About me
As a Senior GIS Specialist in the Data Resource Center, I serve as Metro’s UAS Coordinator and DRC Liaison to WPES. I started at Metro in 2015 doing basic map analysis and visualization for many of Metro’s various departments, including Parks, Solid Waste, and the Zoo. My current projects often include Power BI, and I enjoy helping clients across Metro better understand and utilize their data through Power BI’s visualization and automation. Other projects I currently work on are a Land Development Monitoring System for measuring regional growth, and an inventory of all regional housing for our Regional Land Information System.
I grew up in a small town in Iowa. After completing a degree in Fine Arts from Iowa State University, I ran away to the Peace Corps for two years where I met my wife and began my professional journey toward science and conservation. After settling in Oregon in 2004 I spent some time doing science education and environmental restoration before getting a M.S. in Geology at PSU, which included surface elevation modeling of hot springs in Eastern Oregon. While hot spring research was a great excuse to explore Eastern Oregon, the mapping skills I learned landed me my current job at Metro.
On the weekends I try to get as far away from any screens and computers as I possibly can.