Geography - University of Florida

Stephanie Abrams
BS 1999
• On-Camera Meteorologist
The Weather Channel
Atlanta, Georgia
• CLAS Convocation Speaker 2004
Paul Amos
MA 1998
• Managing Director
GeoSpatial Initiative
The Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
Dr. Khalid M. Al-Ankary
PhD 1981
• Minister of Higher Education, since 1991
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• From Saudi Ministry website:
• Minister of Education His Excellency Dr.
Khalid M. Al-Ankary, is a geographer and
works with the Center for Advanced Spatial
Technologies (CAST) to integrate CAST
in the university community.
Right:
Dr. Al-Ankary
Robert “Skeet” Baldwin
BA 1976
• Senior Grants Specialist
University of Florida
– Skeet manages UF Research subcontracts
for outside services
– He is also a Harley-Davidson enthusiast
Paul: “The research mission of the initiative is
to improve business decision-making,
specifically real estate, with spatial
technology tools.”
Bryson Bedell
David T. Bell, Sr.
BA 2000
BA 1989
• Social Sciences Teacher
Apollo Middle School
Hollywood, Florida
6th
7th
Bryson teaches
and
grades World History and
Geography courses and coaches the school soccer
team. Bryson is also pursuing a graduate degree at
Florida Atlantic University.
Bryson: “After graduating from UF, I finally got a chance to
visit Western Europe and Trinidad & Tobago.”
• Major, United States Army
• Coalition Joint Task Force Headquarters, Iraq
This is the third time that David has been deployed
to Iraq: first in 1990 for Desert Storm, earlier in
2003, and now. He says he appreciates this show of
support from the Geography Department which is so
important when you’re a “world” away.
David: “Chances are that this (war) will go on long enough for
some of your current students to be sent here. It’s no party,
but we know what we have to do and we’ll finish what we started.”
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Alex Bond
BA 2001
• Research Associate, Urban Land Institute
Washington, DC.
• MA 2004, Urban & Regional Planning, UF
• Alex: “ULI is a real estate/development/planning
think tank, and my duties involve research and
reporting on alternative modes of transportation,
affordable housing and mixed use
commercial/entertainment centers.”
Clyde Brual
BA 1981
• Freelance Fashion Editor/Stylist
New York City
• Previous positions: Fashion Editor,
Cosmopolitan Magazine; Macy’s Executive
Training Program in Wholesale Fashion
Clyde: “I am currently on a writing
assignment for a wedding dresses
magazine. Who knew that a Geography
Major would be writing about wedding
dresses!”
Chuck Buggs
BA 2002
• Project Director
Infinite Energy
Gainesville, Florida
Ed Borden
MA 2003
• Analytics Consultant
MapInfo Thompson
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ed: “I provide retail site location analysis for large
national retailers. I travel throughout the U.S. and
Canada performing market analyses (demographic,
residential growth), sales forecasts, sales transfer
impact analyses, and deployment strategies for our
clients.”
Deanne M. Bryant
BS 1995
• Captain & Topographic Engineer
U.S. Army
Savannah, Georgia
Deanne: “My career has
moved me everywhere.”
Juan Butler
BA 1996
• Senior Programmer – GIS Applications
Pinellas County Government
Clearwater, Florida
Juan provides geographic application solutions and
manages utility infrastructure, facilities, road
networks.
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Travis Bradshaw
PhD 2000
• Manager of Research & Development
2Plus, Inc. (Transportation Think Tank)
• Adjunct Professor, Geography &
Sociology
Southeastern College
Wake Forest, North Carolina
• Demographic Consultant
Florida Baptist Convention
Joadlein Charles
BA 2004
• Archivist, Map Library
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
John J. Casey
BA w. Honors 1998
“Out of Real Estate & Back into GIS”
San Antonio, Texas
• Previous Position: Market Area/GIS Analyst
• The GAP Stores, San Francisco
John: I love Geography. And, I still have my cichlids from
Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika.
Darryl Clare
PhD 1996
• Geographic Information Systems Manager
City of Cape Coral, Florida
• Adjunct Professor, Florida Gulf Coast University
& Edison Community College
Ft. Myers
Darryl: “GIS has been an effective tool for the
implementation and monitoring of municipal
infrastructure and in project planning, visual
analysis, and organizational integration.”
David Coley
MS 2003
• Research Assistant
• Geography Department with Dr. Joann Mossa
“Geomorphic Assessment of Channel Changes
Along Floodplains, Pascagoula River, Mississippi
Current research activities include preparing thesis
and professional work for publications and
conferences. David received the BA with honors
in 2001 with a minor in geology.
