2023 Nominee Biographies

Ronald Burns

I am currently in the upper division courses of the GIS program at FRCC, and I have plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Geospatial Science in the Spring of 2025.

I actively engage with various communities, including the American Red Cross of Colorado, GIS Colorado, the American Association of Geographers, the Society of Conservation GIS, and the National Groundwater Association.

Beyond my academic and professional pursuits, I’m deeply passionate about ocean conservation, scuba diving, rock climbing, carefree silliness, electronic and jam band music, exploring uncharted paths, and keeping myself busy.

Eli Crawley

Eli Crawley is a GIS Analyst who has worked in the private sector in a variety of GIS roles from GPS data collection to GIS data analysis, database management and front-end application customization. She specializes in customizing front end applications and the technical details of database management and reporting.

Blaine Horner

Born and raised in Colorado, I have an emotional and physical connection to our great state. My favorite part of GIS Colorado is the way that it connects individuals with a shared passion from all corners of our state. I think that it is important that GIS Colorado continue to provide opportunities for the group to meet in unique and beautiful parts of our state, and would like see increased participation from large GIS users such as Denver Water, Xcel Energy and CDOT. I think it is important that GIS Colorado remain a non-sales environment, where the focus is on interesting GIS projects and not a business-pitching environment.

My geomatics background is quite diverse. I began as a GPS field surveyor for CompassData in 2008, and during my 6 years in this role I collected data in 26 states and 24 countries. Later I moved into the office and worked as a seller-doer, working with Clients on project scope and pricing and then managing the projects. After that role, I had the opportunity to work for PrecisionHawk, Venture Capital drone startup, for 4 years during which time I ran our data processing group. This was a really cool chance to learn how the east coast folks look at geomatics and ways to commoditize what we do. And now, in my current role at Merrick I oversee a team of 15 power line designers, manage our sales for all transmission line mapping projects, and act as primary point of contact for all geomatics opportunities with different technical disciplines at Merrick.

Jenni Kerns

My journey into the world of GIS began in 2019 when I returned to university as a non-traditional student, studying environmental engineering with a GIS minor. It didn’t take long for GIS to ignite a passion within me. I’ve since expanded my skills and understanding of the vast applications within the GIS world. An internship with CDOT kindled my interest in the environmental side of transportation, and I’ve since joined a transportation engineering firm in Denver. After graduation in December, I’ll continue my career with them as an environmental planner, driven by the desire to use GIS to create innovative solutions for environmental challenges in the transportation sector.

My background is diverse, including teaching English overseas and contributing to international community development projects. These experiences have shaped my commitment to uniting communities and promoting access to education and resources.

I’ve had the privilege of receiving the GISCO scholarship twice. These experiences have given me firsthand insight into GISCO’s educational mission and the profound impact of its initiatives, and I now aspire to serve on the scholarship committee as a board member. Throughout my academic journey, I’ve actively supported others’ education as a GIS teacher’s assistant and recruited students into our school’s GIS program.

My dedication to education, my GIS passion, and my background in community development make me well-suited to contribute meaningfully to the vision, mission, and goals of GIS Colorado. My profound appreciation for education and the geospatial community aligns with GISCO’s mission to provide a collaborative environment for the exchange of geospatial information, resources, and technology. My ambition to further education and support fellow students perfectly complements GISCO’s goal to educate and empower the geospatial community.

I’m eager to contribute to GISCO and kindly request your consideration for a board member role. Thank you!

Lucas Thelen

I am the current chair of GIS Colorado. I helped form the Advisory Council for GIS Colorado. I have been on the board previously for 9 years. I whole heartily believe in the mission of GIS Colorado and what the board and organization are doing. I look forward to helping this organization now and in the future. I try to be a level head and try to understand where people are coming from. I am a Senior Support Engineer at IQGeo. I have a B.A. in Geography from the University of Denver and a M.S. in Spatial Information Science and Engineering from the University of Maine. If chosen I will work hard to unify the board. I want to increase training and attendance at our quarterly meetings.

London Walker

As a GIS Developer at the state, I will bring a knowledge of geospatial technology and a passion for expanding the reach of GIS. I have a degree in environmental science but am taking classes to expand my computer science knowledge. I have been in the GIS field my whole career and have gained an appreciation for the power of GIS.

In my short time at the state, I have worked hard at making connections, creating awareness for GIS, and furthering the capabilities of GIS. Having only been in Colorado for a year, I have attended a few GIS Colorado meetings and enjoyed learning and meeting others. I believe I would help further the goals of GIS Colorado by providing my insight into the public sector, my enthusiasm for helping and teaching, and the general knowledge of GIS I have so far. I also have the unique experience of knowing the dev side of GIS, which expands the power of geospatial technology.

I would really love to see more engagement in GIS Colorado, as I believe it is an extremely powerful resource. I think I could provide some valuable insight and a fresh set of eyes, especially being new to the state.