NSGIC Awards

NSGIC Awards

NSGIC awards celebrate more than 30 years of facilitating smart policy, partnership-building, innovation and professional growth.

Geospatial Excellence Awards

Champion  |  Catalyst  |  Innovator

To be considered for a Geospatial Excellence Award, an individual, group or organization must meet at least three of the following criteria:

  • Creates a sustainable partnership or initiative that returns significant benefit from geospatial technology across multiple organizations
  • Documents measured improvement in implementing a state or national spatial data infrastructure
  • Advances the ‘create it once, use it a bunch’ credo for efficiently delivering valued geospatial data and services across a broad enterprise of users
  • Benefits the whole nation through sharing of innovation or establishment of best practices
  • Champions the involvement of all state data infrastructure or national data infrastructure stakeholders
  • Promotes NSGIC goal of efficient and effective government through increased, prudent adoption of geospatial technologies

Geospatial Excellence Awards

2024

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Pueblo of Sandia GIS Program
  • The Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council’s PLSS Remonumentation Legislation Subcommittee and PLSS Preservation Committee
  • Rachel Smith, Oregon Geospatial Information Officer

Geospatial Excellence: Innovator

  • Katherine Kiyanitsa, State of New York

2023

Geospatial Excellence: Champion

  • Scott Maitland, Indiana Dept of Local Government Finance

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Division of Land Surveys, Arkansas GIS Office
  • Chelsey Buffington, Washington Dept of Fish & Wildlife
  • Joshua Greenberg, Washington Department of Ecology, Hydrography Program Manager
  • Marie Cook, GIS Specialist, NJ Forest Fire Service and Ed Apalinski, Administrative Analyst, NJDEP Bureau of GIS
  • Governor’s Office of Information Technology, State of Colorado

Geospatial Excellence: Innovator

  • London Walker, State of Colorado
  • Nate Denny, Angie Bailey, Ben Shelton, Stephanie Jane Edwards, Ray Zeisz, and Mike Babb, State of North Carolina

2022

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Eileen Battles (KS)
  • Michele Giorgianni (AppGeo)
  • Abigail Gleason (WA)
  • Leslie Jones (AK)

Geospatial Excellence: Innovator

  • Scott Alsbrook (AR)

2021

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Nebraska’s Office of the CIO – GIO Team
  • State of North Carolina Next Generation 9-1-1 Project Team
  • The Wisconsin Department of Health, Bureau of Information Technology Services, GIS Team
  • Indiana Geographic Information Office (GIO)
  • Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council’s 3D Geomatics Committee (3DGeo)

Geospatial Excellence: Innovator

  • Nebraska’s Office of the CIO – GIO Team
  • State of Minnesota Maps Community of Practice
  • Adam Oestreich (WA)
  • NJ Department of Environmental Protection: Bureau of Nuclear Engineering and Bureau of GIS

2020

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • AZGeo Geospatial Data Hub
  • King County Information Technology – GIS for Equity & Social Justice Team
  • MassGIS NextGen 9-1-1 Team
  • Minnesota’s Mapping Prejudice Project
  • State of California – GIS
  • Vermont’s Statewide Property Parcel Mapping ProjectGeospatial Excellence: Innovator

Geospatial Excellence: Innovator

  • Elizabeth Curley, Technical Lead, NYS GIS

Geospatial Excellence: Champion

  • Dennis Pedersen, director of STS-GIS Services, Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration

2018

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC)
  • Glenn R. Bethel- Remote Sensing Advisor, USDA

2017

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Florida SERT GIS
  • Honolulu Office, Esri
  • Kansas 911 Coordinating Council
  • Utah Land Information Records Initiative
  • Wisconsin DNR GIS

Geospatial Excellence: Champion

  • Sandra Dyre, Arizona
  • Florida AST Enterprise GIS Workgroup
  • Jon Giles, Maine
  • Sharon Hawkins, Arkansas
  • James Meyer, Arizona
  • Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development