Jason Andrew Cornell
BA 2003
• Environmental Specialist
• Florida Department of Transportation
• Gainesville, Florida
David: “It’s no wonder Albert Einstein became a physicist.
Climate and fluvial systems are far more complex than General
Relativity.”
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Margit L. Crowell
MS 1986
• Senior Systems Analyst (Database GIS)
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Brooksville, Florida
Margit: “More and more we see Geography appearing
as an acceptable degree for training in many relalted
jobs from Planning to GIS to Education. There are
several other geography grads from UF here.”
Amy Deane
MS 1999
Stuart Dawson
BA 1985
• Environmental Specialist II
Hydrogeology Section, Utilities Engineering
Pinellas County, Florida
• MSc 2000, University of London
Michael L. Deffenbaugh
BS 2004
• President
Save the Wild Chinchillas, Inc.
An Environmental Conservation Organization
Illapel, Chile
• Engineering Technician II
Public Works Department
City of Gainesville, Florida
The organization’s objectives are to ensure that
endangered chinchillas do not become extinct,
and to involve local people in conservation.
Amy: “Have you kissed a chinchilla today?
I have!”
Samuel Dorr
BA 2002
• Legislative Correspondent
• For Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
• United States Congress
• Washington, DC
Post -BA Intern, Summer 2002, at The Washington
Center with Cultural Office of the Italian Embassy.
Sam is fluent in Italian and has traveled throughout
Europe.
David Douglas
BA 2001
• PalmOne Corporate Trainer
Plantation, Florida
David traveled extensively after
graduating from UF and lived in Japan
for a while before returning to Florida.
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Deborah J. Brandt Durio
MA 1976
• President & Operating Manager
Brandt Instruments, Inc.
Prairieville, Louisiana (“just outside Baton Rouge”)
– Brandt Instruments, Inc. (1986) provides technical
assistance and sales of laboratory analytical,
environmental monitoring and industrial hygiene
instrumentation.
Deborah teaches environmental monitoring at LSU
and is involved in industrial hygiene organizations.
She is married to Laurence, a certified industrial
hygienist (CIH) and owner of Durio Consulting.
Steve Engle
BA 2004
• Student Conservation Association
New Mexico
William H. Edwards
BA 1996
• Owner & Consultant
• Behavioral Innovations, Inc.
• Dallas, Texas
William received a Master of Science in Behavior Analysis
from North Texas State University. He married fellow
graduate student and “best friend”, Carla, in 1998.
William: “As the largest employer of Board Certified Behavior
Analysts in the state of Texas, we provide early intervention
services to children diagnosed with Autism/PDD; community
education opportunities for parents of children with special
needs; transition programming for children entering school. ”
Derek Filcoff
BA 1998
• Managing Member
The Real Estate Law Firm, LC
Sarasota, Florida
Derek: “I had several classes with Dr. Waylen and
recall that he was one of the best teachers I had.
My law practice involves Land Use,
Environmental & Real Estate Transactions, and
Litigation.
Cary Farley
PhD 1996
• Project Manager
MLW Landscape Project
CARE
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Cary: “I work on a project in Equateur, in the NW
region. It is one of the first in the DRC to address
'development' and 'conservation' themes;
hopefully, that signals a more positive outlook... ”
Kyle C. Forrer
BA 1992
• EC-130H Pilot &
• Chief of Current Operations
US Air Force
Tucson, Arizona
EC-130H "Compass Call" is an electronic warfare aircraft
used to jam enemy communications.
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Lt. Colonel Kyle George
MA 1996
• Chair, Army ROTC Department
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
He recently returned to Southern
California from a tour in Iraq.
Left: Kyle poses in Baghdad (2003)
with a slightly altered mural of former
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Thomas L. Gordon
BA 1981, MS 1985s
• Defense Analyst
Acquisition and Sourcing Management
US General Accounting Office (GAO)
Huntsville, Alabama
Doug Goldman
BA 1988
• Claims Representative with the Special
Investigative Unit
State Farm Insurance Companies
Miami
Doug investigates suspicious fires, thefts, and accidents. He
recently received the CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter)
Designation from American College.
He and wife, Noelle, live in Deerfield Beach.
