Shonin Anacker

Shonin Anacker is a geographer with the United States Census Bureau. He has been with the Census Bureau for 18 years, working on nearly every element of Census geography.

Presentation

Eileen Battles

Justin Boehle

Justin Boehle is a GIS technician for the City of Lawrence. He obtained his GIS certification from Metropolitan Community College in spring of 2023 and participated in an internship with the City of Lawrence IT department during the spring and summer of that year. Since September of 2023, he has been serving as a GIS technician for the City of Lawrence Municipal Service and Operations department.

Presentation

Travis Brister

Tracy Brown

Tracy L. Brown, GISP, is a Geographer with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. She has 20 years of mapping and GIS experience with the Corps, 13 years in the River Engineering section.

Presentation

Sherri Chaturvedi

Sherri Chaturvedi has worked in GIS for over 10 years. She is currently a GIS Analyst at the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL), beginning in May 2022. As KDOL’s first ever dedicated GIS Analyst, she is establishing their GIS program and assisting multiple divisions and programs within the agency to update their systems using GIS based technology. Previously, she worked almost 7 years at the Kansas Historical Society managing the GIS for the Cultural Resources Division. She lives in Topeka with her husband and orange kitty, Moonriver and likes spending her free time birding, reading, or listening to as many podcasts as humanly possible.

Presentation

Mike D'Attilio

Mike D’Attilio is a Senior Consultant with Esri Professional Services, working primarily with emergency management agencies nationwide. Mike has more than 30 years of experience in the GIS industry, working with GIS projects and GIS software development. Prior to joining Esri in 2022, he was the GIS Program Manager at the Kansas Division of Emergency Management and in earlier years worked with GIS in the E911 and electric utilities industries. Mike earned a master’s degree in Geography from University of Kansas and completed his undergraduate work in Mathematics at Colorado School of Mines.

Roger Denton

Roger Denton is the GIS Coordinator for Atchison County, Kansas. He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University and a MS in Technical Education from Pittsburg State University. He is currently a registered Landscape Architect and a CLARB Record holder. He is heavily involved with youth and community activities.

Presentation

Zac Eddy

Zac Eddy holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Bethel College and a master’s degree in geography and a Graduate Certificate in GIScience from Kansas State University. Schooling and previous employment experiences have given him the opportunity to work with landowners, public agencies, and NGO’s on a wide range of research and conservation projects. Following graduate school, Zac started his career working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Habitat and Population Evaluation Team doing habitat and species distribution modeling focused on non-game Federal trust species. For just under 8 years, he has been employed as a Terrestrial Ecologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks where his primary responsibilities include non-game species and habitat conservation as well as energy development siting consultations and permitting.

Presentation

Jack Faris

Jack Faris has been the GIS Technician for Atchison County, Kansas for three years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with a Minor in Geospatial Analysis from Emporia State University.

Luke Finley

Luke Finley has been a member of the Kansas Association of Mappers for nine years, and has supported KAM as the Communications Committee chair in 2024. Since moving on from the Kansas State Government, he has been helping State and Local Government's achieve goals and overcome challenges with Esri for nearly 2 years. Outside of work Luke enjoys walking his dog, traveling and practicing leather work.

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Presentation 2

Tyler Fleming

Bio coming soon.

Katie Goff

Dave Grolling

Presentation

Johnny Harley

Johnny Harley, is a GIS Analyst for TREKK Design Group in Kansas City, MO. He has worked in utilities for the 7 years and was previously a GIS Analyst for Black & McDonald. Johnny graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a BS in Geography and an MS in GIS. He specializes in mobile data collection and consulting municipalities on GIS administration Johnny is a member of URISA's Vanguard Cabinet, a young professional collective that promotes the next generation of leaders in the industry.

Presentation

Eli Harmon

Eli Harmon is a seasoned GIS Consultant with three years of hands-on experience in the field. He earned his BS in Environmental Science from Montana State University, specializing in land rehabilitation during his studies.

Currently, Eli excels as a GIS Consultant at WSP, collaborating with a dedicated team to support various projects, predominantly focusing on FEMA Risk MAP initiatives. Notably, he has played a key role in the development of building footprint datasets for the state of Kansas, showcasing his expertise in spatial analysis and data management.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Eli finds joy in spending time with friends, laughing so hard his head spins, and soaking in hot water so long that people become concerned that he is part fish.

Presentation

Matthew Hartung

Matthew Hartung is a GIS analyst for the City of Lawrence. He is a certified professional geologist as well as a college professor at the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Missouri System in geology, geophysics, GIS, meteorology, paleontology, and geography. His work for the city focuses on environmental analysis and infrastructure management using GIS. His work in education focuses on pollutant impact of lacustrine and brackish environments.

