2023-2024 NSGIC Board of Directors Election
Meet Greg!
Biography
Greg Bunce is the geospatial data coordinator at the Utah Geospatial Resource Center (commonly referred to as UGRC). He is actively involved in the state’s 911 and election efforts and is currently focused on streamlining aggregation and promoting data sharing in the state’s geographic information data catalog. Greg believes that collaboration, relationships, and standards are key to building and maintaining quality data.
Platform Statement
My name is Greg Bunce, and I currently serve as the Geospatial Data Coordinator for the State of Utah. I am truly honored to be considered for the position of President-Elect of NSGIC.
I have been a proud member of NSGIC for the past six years and have had the privilege of serving on the NSGIC Board of Directors for the last two years. Professionally, I have dedicated the past 20 years of my career to the geospatial field, exclusively within the public sector.
Throughout my career, I have embraced several principles that I would like to share as they have become a few of my guiding values. During my work in elections, I gained a deep understanding that trust is forged through transparency. I also recognized the importance of treating everyone fairly and equally, regardless of their background or political affiliation. Moreover, I learned that long hours and challenging tasks become significantly more manageable when undertaken alongside the right group of individuals.
In my role as the State Geospatial Data Coordinator in Utah, I have come to understand that relationships are central to successful collaboration. I have also learned that good ideas are free, but implementing change is often both challenging and expensive. Nevertheless, I have witnessed firsthand that with careful focus and strategic planning, one can successfully bring good ideas to fruition.
NSGIC and its members fully embody these values. I distinctly recall my initial NSGIC conference, where I immediately recognized that this is an organization I want to be actively involved with. At the time, I was new to state government, and I quickly realized that NSGIC was the place to help me navigate my new role. What stood out to me was the camaraderie and dedication within the group. I was impressed (and intimated) by the collective wealth of knowledge, diversity of ideas, and overall motivation of the group.
Over the years, my understanding and respect for NSGIC have grown exponentially. I am still struck by the overall depth of knowledge and commitment of the members. It is my belief that we are ideally positioned to contribute to change. As state government employees, we sit uniquely at the intersection of local and federal government. Because of this, we are accustomed to building key relationships, and NSGIC is our catalyst.
Serving on the NSGIC Board of Directors has reinforced the idea that dedicating time to a worthwhile cause and organization is a rewarding endeavor. It has helped me understand the larger picture of the organization as well as the mission and vision more clearly.
Utah was one of the founding members of NSGIC, and we have remained actively involved since its beginnings in 1991. NSGIC has brought great value to Utah, and it is my intent to continue our tradition of learning, sharing, and connecting within this organization.
As President-Elect, I will work to keep us forward-thinking as well as continue our efforts of fostering strong partnerships with government agencies and our business partners. My vision is that we are an organization that advances the role of geospatial technology in informed decision-making, and I believe that NSGIC gives us the collective voice to take us there.
Thank you for your trust and support.
Meet Ken!
Biography
Kenneth A. Nelson serves as the Kansas Geographic Information Officer (GIO) and Associate Director of GIS & Computing Services at the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), a research unit of the University of Kansas. Ken graduated from the University of Kansas in 1993 with degrees in Geography and Environment Studies. After serving as a GIS contractor at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region VII office, Ken joined the KGS team in 1995. Over the past 28 years, Ken has managed numerous GIS database and application development projects and collaborated with all levels of government and the private sector. The Kansas GIS Clearinghouse provides a variety of services for the Kansas GIS community and supports enterprise GIS applications for numerous state agencies. Additionally, Ken serves on the Kansas 911 and Kansas 988 Coordinating Councils. When not working, Ken enjoys playing guitar, carpentry, and family gatherings.
