In her upbringing, her family embarked on quite the journey, zigzagging across the United States from Ohio to Utah before their compass needle started pointing toward a new chapter in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Amidst desert sands and cultural tapestries, her fascination with geography bloomed as she became the family navigator, guiding them along foreign roads with an atlas in hand, steering family road trips with gusto. 

This innate love for maps and exploration sculpted her academic journey, eventually leading her to the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) Geography Department, where she proudly graduated with a BA in Geography. Life’s tapestry took an intriguing turn as she melded academia with hands-on experience, embracing the world of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). 

From an intern at the Metropolitan Planning Commission of Knoxville/Knox County to a GIS Technician at the First Utility District of Knox County, she balanced work and education, enriching her professional experience. Determined to keep advancing, she returned to UTK as a part-time student, eventually earning her MS degree in 2012. 

In 2012, she embarked on a new role as a GIS Specialist at the City of Oak Ridge, delving into the intricate labyrinth of data. Charting a course through centralized and decentralized GIS approaches in handling their GIS, she traversed the complexities of unifying base data layers while empowering utilities to maintain their specific infrastructure maps. 

Eventually, she ascended to her present position as the GIS Coordinator for the City, entrusted with numerous responsibilities. These encompass harmonizing GIS requirements across different City Departments and seamlessly integrating GIS functionality into their respective software systems. 

A significant undertaking has been orchestrating the centralization of addressing data, refining discrepancies, and sculpting an official “Addressing and Street Naming Policy” aimed for adoption by the City Council in 2024. 

Guided by her father’s wisdom about being a “lifelong student,” she embraced challenges as learning opportunities, overseeing as Project Manager major software implementation projects and evolving into a GIS Coordinator. Life’s cartographic lessons have taught her the importance of constant learning, adding hues of experience to the canvas of her career. 

Sharing this ethos of continuous learning and camaraderie, she fostered the tradition of “Mappy Hours” — gatherings of GIS enthusiasts in the Knoxville area. These soirées brim with ideas, networking, and problem-solving, painting a collaborative landscape in their shared pursuit of geographic excellence. 

Her message to the soon-to-be graduates and current students is simple: keep learning beyond the classroom and approach life with an open mind. Here’s to a future filled with exploration and new discoveries!