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Dr. Kerski is a geographer and educator focused on GIS-based curriculum development, research in the effectiveness of GIS in education; professional development for educators; communication about the need for geographic skills, tools, and perspectives through keynote addresses, articles, social media, and workshops; and fostering partnerships to support GIS in education. He has given two TED talks and has created over 5,000 geo-related videos. Dr. Kerski also teaches online and face-to-face courses at primary and secondary schools, through MOOCs, and universities such as Sinte Gleska University, Penn State, and the University of Denver. He is active in educational nonprofit organizations, including NAAEE, AAG, and NCSS, and he served as president of the National Council for Geographic Education. After serving as geographer at NOAA, US Census Bureau, and USGS, since 2006 Dr Kerski has served as education manager for Esri, providing thought leadership in geospatial technologies in formal and informal education at all levels, internationally. He has written books such as Interpreting Our World, Spatial Mathematics, International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning with GIS in Secondary Schools, The Essentials of the Environment, Tribal GIS, and The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data. As a lifelong learner, Dr Kerski feels as though he’s just getting started and thus actively seeks mentors, partners, and collaborators.

Wayne Bailey, has been volunteering and working in public safety since 1975. In 1995 he started employment with the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM). During his time at OSFM, he served as a certification specialist and deputy director over training, certification, accreditation, and ISO Inspections for the state. In 2016, he started flying uncrewed aircraft. In 2018 he was credentialed as an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot in Charge. Also, Mr. Bailey is internationally accredited by IFSAC and ProBoard as an NFPA 1041 Level III instructor, accredited chief training officer by the Center for Public Safety Excellence, and executive fire officer graduate from the National Fire Academy. After retiring from OSFM in 2019, he went to work for Blue Ridge Mountain Drones as their chief pilot. Mr. Bailey stays busy teaching the FAA part 107 rules to primarily public safety and high school educators. He volunteers his time as an FAA Safety Team Member (FAAST) and is a designed Drone Pro by the FAA. Since 2019, Mr. Bailey has taught over 100 FAA Part 107 classes to over 1,500 students.

Mr. Helfrich has been principal land surveyor with Craig R. Knoche & Associates, P.C. and its successor Koru Group PLLC in the Chicago area for the last 30 years. Mr. Helfrich first picked up a plumb bob in 1971 for Webster & Associates. From tape-and-transit to GPS, mortgage surveys to shopping centers, he has his seal on billions of dollars of commercial, residential and institutional developments and transactions in 23 counties in Illinois together with consulting and managing projects in 15 other states. Mr. Helfrich has enjoyed working with countless prominent developers, attorneys and other professionals in the field and the office. His specialties include real estate law, boundaries and boundary law, easements, rights-of-way and other encumbrances and servitudes, statutory and common-law plats, ALTA surveys, topography, building and site layout, construction- and project-management as well as land development consulting. He has presented classes and co-written manuals with the Illinois Institute For Continuing Legal Education along with classes at the University of Illinois and HalfMoon Education. Mr. Helfrich is a member of the National Society of Professional Surveyors and the Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association.

Mr. Nechamen was the Floodplain Coordinator for the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation for 21 years. During that period, he helped to promote higher floodplain standards in New York, including enacting a two foot “freeboard” requirement in New York’s building code, saving property owners millions of dollars in flood losses and flood insurance premiums.
One of the founders of the New York State Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association (NYSFSMA), a professional association with over 600 active members, He was their first Chair and currently serves the Association as its treasurer.
Mr. Nechamen has been a Board member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) at various times for 13 years. ASFPM represents over 15,000 professionals across the United States and internationally and is a key national voice in policies designed to reduce flood risk while preserving the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains. He served as chair (2013-2015), vice-chair (2011-2013) and treasurer (2008-2010) and is currently co-chair of the Floodplain Regulations Committee. Mr. Nechamen has received the ASFPM Meritorious Lifetime Achievement in Floodplain Management Award.
In his capacity as Floodplain Coordinator, he has led workshops and training sessions on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), floodplain management and regulations, understanding and interpreting flood maps, flood insurance and the Community Rating System.

Dr. Robert Ahl works as a Geospatial Systems Specialist in the USDA Forest Service|Lands, Minerals, and Geology|Automated Lands Program. He has an extensive natural resource background, with application of geographic information systems and remote sensing to assess and model vegetation characteristics, water yield, and wildlife habitat. In recent years he has also obtained remote pilot certification and manages a remote sensing services agreement with the University of Montana. In the Automated Lands Program, he helps manage a team of contractors that focus on Land Status Record System data development and maintenance, with emphasis on creating spatial representations of right-of-way, land adjustment case boundaries, and other administratively or congressionally
designated changes to land status. He is also a manager of the Program’s National Geospatial Data Asset – the Proclaimed Forest boundary dataset and provides program support for the Title Claims and Encroachment Management System (TCEMS). In collaboration with his team members, he also helps develop mapping templates for the Legislative Map Tool, and Special Uses Map Tool.