Platform Statement
Since graduating from the University of Kansas in 1993, I’ve had the privilege of working in a dynamic and ever-growing industry. GIS professionals are some of the most influential and talented problem-solvers I’ve met during my career, and I’m proud to be part of this profession. The landscape of geospatial technology has changed dramatically over my career. What was once a niche technology, GIS and location services are now utilized by nearly everyone in some way, shape, or form. And those who used to be the strange people in the basement with the plotter, are now technical leaders and change makers. From calling an Uber to calling 9-1-1, GIS is the foundation that underpins a vast array of databases, applications, and services.
As the landscape has certainly changed, so has the role we play as professionals and as an organization – the demands are greater, and the stakes are higher. As NSGIC state representatives, our responsibility is to effectively communicate, collaborate, and lead geospatial programs in our states and collaborate and share knowledge and experience with the NSGIC community. I feel the NSGIC President and Board of Directors are responsible for taking this collaborative spirit and leadership to the national level – target key initiatives, identify emerging trends, reinforce existing relationships, and build new ones. In short…to tackle problems, develop solutions, and share our collective knowledge.
Over the past three years, I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the Board of Directors and it has been an eventful three years at that. As an organization, we adapted from in-person to remote and hybrid conferences, we successfully conducted a national search for a new Executive Director, we hired a Director of Grant Administration, and we began the process to establish the National Geospatial Collaborative (501 (c)(3)). This all while managing an incredibly full NSGIC calendar.
The NSGIC Presidents, Board of Directors, and staff have guided the organization through some challenging times, and we are now well suited to take on the challenges that lie ahead. In some ways, we are at an inflection point and NSGIC will play a critical role in advocating and advancing strategic initiatives, programs, and legislation that elevate our field.
Professionally, I owe a great deal to NSGIC, and I aim to pay-it-back through participation. While I’m willing to serve NSGIC in any way I can, my interests lie in strategic and business planning, data aggregation models and workflows, and public-private partnerships. I’m honored to have served on the NSGIC Board over the past three years and would appreciate your support in serving as NSGIC President Elect.
Director Candidates
Meet Adam!
Biography
Originally from Northwest Ohio and a graduate from the University of Toledo, Adam moved to South Carolina 18 years ago where he started his GIS career in local government at Richland County IT/GIS.
Eleven of his fourteen years at Richland County were spent streamlining services with the Columbia Richland 911 Communication Center where he managed the spatial and IT infrastructure data needs. Collaborating with municipal and local governments, Adam was able to modernize critical emergency operations for all public safety entities. In 2019, Adam was hired as the South Carolina State GIS Coordinator. During this time, he has worked coordinating GIS efforts for fourteen state agencies which represent the SC Geographic Information Council, collaborated with local and municipal government, implemented a statewide aerial imagery program, assisted with the statewide NG911 solution, supported the state’s local redistricting efforts, and streamlined his agencies GIS infrastructure. Adam’s objectives are to build strong, lasting relationships with other national geospatial leaders, GIS professionals, collaborate with our local and state leaders, and streamline intragovernmental data sharing and GIS operations for more robust statewide geospatial programs.
Platform Statement
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying” Michael Jordan, or we’ve all heard, “can’t, never tried”. Our work is challenging, especially when technology changes so rapidly or trying to keep up with the “Jones’”. Our work challenges our ability to solve problems in a world that we have to always accomplish more with less, and it can even challenge our ability to believe in ourselves while promoting our industry. But if I don’t try to push my personal and professional boundaries, then I will never fail which is not acceptable for me to grow at everything I do. When I applied, then offered the opportunity to fill the role of state GIS coordinator, I was elated to serve the state in this new capacity. However, at the time I was challenged by three major obstacles: the first was new people or relationship, the second was the business processes, and the last is how am I going to make a difference. In my last role, I knew these three key components very well. Moving into a new job, who could I lean on for additional support because I was sure others already have experienced these same tests.
