Des Plaines, IL , November 4, 2015 — Nearly 450 GIS professionals – from 37 states, 3 Canadian provinces, and 8 countries – recently convened in Spokane, Washington for GIS-Pro & NWGIS 2015. One of the highlights of the conference was the Awards Breakfast, during which a number of URISA leaders were recognized for their volunteer service to the organization. We congratulate and thank them for their amazing contributions!
Horwood Distinguished Service Award: An occasional award given for long-term service to URISA and the profession. This award is URISA’s ultimate award for service and leadership to URISA and within the geospatial industry. Awardees will have demonstrated significant contributions to both URISA and the geospatial technologies industry. The Horwood Distinguished Service Award is named after founding member and first URISA President, Edgar Horwood. Horwood was an early pioneer in the field of information systems for local government and admired by all for his intellectual and organizational contributions to URISA. Horwood was the Chair of the constitutional drafting committee, giving URISA the “open membership” model that has led to our inter-disciplinary organization.
2015 Recipient: Hilary Perkins, GISP, AICP, Comprehensive Planner, City of Maryland Heights, MO
Leadership Award: Presented to members who have demonstrated exemplary leadership to URISA, creativity, innovation, and dedicated support of URISA programs. The recipient should be a member of URISA for enough years to show a pattern of leadership. Typically the recipient will have been responsible for new programs or activities, or significantly enhanced an existing activity or program, so that it takes URISA in a new direction and/or enhances our standing in the professional community.
2015 Recipients: Bruce Joffe, GISP, Principal, GIS Consultants, Piedmont, CA and Kim McDonough, GISP, GIS Coordinator, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Nashville, TN
Service Award: Presented to members who have demonstrated faithful service to URISA and participation in its program over a period of several years. This award is for specific service to URISA. It should require a significant number of years of (not necessarily consecutive) service in a number of programs or committees, and a willingness to take on challenges without regard to the potential for recognition.
2015 Recipient: Keri Brennan, GISP, Senior GIS Consultant, The Schneider Corporation, Indianapolis, IN
Barbara Hirsch Special Service Award: Presented to members or staff who have made special contributions to URISA. This award was created (in 2004) to honor URISA’s former Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Hirsch. Barb made her mark at URISA by being an exceptional professional who would always step forward when a point needed to be made, but never stepped to the front for recognition. It is in the spirit of this dedication that the Board of Directors has created an award for special service to URISA. This award will be given to individuals or committees who have shown a similar consummate level of service to URISA through an ongoing commitment to our success as an organization.
2015 Recipients: Core Documents Committee
Kevin Mickey, GISP, Director, Geospatial Technologies Education, The Polis Center – Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN
Dianne Haley, BSc, MScGIS, GISP, DMH GIS Consulting, Alberta, Canada
Glenn O’Grady, GISP, Encinitas, CA
Ed Wells, GISP, GIS Manager, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC
Review the distinguished history of URISA Award winners here: http://www.urisa.org/about-us/awards/.