Mr. Barowsky works for the Bureau of Land Management and manages their national land surveying services for Federally recognized tribes and is a licensed land surveyor in Alaska, Arizona, Tennessee, and Texas. He has worked as a land surveyor, planner, real estate specialist, and investigator.

Mr. Matthews is the USFS Regional Land Surveyor for Region 6 and has been responsible for program development and oversight for the Boundary and Title Management Program in the Pacific Northwest for the last year and a half. Most of his earlier career was spent working in the private and public sector.

Mr. McDonald currently works as the Public Land Survey System Dataset Manger for the Bureau of Land Management headquarters’ office, and he is a licensed land surveyor in Arizona. He has worked as a cadastral surveyor, for BLM for over 14 years plus nine years a private surveyor for utilities companies, and the private sector.

Ms. Olson has been a land surveyor in the private sector, the gold mines and with the government for 10 years total; with the USFS for 5 years. She has also worked as an adjunct professor and faculty advisor for land survey student competitions at Great Basin College in Elko, Nevada since 2015.

Mr. Price is the Chief Land Surveyor at USDA Forest Service Headquarters in Washington D.C. He obtained his MBA degree from Alaska Pacific University, BS degree in Technology Management from Utah Valley University and AAS in Land Surveying from Salt Lake Community College.

Mr. Ryan started his BLM Career in 2009 as a realty and cadastral aide in Sacramento, California. He then worked in various field offices, holding positions in the Realty, Minerals, NEPA and Project Management programs. He currently oversees the Land Tenure program for the Northern California Districts where there are over 20 active land acquisition cases.

Dr. Prasad is a licensed professional engineer, land surveyor, and professional planner with more than three decades of professional experience in civil engineering, surveying, and management field since his graduation. He has recently earned Ph.D. degree from New York University in Civil Engineering. Dr. Prasad has double M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and Engineering Management from New Jersey institute of technology and an B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. He has more than 2000 hours of continuous professional education as instructor/participating professional (1990-2022) excluding formal education. Dr. Prasad is a New Jersey state certified emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency medical responder (EMR), fire fighter (FF). He is a fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers and also an active member of several professional organizations such as: AREMA, PMI, AISC, NYSAPLS etc. His technical papers were accepted in multiple ASCE journals and various other organizations like ASCE, AREMA & NYSAPLS conference proceedings for presentation and or publication multiple times.

Mr. Clase holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and a master’s degree in Public Administration from The Ohio State University’s School of Public Policy and Management. With expansive professional experience, he has previously employed as a public employee in city, village, township and county governments throughout Delaware and Union counties. As an experienced public official, Mr. Clase established the business in 2013 with the primary mission of helping clients to develop a local quality of life through smart growth and sustainable planning. Today, he has brought together a team of professionals who provide start to finish assistance on client projects. Mr. Clase is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has also served as a member of regional planning commissions, public works committees, public safety committees, appeals board, zoning commission, health board, transit board, along with various other boards and committees. Since, 2013, Plan 4 Land has been focused on providing high-quality, professional land use planning and public policy assistance to local governments, small businesses and land owners. The company uses the expertise of those trained as, or who have served as, local government officials and small business owners, executives and managers to help provide assistance in the fields of conservation, development, policy and zoning. Plan 4 Land strives to blend conservation and development to better the quality of life for its clients. With a focus on conservation development, the firm strives to educate clients on the success of Randall Arendt’s vision for a farm village that provides smart growth opportunities as published in Rural by Design. 

Mr. Newell is the owner of Blue Church Surveys in central Ohio. Some of his projects include boundary, topographic, construction, and ALTA surveys. Mr. Newell has also served as project manager and survey manager for a regional survey and design firm in Columbus, Ohio. He has previously had experience as an instructor for Sinclair Community College. Mr. Newell received his received his undergraduate studies from Ohio State University. Mr. Newell is responsible for project management of Surveying and GPS projects. This work includes coordination with clients to manage client needs and expectations, and the daily coordination and supervision of full-time survey crews and office technical staff. These responsibilities include work assignments, schedule compliance, cost compliance, and quality assurance. Mr. Newell has been a licensed professional surveyor for 34 years, with more than 45 years of surveying experience and specializes in surveys that involve large engineering design applications. He routinely supervises American Land Title Surveys (ALTA), right-of-way, property description and resolution, construction staking, topographic, photo control, utility, geodetic control, and global positioning system (GPS) control. Mr. Newell has completed certification of OSHA-Approved Competent Person in Construction and 40-Hour Health and Safety to allow him to work on OSHA-classified hazardous sites.

