resources to weave ethics and integrity into everything it does. societies to learn about their practices and provide assistance
when appropriate, GSA has joined two external groups to
Where have you focused your efforts since you started as advance ethics and diversity more broadly. GSA is a partner in
Ethics & Compliance Officer? the American Geophysical Union’s Ethics and Equity Center.
Initially, I spent a lot of time researching best practices and And, I am particularly proud that GSA has been named to serve
learning about GSA’s structure and operations so that I could on the Leadership Council in the Societies Consortium on
tailor my recommendations to GSA’s needs. I conducted a gov- Sexual Harassment in science, technology, engineering, math-
ernance and operations risk assessment to prioritize my efforts. ematics, and medical fields (STEMM). The Consortium is a
This work helped me build specific ethics recommendations collective effort of 103 scientific and medical societies. It aims
related to policies, bylaws, complaint-handling, communication to advance professional and ethical conduct, climate, and culture
and training, leadership, and governance. In May 2019, I pre- across the STEMM fields and to remove barriers that previously
sented a comprehensive report to the GSA Council. I’m happy to have prevented full participation.
report that Council signed off on all of my recommendations.
GSA is implementing some of them right away, and other rec-
ommendations will take a little more time to develop.

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