I am an Assistant Professor of Applied GIS in the Department of Political Science, Geography, and International Studies and the current GIS and SpACE Certificates Coordinator at Old Dominion University. I am also a faculty fellow with the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR) and affiliated faculty with the School of Data Science. Since joining ODU in 2019, I have taught a variety of GIS classes including Geographic Information Systems, Maps and Geographic Information, GIS for Emergency Management, Cartography, Applied Cartography and GIS, Internet GIS, and Digital Earth. Other classes taught previous to 2019 include Marine Applications of GIS, and GIS for Planning and Public Policy.

I am a certified GIS Professional and hold a Ph.D. in Geography with more than 18 years experience working in the geospatial industry. My work experience has involved working in both private-sector and academic environments. My current research is focused on utilizing geospatial analyses and visualizations to understand how environmental hazard events influence personal understanding of vulnerabilities within communities. I have worked on a wide variety of projects on topics such as environmental management, health equity, hazard mitigation and resilience, emergency management, construction management, geospatial intelligence, transportation, and marine spatial planning.

I am faculty advisor for ODU’s University Chapter of YouthMappers – ODU Monarch Mappers. Monarch Mappers is a student-led organization open to any current student in good standing at ODU interested in helping to participate in data creation and mapping toward the development of more resilient communities across the globe. I have been faculty advisor of the group since its inception in 2020 – Yes, during the pandemic!

I am a volunteer member of Women+ in Geospatial, a global professional network to promote diversity and gender-equality in the geospatial industry and academia. I joined the group in December of 2019 and specifically contributed to the first cohort of the mentorship program, leading the teaching resources working group, and serving as the Empower Pillar Lead from 2021 through 2022.