David Griffith
BA 1996
• Real Estate Management
Self Employed
Pinellas County, Florida
Tom: “I have audited the Strategic Defense
Initiative Organization, commonly known as ‘Star
Wars.’ At present, I am working on a NASA job
that is developing a spacecraft to orbit the planet
Jupiter and three of its moons, with the emphasis
on the moon Europa, and searching for any form
of life.”
Andres Guhl
PhD 2004
• Advisor to the President
National University of Colombia
Bogota, Colombia
Andres: “I am applying my geographic skills in the
management and restructuring of the university. I
am in charge of assessing the role that each one of
the seven campuses (distributed throughout the
country) is playing in its area of influence.”
Eric Hodge, AICP
BA 1993
• Planner II
City of Raleigh, North Carolina
• Eric coordinates development plan reviews for the
City of Raleigh, including site plans and
subdivisions, and present staff recommendations
to the Planning Commission.
• He also received an MA in Planning from UF in
1995.
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Morgan Holt
BS 2002
Josh Jensen
BA 2002
• Technology Assistant
Mandli Communications
Oregon, Wisconsin
Morgan does Research and Development of new
products and project management for consulting
jobs. He receives the MS in Geography from
University of Wisconsin -Madison Fall 2004.
John Jordan
BA 1978
• GIS Analyst
Harris Corporation
Melbourne, Florida
•$2.5 billion revenues in fiscal 2004
•10,000 employees
•Sales and service locations in 90
countries
•Founded in 1895
Dessia Laxton-Reinke
BA 1996
• Colonel, US Army
Recently assigned as
• Inspector General for the Florida National
Guard
Jacksonville, Florida
• Intelligence Analyst
US Army
Texas
• John has served in the military for 27 years. His
wife, Barbara, is a Geography Department
Alumna (BA 1978).
Elizabeth Matej
BA 1988
• Senior Planner
• Comprehensive and Land Use Planning
• City of Miramar, Florida
Noelle Mecoli
MA 2004
• GIS Analyst
Broward County School District
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Elizabeth worked for 10 years in Broward County
before recently moving to Miramar.
Lucent Technologies
Caribbean & Latin American
Headquarters in Miramar
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Dr. Chris Meindl
PhD 1996
• Assistant Professor, Geography
• University of South Florida- St. Petersburg
• Previous positions include:
– Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville
– Weber State University in Ogden, Utah
– Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton
Chris is married to Gator Alumna, Kathleen, and
they have three little boys: Barry, Max, and Ryan
Cheryl McDow
BS 2003
• Geographer Associate
• SW Florida Water Management District
• West Palm Beach, Florida
Matthew Merucci
BA 2002
• Sitework Estimator
Gigliotti Contracting Firm
Palmetto, Florida
Matt uses GIS, along with other earthwork
modeling software, for estimating how much
certain jobs will cost his company. He says,
“It really has been a great job so far!”
Randall Pearsall
BA 1986
• AutoCAD/ Revit Designer
Vaughn, Coltrane, Pharr & Associates
Tucker, Georgia
Engineering drafter/designer/programmer of food
processing facilities and support structures related
primarily to the poultry industry
Randall is a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He is a fluent
programmer in AutoLISP/Visual LISP/Visual Basic languages.
He is on the ALTA (Atlanta) tennis team and pursued being a
professional golfer for a time. Randall is active in the
Buckhead/Northpoint Community Church.
David Porter
BA 2001
Naval Fighter Pilot
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Mary Grace Probst
BA 2003
• K-12 Teacher
• Ocala, Florida
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Storm L. Richards
PhD 1987
2003
CLAS Outstanding
Alumni Award
• Storm L. Richards & Associates, Inc.
Environmental Assessments &
Feasibility Studies
Sanford, Florida
Melissa (Baumbach) Roberts
BA 1996
• Meteorologist at Television Station
Houston, Texas
• Master's in Broadcast Meteorology
• Mississippi State
• Recently married to a “wonderful man - Craig.”
Jeanne Fillman-Richards
PhD 1990
2003
CLAS Outstanding
Alumni Award
• President
Storm L. Richards & Associates, Inc.
Environmental Assessments & Feasibility
Studies
Sanford, Florida
Charles Rodriquez
BA 2004
• GIS Analyst
Infinite Software
Gainesville, Florida
Melissa: “Dr. (John) Dunkle was one of my biggest
inspirations in the Geography Department. He
had faith that I could become a broadcast
meteorologist and his belief in me helped me get
to where I am at today.”
Marilyn Ruiz
PhD 1995
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Veterinary
Diagnostic Laboratory
• University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign
From UI Website: Marilyn’s primary research
interest is in the spatial aspects of diseases and
the environment using GIS digital cartography
and statistical methods to better measure where
and when an event occurred in order to better
understand why.