2016

Geospatial Excellence: Catalyst

  • Georgia Association of Regional Commissions: Jim Dove, Allen Burns and Brent Lanford
  • Alaska Geospatial Council
  • VITA Integrated Services Program – Kenny Brevard, VITA ISP
  • Joan Delos Santos, Hawaii Office of Planning
  • Sean McSpaden, Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office
  • Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium

Geospatial Excellence: Champion

  • Ed Fogels, Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  • Utah Mapping & Information Partnership, Executive Steering Committee: Amanda Smith, Utah
  • Department of Environmental Quality and Robyn Pearson, Utah Department of Natural Resources

Geospatial Excellence: Innovator

  • West Virginia State GIS Technical Center
  • Wisconsin Legislative Technology Services Bureau: Jeff Ylvisaker and Tony Van Der Wielen, WI LTSB

Service Awards

Lifetime Service

Recognizing a “lifetime” of noted, dedicated and distinguished service to NSGIC, generally awarded at the conclusion or transition point of an individual’s career

Outstanding Service

Presented to an individual or organization that has advanced the national spatial data infrastructure and/or promoted NSGIC goal of efficient and effective government

Distinguished Service

Typically presented to an individual or organization that is in a leadership position, and is likely to continue in their current or a more challenging role.

Dedicated Service

Acknowledging a leader in the geospatial community who has given career-long history of dedicated and devoted service to help advance the ideals of National Spatial Data Infrastructure. A recipient’s exemplary service must exceed the normal expectation of duty and have occurred over the length of a career.

Service Awards

2024

Lifetime Service

  • Stephen Lewis, USDOT

2023

Distinguished Service

  • Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota

2022

Lifetime Service

  • Ivan DeLoatch, FGDC

2021

Lifetime Service

  • Cy Smith, Oregon
  • Tony Spicci, GISCI

Distinguished Service

  • Veronica Degraffenreid, Pennsylvania

Outstanding Service

  • Jim Giglierano, Wisconsin

2020

Outstanding Service 

  • Will Craig, Minnesota

2017

Lifetime Service 

  • Bill Johnson, Universal Service Administration Company

Outstanding Service 

  • Josh Groenveld, Utah
  • Susan Miller, Georgia
  • Jon Paoli, Iowa
  • Karen Rogers, Wyoming
  • Dan Ross, Minnesota

2016

Outstanding Service 

  • Tony Lavoi, NOAA, Department of Commerce
  • Andy Rowan, State of New Jersey
  • Nathalie Smith, Esri
  • Kathy DeMarco, NSGIC
  • Craig Johnson, Louisiana Geographic Info Center
  • Phil Worrall, Indiana Geographic Information Council, Inc.
  • Randy Mayden, North West Geomatics Ltd.

2015

Outstanding Service

  • Richard Butgereit, State of Florida
  • Boice Tomlin, Run Skip LLC

Lifetime Service Award

  • Stewart Kirkpatrick, State of Montana

2014

Outstanding Service

  • Dr. David Cowen, University of South Carolina
  • Dr. Tim De Troye, GISP, State of South Carolina
  • Jeff Smith, State of Ohio

Lifetime Service

  • Will Craig, Minnesota

2013

Lifetime Service

  • Gene Trobia, ArizonaLifetime Service

Outstanding Service

  • Cheryl Benjamin, New York
  • Sean McSpaden, Oregon
  • Tammy Peterson and Tim Crago, North West Group
  • Tim Trainor, U.S. Census Bureau
  • Tom Roff, U.S. Department of Transportation

2012

Lifetime Service

  • Randy Fusaro, U.S. Census Bureau

Outstanding Service

  • Ian Von Essen, Spokane County, Washington
  • Leland Pierce, New Mexico

2011

Lifetime Service

  • Stu Davis, Ohio
  • Mike Mahaffie, Delaware

Outstanding Service

  • Danielle Ayan, Georgia
  • John Copple, Sanborn Corporation
  • Dan Cotter, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • Bert Granberg, Utah
  • Steve Lewis, U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Justin Sherin, Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Tom Sturm, U.S. Geological Survey
  • Mike Vanhook, Alabama
  • Dan Widner, Virginia