Being a leader, building lasting relationships has and will continue to help me navigate through various life situations. In my professional experiences, I have worked with a lot great, well-respected people from academia to the private sector. Within the first three months of my new career, I asked Tim Johnson, GIO for North Carolina, to participate the North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council (NC GICC) quarterly meeting. This would be a great opportunity into how a neighboring GIS leader, with proven, nationally recognized results conducts business, builds upon his relationships, and promotes our industry. I took note how Tim was focused on his coordinating council while being advised by the members. I knew that Tim was going to be one of those lasting relationship that I could protégé. After this experience, I tried to take the same approach with my coordinating council.
A few months later, I was starting my journey into the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) community. This was a focused group of peers that I could learn from because they share or overcame similar challenges when they started. Because I was new to the group, I listened, took notes, and started thinking of projects that I was now going to manage, like aerial photography and data standardization. Knowing that a community of spatial leaders existed who provided guidance based on their own experiences, I knew I had resources. When the time came to develop a request for proposals, the NSGIC community graciously responded with copies of their own proposals, which helped us format our proposal. This led to our successful statewide aerial program, which continues today. As I continue to grow within my position, I know that I will continue to support others seeking similar guidance. My focus will be to continue to provide my own experiences which will hopefully help other colleagues in the future.
Local relationships are also very important. Within the state of South Carolina, we have a small community of professionals, from city planners to 911 personnel that help share valuable information to make better decisions. As a former local government employee, building relationships with my former peers to collect data at the local level for uses within state government is a primary responsibility for my role. Without local data, some state functions would be very difficult to conduct like our state’s voter registration logs. This data has an impact on every voter within the state and accuracy is critical to ensure that the day of elections, polls operate smoothly. Moreover, the local voter registration offices need map content to determine if people are assigned the proper districts. With the latest redistricting efforts, local voter registration officials have relied on my office’s ability to provide official map content or answer question related to their offices. These intergovernmental relationships that have been created were formed with responsive communication and caring. I feel that caring this is one of my stronger skills, because I care about the job, people, and relationships that I contribute to.
The second challenge that I faced was new processes. Processes change, however, to change a process, I would need to understand and identify opportunities where foundational knowledge could be substituted or updated. Then identify components that could be refined to streamline a process or align it to today’s standards. Programs like NG911 need standardized data to support the ability to route an emergency telephone call to the proper jurisdiction. Within the state of South Carolina, we have no “true” state standardization for GIS data. However, it is possible to standardize data from the local government to support state business needs, but I needed to educate the GIS community on why this process was changing. Listening and participating in the NSGIC community, I found several states that had already tackled this dilemma. Within our state, the relationship between the state coordinator role and the local and/or state government data needs has had a historic set of processes that made standardization very difficult. But today, technology has helped reduce the time and effort to create statewide data. Not only does this type of program reduce time, but it can also be used bi-directionally for data sharing purposes. As a member of the 911 Advisory Board, NG-911 initiatives have allowed standardization to become the new norm. This process also allows for simplification for data sharing related to interoperability throughout the 911 community.
While NG911 helps facilitate our state’s standardization, this process can also help initiatives at the national level, like the National Address Dataset (NAD). While SC does not yet contribute as a full state, as the state coordinator, it is my goal to promote and educate the processes on why data sharing to programs like the NAD are beneficial and hopefully submit soon. Today, about 1/3rd of South Carolina counties has some type of data licensing or restriction policy applied to their GIS content. Educating local groups regarding NAD, will only help foster growth within our state. This may lead to additional processes to be changed at the local level through participation within the NSGIC community. Inversely, at the federal level, I hope to be able to serve as a leader and promote best business practices while providing outreach for the industry.
In summary, communicating through foundational relationships with local, state, and national industry leaders will help change processes or at least start the dialog. Being challenged by others also allows me to look deep into my core values and challenge myself to work with leaders outside of my own state. Knowing others have made differences within their states I know I can also learn from other NSGIC members which will only allow my coordination role to be stronger both in South Carolina and regionally. Making small or large changes may have monumental impacts in the future. But, by not making a difference, I can’t change the direction to which GIS data is curated, shared, and used by professionals within our community. The biggest difference that I would like to make is to create a path for future industry leaders. Leaving a legacy that shows I gave 110% each and every day will be a way to show I made a difference. As a member of the Board of Directors, I will give that same effort because the NSGIC community needs dedicated industry leaders to help guide each of our states.