Mr. Pempus has been a risk manager for more than 18 years, with experience in architecture, engineering, land use, law and professional liability insurance, and a unique and well-rounded background in the construction industry. Prior to risk management, he has 25 years of experience in the practice of architecture and engineering, and as an adjunct professor teaching professional practice courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels for the last 37 years. As a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and AIA National Ethics Council 2021 chair, he has demonstrated his impact on architectural profession. He is a licensed architect, attorney and property and casualty insurance agent.

Mr. Knaak has been practicing law for nearly 45 years in Minnesota and 30 in Wisconsin and Colorado. He is the head of Municipal and Real Estate Development Law with Northstar Law Group. Mr. Knaak has tried cases and argued appeals throughout the country in both State and Federal Courts. For nearly that whole period he has been a city attorney. Past clients include the Minnesota cities of Fridley, Maplewood, Lake Elmo, Newport and Afton. He is currently city attorney for Ramsey and Taylors Falls, Minnesota, and continues to represent private clients on a variety of matters. Mr. Knaak also has considerable experience in litigation involving title insurance claims and title insurance. He served ten years in the Minnesota Senate, representing a district in the northeastern suburbs of the Twin Cities. Mr. Knaak was Special Counsel to the Minnesota Secretary of State in redistricting litigation and was lead counsel on the Senator Norm Coleman election recount. He is a frequent commentator on Twin City news programs on political matters and is a frequent guest political panelist of the Twin Cities Public Television Almanac program. Mr. Knaak also regularly teaches in national seminars on municipal law and has published a number of essays and articles on various topics. His article “Using Development Agreements to Further Environmental Ends: A Case Study” will be published this summer in the ABA’s Probate and Real Property Section magazine. Mr. Knaak earned his B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from John’s University, and his J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Ms. Land is a shareholder with LeVander, Gillen & Miller P.A. She concentrates her practice on municipal and governmental law, real estate and land use, and development. Ms. Land serves as city attorney for the cities of Cottage Grove, Stillwater, Hastings and Randolph. She is also general counsel to the South Metro Fire Department, a full-time joint fire department serving the cities of West St. Paul and South St. Paul. As a city attorney, Ms. Land has experience in several areas of municipal law including open meeting law, data practices, ordinances, employment, problem properties, land use, zoning/planning, economic development, residential development, public improvement projects, and all the issues that cities face on a daily basis. Ms. Land attended law school at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she received her juris doctorate degree with honors. Before this, she received a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ms. Land has been admitted to the bar in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and U.S. District Court District of Minnesota. She is a regular speaker at the Minnesota Association of City Attorneys’ annual conferences as well as at several other government organizations, speaking around the state on the topics surrounding general planning and zoning. Ms. Land volunteers her time atz Trinity Lutheran Church on various committees and is actively involved in We Do Feet, a program that collects and donates furniture and household items to those in need.

Mr. Lindgren is a licensed land surveyor in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and he has more than 20 years of professional experience in surveying and right of way. He has planned, directed and executed large- and small-scale surveys including freight and light rail projects, DOT corridors, and residential/commercial sites ranging in size from less than an acre to 300 acres. He has worked for small and medium-sized firms and served clients in the public and private sectors. He started his own firm in 2019 and performs surveys primarily in Minnesota.

Ms. Villari is a licensed land surveyor with Cornerstone Land Surveying in Stillwater, Minnesota. She has over 30 years of experience in a variety of survey practices and has served as president of the Minnesota Society of Professional Land Surveyors and local land surveying societies.

Mr. Vogel is a land surveyor with LHB, Inc.; past chair of the Minnesota Board of Architects, Engineers, Land Surveyors, Landscape Architects and Geoscientists (AELSLAGID); past president of the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors (MSPS) and president of his local Arrowhead Chapter of MSPS. He earned his bachelor of science degree in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota in 1991 with additional education in land surveying from Metropolitan State College of Denver, Colorado. He has taught survey coursework at both Lake Superior College as well as the University of Minnesota and enjoys helping better the understandings of the role of land surveyors in today’s society.

