User:Megandesormeaux12/Vicki Cowart

Parents/Relatives/Family
Coward married Christopher Hayes, a lawyer, in 1990. They do not have children, but rather spend time with friends and family in their free time. The couple now live in Denver Colorado. Both Vicki and her husband Christopher are involved with local politics and charities, volunteering with non-profit groups.

Education
She attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute to obtain a Bachelor of Science (BS) Physics from 1971 - 1975, then she attended the Colorado School of Mines to get a Master of Science (MS) Geophysics from 1975 - 1977.

Career
After graduating from the Colorado School of Mines in 1977, Cowart joined the oil industry. She specialized in making maps based on seismic measures, using sound waves to explore for gas and oil. She later joined Schlumberger Well Services as a district manager from 1991-1993,  a company who test and measure a well, after being drilled by an oil company, and determine how much oil is present and how best to extract it. It was her job at this company to ensure that tests were being done correctly and to communicate information to the clients.

After a 16 year career in the oil and gas industry, Cowart became the Colorado State Geologist and director of the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) in 1993-2003. On top of this, she was a member on the Colorado school of mines board of trustees from 2008-2015.

Since 2003, Vicki Cowart is now President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM). PPRM is a non-profit, high quality health care and sex education provider that serves low income patients, without receiving any federal or state support, and a nearly century old affiliation of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). Annually, they serve over 100,000 people in 30 health centers and 40,000 people through the Responsible Sex Education Institute. She has served as Chair of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates Chief Executive Council and on PPFA national board of directors.

Cowart also believed it is important to take leadership roles in women’s organizations. She served as co-chair for the PPFA-wide Ballot Initiatives Council, which provides expertise and funding to fight ballot initiatives in states that would limit or deny the ability of women to make their own personal reproductive decisions. PPRM, under Cowart’s leadership, successfully beat three anti-abortion Personhood ballot initiatives in 2008, 2010 and 2014. She also beat the first-ever city ballot initiative in 2013 which intended to limit access to abortions in Albuquerque, NM.

Led by Cowart, PPRM completed “Building the Future”, a $12 million capital campaign for system-wide improvements. This included relocating and refurbishing eight health centers, and building new flagship headquarters, on budget and three months early despite a year-long campaign of protests intended to intimidate the builders.

Contributions to the Geological Field
As Vicki worked in a mostly male dominated field she believed it was important to participate in women's organizations. Cowart helped found the Association for Women Geoscientists, served as the organization's first nationally elected president, and is an Honorary Member. Board of Directors of the Association for Women Geoscientists Foundation (AWG) in the 1980s.

Major Discoveries and Contributions
Vicki established the CGS Geological Hazards Conference, which provides public education and outreach on geologic hazards, land use and development issues. These conferences changed the standard of practice of geotechnical engineering, leading to changes in county regulatory practices. Alongside this, Vicki also established the CGS’s first geologic mapping program Which, to date, has created over 90 geologic maps, mineral and mineral fuel consortia, built an industrial constituency, and developed funding for CGS’s natural resources program.

Awards
In 2010, Cowart received the prestigious Ian Campbell Award from the American Geological Institute.

She was also chosen by her CEO peers to receive the Ruth Green Award, given to one outstanding Planned Parenthood affiliate CEO each year, in 2014.

Civic Duties
Colorado School of Mines Foundation Board of Directors, International Women's Forum and the Alliance of Professional Women.