Meet Dennis!
Biography
Dennis has served as the Tennessee State GIS Coordinator since 2004 and has worked in State government managing and coordinating GIS activities since 1993. He has been part of the Tennessee Base Mapping Program since its inception in the late 1990’s and has led the development of enterprise GIS solutions and other statewide GIS/mapping initiatives including Tennessee’s participation in the USGS 3DEP and 3DHP programs.
He is responsible for building and managing an internal team of 10 GIS professionals that focus on serving State agencies, local government, and other GIS consumers through GIS application development, managing the TNMap GIS clearinghouse, and managing special projects that include NG911, Broadband mapping, and serving as a Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) for the FEMA RiskMAP program.
Dennis was the 2020 recipient of the NSGIC “Champion” award and currently serves on the NSGIC Conference Committee, and as the NSGIC liaison to the Federal 3DHP Working Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Carroll University in Wisconsin, and a Master of Science degree in Geography from Northern Illinois University. He is active with the Tennessee Geographic Information Council and served as President of TNGIC in 2000. He is married to his wife Susan of 24 years, and they have two sons, Ben (21) and Cade (19) and reside in Nashville.
Platform Statement
It is time! As a member of NSGIC for the past 20 years, I have benefited greatly from the personal and professional relationships created through this amazing organization. So, it is time for me to give back, and I can’t think of a better way than to serve on the NSGIC Board of Directors.
I began my NSGIC journey in 2000 at the annual conference in Crystal Bay, Nevada. I think about how young and inexperienced I was and how NSGIC was a bit intimidating at the time. While people have come and gone since then, I have grown with the organization and feel I am in a great position to offer and share my experience through serving on the Board.
Through my GIS coordination efforts in Tennessee, I have tried to live up to the standards identified in the NSGIC mission statement, “to advance effective state-led geospatial coordination for the nation.” This is reflected in the maturity of the Tennessee Base Mapping Program and participation in many NSGIC programs and projects. By serving on the Board, I would like to continue advancing GIS technology and its impact in our society, environment, and culture in all levels of government. Thank you for the opportunity to serve in this capacity.
Meet Leland!
Biography
I am a native of New Mexico and my background has been centered on wildlife biology for the past thirty years, with the last twenty focused on geospatial technology, in New Mexico and adjoining states, on a national level and even and down in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Soon after joining the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in late 2003 as their GIS coordinator, I became an active member of the (then) New Mexico Geographic Information Systems Advisory Committee. In 2005, I served as the chairman of the committee, now the New Mexico Geospatial Advisory Committee (GAC), and later served as the representative for the GAC to NSGIC. Eventually, I had the privilege of serving as a member of the NSIGIC Board of Directors for two terms, 2012 – 2014. I remain a member of the GIT professional organization, New Mexico Geographic Information Council (NMGIC), joining the NMGIC Board of Directors in 2008 and serving as president in 2009 and vice-president in 2010 and 2011, and continuing to serve on the board until 2015. I continue to be actively involved in building the coordination of geospatial activities in New Mexico, such as the development of the New Mexico statewide GIS strategy. Although I am no longer the official representative for New Mexico, I remain involved with NSGIC, through being on working groups such as the Advocacy working group and the Western States Caucus, and, along with Karen Rogers and Tim Johnson, have the privilege of serving as co-chair of the Membership Committee. I am also honored to currently serve as the Secretary to the NSGIC Board of Directors. I continue to employ geospatial technology in the conservation of wildlife, and I’m especially interested in the use of the technology to create healthier communities. Making the National Spatial Data Infrastructure a reality is also a priority.