Mrs. Bannan, her responsibilities encompass evaluating federal grants and historical property titles while optimizing the company’s utilization and return on real property assets. Prior to her tenure at Union Pacific, she practiced as an oil and gas title attorney, specializing in federal title and compliance matters. She continues to offer her expertise to clients and collaborates with various law firms on special projects. Mrs. Bannan holds the distinguished role of incoming president for the Energy & Natural Resource Council of the Wyoming Bar Association, reflecting her deep commitment to education, community service, and volunteering. Mrs. Bannan holds an MBA degree from Regis University and a JD degree from the University of Wyoming. She is a registered professional landman and maintains an active membership in both the AAPL (American Association of Professional Landmen) and the WAPL (Wyoming Association of Professional Landmen), where she contributes to the scholarship committee. Mrs. Bannan’s dedication to education extends to her prior role as an adjunct professor at the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources. During this time, she developed and instructed two new undergraduate core courses: “Introduction to Land Management” and “Senior Registered Landman Capstone” as part of the AAPL-certified Professional Land Management/Energy Management program.

Bettencourt, director at Fairfield & Woods, P.C., is an environmental, public land use, and natural resources attorney with over a decade of experience working on federal and state land issues in various states including in Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, Arizona, and Utah. She works with local governments, grazing associations, ranchers, and natural resource producers early on in the federal land use planning, permit, or project approval process to ensure clients’ interests are protected, they are building an appropriate administrative record for appeal, and that they are working cooperatively with the federal and state agencies involved in the decision-making process. She works closely with her clients to find legal, political, and practical solutions. This also includes advising clients and helping them obtain the necessary permits to graze livestock on federal land, to gain access to and across federal land, and for other special uses on federal land. When necessary, Ms. Bettencourt handles the related environmental and land use litigation involving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the Wilderness Act, and the Mineral Leasing Act. She also has experience with Quiet Title Act litigation against the United States over title disputes to County roads, R.S. 2477 rights-of-way, and mineral and royalty interest on and across federal land.

Mr. Smith has more than three decades of experience as an attorney, in which he has successfully handled a number of complex water disputes, land use disputes, takings claims, and other issues. He has argued over 30 appeals to the Utah Supreme Court. Mr. Smith has represented public and private parties in takings claims arising from land use decisions, represented numerous water users in successful settlement of instream flow claims on the San Rafael River, and won appeals for municipalities and water entities before the Utah and New Mexico Supreme Courts. His most notable projects include securing the water rights for Duchesne City through an act of Congress, successfully entitling and securing water rights for a multimillion-dollar resort in Kane County, and creating the first municipal natural gas utility in Utah. He is licensed to practice in Utah, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. Mr. Smith earned his B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Bringham Young University, and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Bringham Young University.

Mr. Stump provides water rights and water resources planning and engineering expertise to public, mining, energy, and agricultural clients throughout Wyoming. Mr. Stump has led many successful teams completing diverse water infrastructure projects, meeting client needs while addressing regulatory requirements. Prior to joining HDR he served as North Platte coordinator for the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office and served with the Water Quality Division of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

Prior to his service at TVA, Mr. Savage was in private survey practice for 10 years specializing in dispute resolution and expert witness services. He has surveyed several disputed state boundaries to resolve jurisdictional conflicts. Mr. Savage is an adjunct professor at Cleveland State Community College where he teaches courses in boundary law, geodesy, GIS, and surveying fundamentals. He has researched and retraced the historical surveys of Henry David Thoreau and has published several articles on the subject. Mr. Savage teaches exam review and continuing education seminars at various state and local conferences across the country.

Ms. Lathrop is licensed as a professional land surveyor in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and as a professional planner in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and has been involved in surveying since 1974 in projects ranging from construction to boundary to environmental land use disputes. Ms. Lathrop is also a certified floodplain manager through the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) and a certified floodplain surveyor through the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors. A former adjunct instructor at Mercer County College in New Jersey, she has also taught as part of the team for the licensing exam review course at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lathrop has been teaching seminars for surveyors since 1986 and has been writing articles for surveyors since 1983. She is a contributing editor for The American Surveyor magazine, and she has four articles included in the American Bar Association’s text, Land Surveys: A Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals. She and Stephen V. Estopinal, PLS, PE co–authored a book entitled Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions: Composition, Construction, and Comprehension, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2011. She is also on the faculty of GeoLearn, a web-based educational provider. Ms. Lathrop is a past president of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and she has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Geodetic Surveying.

