Board Members
Nate Ward, Chair
Board of Directors: 2020-2028 Chair: 2024-2026 Secretary: 2022-2024 Phone: 603.206.1180 |
Nate Ward, GISP, is the Manager of Solutions Architecture and UAS Program Manager at Terracon, a national engineering and consulting firm. He leads a team of administrators and architects delivering enterprise data and geospatial platforms across on-prem and cloud environments. He is an FAA certified remote pilot and directs the organization's uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) program, overseeing strategy, operations, and compliance. Nate holds a BA in Geography from the University of Vermont.
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Pam DeAndrea, Treasurer
Board of Directors: 2020-2026 Treasurer: 2022-2026 Phone: 802.793.7555 |
Pam DeAndrea joined the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s (VTrans) Mapping Section in 2021 as a GIS Professional, III. Her primary duties include updating the Vermont Roads data and providing Town Highway mapping services to Vermont municipalities and transportation analysis and mapping support to VTrans and other state agencies. Prior to her time in state government, she was with two Vermont Regional Planning Commissions: Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission (CVRPC) and Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC) where she was responsible for oversight of GIS and IT operations including but not limited to GIS program and project management, data management, spatial analysis, map creation, field data collection, web mapping and IT management and support. Pam built her GIS skills in the environmental consulting field working for Bear Creek Environmental, Inc and Stone Environmental, Inc. where she completed numerous field data collection and desktop studies utilizing ArcGIS technology. Pam holds a Master’s Degree in Water Resources from the University of Vermont where she first was exposed to GIS using ArcInfo as the teaching assistant for the Intro to GIS course. Pam also holds a BS in Environmental Geology from SUNY at New Paltz.
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Erica Poisson, Secretary
Board of Directors: 2020-2026 Secretary: 2024-2026 Phone: 774.261.1814 |
Erica Poisson is the GIS Coordinator for Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection. She has been with DCR since 2017. In her role as GIS Coordinator, she is responsible for coordinating the direction of GIS in the Energy and Environmental Affairs secretariat in coordination with other Department GIS Coordinators. Within DCR, she oversees division GIS staff, data development efforts, project development and management, administration of a mobile field data collection fleet and co-administration of a secretariat-wide ArcGIS Online account. Erica works directly with staff to design and test a wide variety of GIS solutions build on the Esri stack. She also assists in the administration of the secretariat ArcGIS Enterprise system. Her current focus is on the development of accessibility best practices and standards for GIS products to comply with ADA Title II. Erica holds a BS from Eastern Connecticut State University in Environmental Earth Science and a Masters of Environmental Science and Management with a focus in GIS from the University of Rhode Island.
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Brittany Hoffnagle, Past Chair
Board of Directors: 2018-2026 Past Chair: 2024-2026 Chair: 2022-2024 Secretary: 2020-2022 Phone: 508.495.6227 |
Brittany Hoffnagle has a M.S. in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies from Coastal Carolina University. In her graduate work, she utilized GIS and advanced analyses to assess geomorphological changes along the coastal shoreline and ever since then, she knew she wanted to incorporate GIS and advanced spatial data analyses in her career. Brittany is currently a Climate Resiliency Specialist at Woods Hole Group located in Bourne, MA. At Woods Hole Group, Brittany helps clients assess climate change impacts and develop creative adaptation and resilience strategies, creates cartographic visualizations & graphics and manages the GIS processing and QA/QC procedures for Woods Hole Groups storm surge and sea level rise model. She has been attending NEARC conferences since 2016.
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Kristina Sargent is the New England GIS Lead at VHB, where she has been since 2016. She specializes in applying GIS technology for various sectors, including transportation, institutions, municipalities, state governments, utility mapping, environmental, land development, and real estate. Kristina oversees data development, advanced spatial analysis, and cartographic presentation using both desktop applications and online platforms, working closely with VHBers and clients to bring innovative technology that improves workflows, streamlines data collection and processing, and enhances data management and application development. Prior to VHB, Kristina worked at the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, where her interest and skills in GIS flourished. She holds a BS in Geography from Keene State College (2013) and a Masters in GIS from Northeastern University (2018). Kristina is also a member of the Northeast's chapter of Women in GIS. Her expertise and dedication make her an invaluable asset to VHB and its clients.
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DeAva Lambert
Board of Directors: 2025-2028 |
DeAva has been an Environmental Analyst for coastal, water, and natural resources management at the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection for nearly 20 years. In this role, she leads the collection of GIS data and development of geospatial products for marine spatial planning in the Land & Water Resources Division and for the Long Island Sound Blue Plan. DeAva also manages the LIS Seafloor Habitat Mapping Initiative to map and characterize specific geographic regions of Long Island Sound. She has been the Principal State Steward of Connecticut's hydrography since 2017, collaborating with USGS and regional states on improving hydrography and watershed data and facilitating the acquisition of elevation derived hydrography data for Connecticut and New England through the New England Regional 3DHP Partnership. She holds a B.S. in Biology with focus in Coastal Ecology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an M.S. in Environmental Science & Policy from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master's Certificate in Sustainable Environmental Planning & Management from the University of Connecticut.
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Shawn Herrick
Board of Directors: 2025-2028 |
Shawn Herrick is the Senior GIS Analyst for the University of New Hampshire’s Facilities–Capital Planning department, where he oversees geospatial data collection on construction sites and
manages the university’s Enterprise GIS system. With over 20 years of experience, Shawn brings a diverse background in GIS spanning natural resources, municipal planning, and utility infrastructure projects at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition to his applied work, Shawn has taught GIS at both the high school and university levels and has delivered professional training on Esri and Autodesk software platforms for clients nationwide. He earned his Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire, where his graduate research focused on modeling least-impact trail networks for the Jericho Mountain ATV Park. |