Platform Statement
NSGIC is entering interesting waters ahead, with the creation of a second non-profit that allows for more applications for grant monies. This follows exemplary work by the recent Boards to operationalize our principles such that we may better serve our membership and to be better positioned to make our desired missions a reality. These waters will require a Board of Directors that not only understand the issues but also have a grasp of the organization. My time on groups such as the Advocacy Working Group and the Western States Caucus gives me a strong overview of the issues NSGIC needs to address. My history with the Member Resources Committee, which delves into all aspects of NSGIC as we strive to make the organization even more valuable to its members, has given me the opportunity to observe how the organization functions. My experience on the Board and my time as Secretary to the Board has given me insight to how this body works, and the Member Resources Committee was the first committee or working group to fully integrate the concept of a NSGIC staff into its program. I know how the organization operates. While I might come from a financially challenged, “leaf-on” western state, having had extensive experience serving on geospatial and other types of boards, I know how to engage and listen to others of different backgrounds-and states. I would work to improve how the leadership of NSGIC communicates, particularly with members that might not be the state coordinator or GIO but who still recognize the need for collaboration and infrastructure. I am convinced that NSGIC is well positioned, and, with sound guidance, we will make the world a better place through our experience, know-how, and our habit of collaboration. I would be honored to help make that better future a reality.
Meet Mark!
Biography
Mark Yacucci: Principle Scientist and Head of the Geoscience Information Stewardship Section at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a Division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Mark coordinates data management and sharing across the ISGS and supervises the development of the Illinois Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, the Illinois Height Modernization Program, the Geological Records Unit, and geologic map standards. He also supervises the development of the Illinois Oil and Gas Resources (ILOIL) and the Illinois Water Well (ILWATER) Interactive Maps, designed for use by Illinois citizens and industries operating in Illinois. Mark has been collaborating with the Illinois State Police both on the Next-Generation ILGISA 911 committee and as a GIS consultant for the State Fusion Center as well as the Illinois Department of Transportation on the state plane coordinate system committee. As Head of Geoscience Information, he also writes and coordinates numerous grants for data administration and scientific research. Additional roles and responsibilities include, ILGISA President and Mid-America GIS Consortium Executive Board Member and Symposia Chair. Mark is the NSGIC Conference and CLC Co-Chair and NSGIC liaison to MAPPS.
Platform Statement
Experience with the federal granting process for research dollars has taught me that to be effective, institutions need to be more involved than just watching for and applying to grants. At the federal level, NSGIC and States should be in constant communication with our federal and private sector partners. Federal agencies need additional appropriations to increase grant dollars for proposals. NSGIC has great leverage to talk to agencies, find out what work and dollars are needed, and through our private sector partners petition legislatures for appropriations. I feel NSGIC is poised to take this next leadership step to enhance the valuable nationwide datasets we acquire, curate, and disseminate. If we wish to see increased grant dollars to States for our valuable work, it is time to take a more active role in the process.
I also support FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data standards. These have been a backbone for NSGIC for many years and more recently have been tied to scientific data for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Adoption of FAIR data standards enables NSGIC and State data to be used by everyone. It supports current broadband initiatives and environmental equity. NSGIC has been a leader in these principles and will continue to be the model others follow.
Finally, I believe GIS professionals need to be re-recognized as scientists. I feel current placement of GIS professionals in governmental IT departments is labeling the activity as administrative and can limit travel and collaboration. Our science was built on this activity and as a student in Geography, the Geosciences, and Computer Science Departments we were engrained with this attitude. Regular attendance and presentations at professional meetings and conferences was not only encouraged, it was expected. Governmental IT departments by nature are focused on security and introversion. Administrative staff are low on the totem pole for discretionary travel funds. While I do believe IT departments are not a bad fit for staff I would like to explore how to enhance stature of the GIS professional in that department and therefore increase attendance at professional society meetings and training opportunities.