Joseph L. Scarpaci
PhD 1985
• Professor
Geography
Virginia Tech University
Blacksburg, Virginia
Joe’s research and teaching interests are in urban
and social geography, and international
development (Latin America: Cuba, Southern
Cone, Colombia). He received the 2004 Carl O.
Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award from the
Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers.
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Jared Schneider
BA 2004
• Market Analyst
• Publix Stores
• Lakeland, Florida
Ellen Sennett
BS 1984
• SWIFT, Foreign Payment Systems Specialist
• Bank of Austria, Vienna
• Ellen is in charge of all projects relating to EBA
clearing systems and international payments.
• She is responsible for organization for future
expansion and innovation in the foreign payments
sector.
Michael Shapiro
BA 1982
• Commercial Real Estate Agent/Associate
Advantis (Commercial Arm of St. Joe)
Newport News, Virginia
– Michael leases and sells office buildings,
shopping centers, industrial buildings and land.
Michael spent 10 years in the US Air Force, flew back
seat of the F-4 Phantom fighter. He has been in real
estate ever since.
Justin Ahern
BA 2002
• GIS Analyst
3001 Company
Gainesville, Florida
Damien Skipper
BA 1999
• Senior Account Manager, Business Solutions
Sprint Corporation
Las Vegas, Nevada
• MS, 2002 in Decision & Information Sciences
– Damien provides voice and data telecom
services for Mid- Market accounts
Damien recently co-founded the Las Vegas
Gator Club which has 25 members.
Tari (Innamorato) Steele
BA 1996
• Senior Imagery Analyst
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
St. Louis, Missouri
– Tari analyses satellite imagery and writes
imagery reports for the Defense Department
Tari: “I married Kevin Steele (UF BA Sociology
1995) and have one beautiful son, Jacob, who is 2.”
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Kevin Stover
BA 2003
• GIS Analyst
Harris Corporation
Melbourne, Florida
•$2.5 billion revenues in fiscal 2004
•10,000 employees
•Sales and service locations in 90
countries
•Founded in 1895
Edward Tombari, AICP
BA 1992
• Land Development Services and Urban Planner
National Association of Home Builders
Washington, DC
• Edward is responsible for outreach, publication,
consultation and education on behalf of the
American home-building industry on matters
related to land development for housing.
Other post-UF achievements: Master of Urban
Planning, University of Michigan, 1994
American Institute of Certified Planners, 1998
Donald Yow
BS 1997
• Assistant Professor, Geography
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentuck
• PhD 2003, University of South Carolina
Zachary Teders
BS 2004
• Transportation Planner
Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc.
Tallahassee, Florida
Zachary is a consultant for the Florida Intrastate
Highway System and Strategic Inter-modal System.
These are networks of the main roads, railroads, and
transportation hubs throughout the state.
Hector Anthony Troche
BS 1981
• Geospatial Analyst
• Medina Regional Security Command
San Antonio, Texas
Anthony worked as the NIMA Regional Cartographer
in Central and South America. He provided
technical assistance in digital terrain modeling after
the earthquake in El Salvador, and assisted with
counter drug efforts in Guatemala. He just returned
to the US from 2.5 years in Bahrain.
Lisa Ann Walsh
BA 1997
• Senior Planner
Marion County
Ocala, Florida
From his EKU website: “My numerous and diverse
interests make me a true geographer at heart,
although I specialize in physical geography. My
primary professional interests include applied
climatology, climate impacts, microclimatology, and
human/environment interaction.”
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2004
CLAS Outstanding
Alumni Award
Dr. Richard E. “Dick” Witmer
MS 1964, PhD 1967
• Recently Retired from the US Geological Survey
• USGS Career Highlights:
– Associate Director
– Chief of the National Mapping Division
– Chief Geographer
• US Dept of Interior, Distinguished Service Award, 1990
– Interior Department’s Highest Award
Aaron Young
BA 1999
• GIS Analyst
Harris Corporation
Melbourne, Florida
•$2.5 billion revenues in fiscal 2004
•10,000 employees
•Sales and service locations in 90
countries
•Founded in 1895
Chris Zelman
BS 1993
• Meteorologist
• WPTY ABC 24/WLMT UPN 30
Memphis, TN
– Chris is a Broadcast Meteorologist and Television Reporter
Chris and
wife, Jodi (BS, Ag 1996),
and
son Cole
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