2010

Outstanding Service

  • Malcolm Adkins, Michael Baker, Jr., Inc.
  • Ed Arabas, Oregon
  • Chris Diller, Wisconsin
  • Susan Fox, NOAA
  • Rich Grady, Applied Geographics

2009

Lifetime Service

  • Dennis Goreham, Utah
  • Zsolt Nagy, North Carolina

Outstanding Service

  • Michael Byrne, California
  • Learon Dalby, Arkansas
  • Jon Gottsegen, Colorado
  • Christian Jacqz, Massachusetts
  • Diane Schafer, NSGIC

2008

Lifetime Service

  • Ted Koch, Wisconsin

Outstanding Service

  • James Cason, U.S. Department of Interior
  • Shirley Hall, USDA
  • Vicki Lukas, USGS
  • Mike Mahaffie, Delaware
  • Craig Molander, Surdex Corporation
  • Ivan Weichert, Kansas

2007

Lifetime Service

  • Carol Brandt, US DOT

Outstanding Service

  • David Brotzman, Vermont
  • Will Craig, Minnesota
  • Anne Hale Miglarese, Fugro EarthData
  • Kenny Miller, Maryland
  • Miki Schmidt, NOAA
  • Fred Stringfellow, NSGIC

Distinguished Service

  • Ivan Deloatch, USGS

2006

Outstanding Service

  • Nathan Bentley, Idaho
  • Shelby Johnson, Arkansas
  • Stewart Kirkpatrick, Montana
  • Milo Robinson, FGDC
  • Jill Saligoe-Simmel, Indiana
  • Alan Voss, Tennessee

Distinguished Service

  • Scott Cameron, Department of the Interior

2005

Outstanding Service

  • Tim Haithcoat, Missouri
  • Bruce Oswald, New York
  • Stan Ponce, USGS
  • Cy Smith, Oregon

Lifetime Service

  • Rick Memmel, Wyoming

2004

Outstanding Service

  • Bob Ader, BLM
  • Mike Domaratz, USGS
  • Bill Johnson, State of New York
  • Mike Ouimet, State of Texas
  • Tracy Tucker, AMR

2003

Outstanding Service

  • Pat Cummens, ESRI
  • Greg Tilley, VARGIS
  • Leslie Wollack, NSGIC

Lifetime Service

  • Bill Burgess, Maryland

2002

Outstanding Service

  • Stuart Davis, Ohio
  • Randy Fusaro, Census Bureau
  • Doug Hart, Prism Computer Corp.
  • Rick Miller, Kansas
  • Zsolt Nagy, North Carolina
  • Tony Spicci, Missouri

2001

Outstanding Service

  • Susan Lambert, Kentucky
  • Craig Neidig, West Virginia
  • Joe Sewash, Tennessee
  • Marshall Turner, Census Bureau
  • Lynda Wayne, GeoMaxim

2000

Outstanding Service

  • Glen Daigre, Louisiana
  • Bruce Joffe, GIS Consultants
  • John Moeller, FGDC
  • Gene Trobia, Arizona
  • Bruce Westcott, Vermont
  • Dick Witmer, USGS

1999

Outstanding Service

  • Tom Clemons, Intergraph
  • Jack Dangermond, ESRI
  • Catherine Foss, CMA
  • William Holland, Wisconsin/GeoAnalytics
  • Ted Koch, Wisconsin
  • Win Lyday, NACo
  • Barbara Poore, FGDC
  • Karen Siderelis, North CarolinaState of Wyoming: Governor Jim Geringer, Nancy McCann, Rick Memmel

1998

Outstanding Service

  • Bill Burgess, Maryland
  • John Caulkins, ESRI
  • Paul Davis, Mississippi
  • Sheryl Oliver, Illinois
  • Lisa Warnecke, GeoManagement Associates

1997

Outstanding Service

  • Sharon Balfour, Louisiana
  • Rick Memmel, Wyoming

1995

Outstanding Service

  • Hank Garie, New Jersey
  • Dennis Goreham, Utah
  • Georgia Hopf, Wisconsin
  • Nancy McCann, Wyoming
  • David Stage, Florida