Presentation

Clayton Hayes

Clayton Hayes is a GIS Analyst at TREKK Design Group, LLC with a master’s in science from James Madison University. Clayton has more than 10 years experience with GIS with an emphasis in ArcGIS Online solutions, GIS data stewardship, data workflow optimization and custom report graphics. He specializes in the creation and management of GIS data by design and deployment of optimized data workflows with mobile data collection platforms, database management and custom report delivery all compiled and visualized through ArcGIS Online web-based mapping applications.

Frankie Hernandez

Matt Hoehn

Matt has been a part of the Esri local government team since 2018, where he supports organizations throughout the mid-west. Prior to his career with Esri, Matt has worked for state, and federal government where he was the Civilian GIS Manger for the Naval District Washington PSAP, and spent 10 years as a private GIS consultant for 911 and emergency management operations. Originally from Virginia, Matt relocated to Missouri in 2017. He is an avid outdoorsman, and enjoys hiking, and going on adventures with his wife and 3 children.

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Michael Houts

Michael Houts is a research associate at the Kansas Biological Survey. He has over 20 years of experience using GIS and remote sensing for landscape and habitat analysis, generally focused on landscape conservation and energy development.

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Ryan Howell

Ryan Howell has been a UAS Instructor at Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus, teaching GIS, Remote Sensing, and UAS data processing courses. He holds B.S and M.S degrees in Wildlife Conservation with a strong emphasis in GIS/Remote Sensing applications.

Presentation

Ashley Hunt

Ashley Hunt is a GIS Engineering Specialist embedded in the Public Works group at BHC in Overland Park, KS. As the first and only GIS professional in her department, Ashley plays a critical role in driving digital transformation, particularly in bridging the gap between CAD and GIS. With a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies, a minor in Environmental Sustainability, and a GIS Certificate, Ashley is focused on integrating geospatial tools into everyday workflows to improve accuracy, efficiency, and the quality of deliverables. Her work emphasizes the value of GIS in enhancing infrastructure projects and promoting data-driven decision-making in public works.

As part of this panel, Ashley will share her experiences in a private corporation setting, discussing the challenges and successes of encouraging tech adoption and fostering collaboration between CAD and GIS to streamline processes in her organization.

Chengye Li

Chengye Li, is a PhD student at University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC), he received his bachelor’s degree at Chang’an University (CHD) and master’s degree at University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). He works at the intersection of Civil Engineering, Geoscience, and computer science, his research focus on hazard modeling computation, spatial data analysis, python-based structure analysis and digital twins. He has 4 years of experience in water resource.

Sherry Massey

Britney Nasseri

Mark O'Connor

Mark O'Connor's career in technology solutions is marked by his extensive experience and significant contributions to the field. His expertise in implementing key systems like MicroStation, MRO, and Appia has been instrumental in advancing the capabilities of GIS Solutions. With a career that traces back to the advent of CADD, Mark has not only witnessed but also shaped the evolution of GIS, engineering software and asset management solutions, demonstrating a profound understanding of the sector's trajectory from GIS to comprehensive asset management systems.

Presentation

Scott Perkins

Scott Perkins, GISP is a longtime member of KAM with 40 years of experience collecting, processing and delivering geospatial data from air, land and water.

His experience with bathymetry includes serving on the Federal Advisory Committee to NOAA for Hydrographic Surveying. Scott was elected as chair of the Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) committee and during his term the HSRP held public meetings at major US Ports and Harbors to meet with local stake holders and learn about their safety of navigation concerns and bathymetry needs. HSRP travels took Scott to the Ports of Anchorage, Honolulu, New York-New Jersy, Long Beach, Houston, New Orleans, Charleston and Galveston.

Scott is a recreational paddler who has participated six times in the MR-340, a three hundred a forty-mile-long paddle race from KC to STL on the Big Muddy Missouri River.

Bryant Ralston

Bryant is a second-time KAM offender/member from the mid 1990s, as he covered Kansas and Missouri in a client-facing Solution Engineer role while at ESRI-St. Louis, following his formal education in Geography at K-State. Now residing on family farmland near Augusta, Bryant fancies himself a "closet engineer" and continually attempts to prove GIS’s meddle and value proposition to his engineer father (mechanical) and brother (civil). While it’s still a work-in-progress, the GIS-BIM Esri-Autodesk lovefest/coexistence helps him, mostly his Lil’ Bro…..

When he’s off work, Bryant tends a native Paw Paw patch, keeps three cats well fed and enjoys 'hook & bullet' pursuits in the splendor of nature.

Avantika Ramekar

Avantika Ramekar, PhD. joined Prairie Engineers in 2024 as lead Geospatial Scientist

• Doctor of Philosophy in Geography, Kansas State University,
• Master of Science in Geographical Information Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland,
• Master of Science in Geography, University of Pune, Maharashtra, India
• GeoSpatial Operations and Consulting (GeoSpoc), India Jan. 2012- Jul. 2013

Co-founder & Operations Manager

• Urban Mapping including data generation, transform discrete and diverse CAD Information (Cartographic, Network, Infrastructure) into an integrated GIS system

Presentation

Amy Roust

Amy Roust is the IT GIS Administrator for the City of Lawrence, Kansas. She loves applying geospatial technology to simplify workflows as well as sharing knowledge by teaching and presenting. Her recognitions include awards from Esri (2021 SAG Award), the Mid America GIS Consortium (2020 Outstanding Contribution in GIS Service), the GISCI (2019 Map Contest winner), and the Kansas Association of Mappers (two-time most valuable member). Amy has an M.A. in Geography from the University of Missouri.

Presentation

Andrew Schappert

Andrew Schappert is a GIS Analyst with Shawnee County from Carpentersville Illinois, outside Chicago, with five years experience in the GIS industry having previously worked with Shawnee County Public Works and earlier Apple Inc both as GIS Technicians. He graduated in 2018 from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a BS in Geology with a minor in Geospatial Technologies.

Presentation

Mark Schmidt

Mark Schmidt is a GIS Analyst for Butler County, Kansas, where he is responsible for maintaining Next Generation 911 data and for structuring and developing applications for all departments in the county using ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. Mark graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in Atmospheric Science, along with a minor in Geography and an undergraduate certificate in Geographic Information Science. He is currently working toward a master's degree in Geographic Information Science from Northwest Missouri State University.

Westin Shehi

Westin Shehi serves as an HMIS System Administrator for both the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care and the Johnson County Continuum of Care for homeless services. With nine years of diverse experience in technology across professional and personal endeavors, he is excited to share how GIS technology is improving homeless service systems by enhancing care coordination and improving overall efficiency.

Presentation

Abinash Silwal

Abinash Silwal is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Kansas Biological Survey (KBS) and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Geographic Information Science at the University of Kansas. With a strong passion for space-based geospatial technologies, he dedicates his efforts to using remotely sensed satellite data for Earth mapping. His work focuses on monitoring and analyzing various types of disasters through advanced geospatial methods.

James Stewart

James Stewart has served as GIS Manager at Kansas Department of Transportation since 2021. He has previous experience in GIS for E9-1-1/NG9-1-1 and addressing and in creating and maintaining county- and state-level road centerline GIS data. He has also managed large and complex software development and implementation projects for the State of Kansas as part of both the private and public sectors. James has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of Kansas and enjoys writing and performing music, cats, gardening and playing board and role-playing games.

Presentation

Jeremy Taylor

Stephen Thompson

Steve Thompson, P.E. has been a Licensed Professional Engineer in Kansas since 1976. Steve was a design and project engineer and computer programmer for Wilson & Co., Engineers & Architects in Salina, KS (1972-1982).

(1982-2003) Steve was an Associate Professor at KSU-Salina where he taught Computer Science, Surveying, Civil Engineering, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) / Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). He began the first GIS/GNSS Associate Degree option in the U.S. and established the first GNSS base station in KS at the KSU-Salina campus in 1990 with funding from National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Kansas GIS Initiative. Steve served as a member of the Kansas GIS Technical Advisory Committee (1987-2003) and served as a grant reviewer for NSF (1991-1998) helping them determine which GIS/GNSS grant proposals to fund nationally. Steve has written many GIS/GNSS articles and made numerous GIS/GNSS presentations at local, state, regional, national, and international conferences and proceedings.

(2003-Present) Steve has been a GIS/GNSS consultant working with local, state, and federal agencies and the private sector in Kansas regarding parcel and centerline mapping, utility mapping, and GIS/GNSS training and advising related to E-911 and Homeland Security. He has also been an adjunct professor at Butler Community College-Andover campus (8/2008-12/2014) and Cloud County Community College-Concordia campus (8/2010-12/2013), teaching GIS/GNSS.

Presentation

Ethan Tidwell

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William Trimble

David Weiss

David Weiss is an Assistant Researcher for the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program at the Kansas Biological Survey. He works with remote sensing data, GIS, and modelling tools for environmental and ecological applications, including those in land-cover and land use-change analysis, hydrology, and agriculture. David is pursuing a PhD in Geography at University of Kansas.