Dr. Meyer is a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and he is a fellow and past president (2016, 2019) of the American Association for Geodetic Surveying. Dr. Meyer is a past president (2006-2007) of the Geomatics Society of New England (previously known as the New England Section ACSM) and a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Surveying Engineering and Surveying and Land Information Science. Dr. Meyer earned his Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University (College Station, 1998) where he was a research associate in the Mapping Sciences Laboratory. He was named a UConn Teaching Fellow (2015), and he has taught geomatics courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels in geodesy, geographic information science, digital terrain modeling, spatial statistics, and global navigation satellite system surveying. Dr. Meyer has authored an undergraduate-level geodesy textbook and numerous peer-reviewed papers about surveying and mapping, and he teaches professional education seminars for surveyors throughout New England and the United States.

Mr. Forester, CPA, Attorney, practices in Beverly Hills, California in the areas Tax and Trust law, Personal Injury, Criminal Law. He also testified as an expert witness in various state and federal courts in California.  Mr. Forester is a Certified Public Accountant, Attorney, and Economist. As a CPA , he provides accounting, financial, and business valuation services. He received his M.A. in Economics and Finance, his Ph.D. Candidacy degree in Economics from UCLA, and his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.  Mr. Forester is an adjunct professor at California State University (CSU) and has teaching credentials in Accounting and Economics. He has taught tax, accounting, business law, statistics, and computer courses to graduate and undergraduate students. Mr. Forester is a Judicial Arbitrator of the Superior Court of the State of California for Los Angeles County as well as a mandatory fee arbitration for the State Bar of California. 

Mr. Givens is an associate at Best Best & Krieger LLP who focuses on telecommunications, land use and real estate. He regularly assists clients in California and across the country with a wide range of regulatory and transactional matters involving broadband and fiber networks, cable and telecom franchising, leases and licenses, wireless communications, and public-private partnerships. Mr. Givens primarily represents public agencies, cooperatives, nonprofits, and small competitive providers on a wide range of issues related to telecommunications infrastructure. While earning his law degree at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Mr. Givens served as chief research editor for the Entertainment Law Review.

Ms. Karish is a partner at Best Best & Krieger LLP in Los Angeles who focuses on telecommunications, assisting clients in California and across the U.S. with a wide range of regulatory and transactional matters involving broadband and fiber networks, cable and telecom franchising, wireless communications and public-private partnerships. Ms. Karish’s clients are mainly public agencies, such as local governments, water districts and municipal utilities. Public agencies can serve a variety of roles in relation to telecommunications infrastructure – regulator, owner, service provider, customer, partner – and Ms. Karish’s clients come to her for advice and guidance on issues that arise in all these contexts. She also represents some cooperatives, nonprofits and small competitive providers. Ms. Karish’s telecommunications practice regularly involves regulatory advice and advocacy, negotiations and drafting agreements and litigation. Ms. Karish is licensed to practice law in California and the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice in the US District Courts of Northern California, Central California and Southern California; the US Court of Appeals in the Sixth Circuit, Ninth Circuit, Tenth Circuit and DC Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Ms. Madikians is an associate at Nossman LLP in Los Angeles where she represents public and private sector clients through all stages of civil litigation primarily focusing on eminent domain and land use matters. She has advised numerous public agencies on complex property acquisitions for large public works projects shaping California’s infrastructure, including rail projects, roads, highways, stadiums, public utilities, and flood basins. Ms. Madikians’ experience includes working with expert witnesses; drafting pleadings, dispositive motions and written discovery; negotiating and litigating discovery disputes; managing large-scale electronic document reviews and productions; second chairing a trial; and preparing cases for trial. While in law school, Ms. Madikians served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Otis D. Wright II of the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.

Ms. Lathrop is licensed as a professional land surveyor in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and as a professional planner in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and has been involved in surveying since 1974 in projects ranging from construction to boundary to environmental land use disputes. Ms. Lathrop is also a certified floodplain manager through the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) and a certified floodplain surveyor through the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors. A former adjunct instructor at Mercer County College in New Jersey, she has also taught as part of the team for the licensing exam review course at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lathrop has been teaching seminars for surveyors since 1986 and has been writing articles for surveyors since 1983. She is a contributing editor for The American Surveyor magazine, and she has four articles included in the American Bar Association’s text, Land Surveys: A Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals. She and Stephen V. Estopinal, PLS, PE co–authored a book entitled Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions: Composition, Construction, and Comprehension, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2011. She is also on the faculty of GeoLearn, a web-based educational provider. Ms. Lathrop is a past president of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and she has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Geodetic Surveying.

Ms. Levi joined Goldstein, Rikon & Rikon, P.C., the predecessor to Goldstein, Rikon, Rikon & Houghton, P.C. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2009 and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Levi interned at the Office of the New York State Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo’s office in the Tobacco Compliance Unit. Ms. Levi is admitted to practice in New York.

Mr. Pawlowski is an experienced real estate attorney who represents clients in both residential and commercial real estate transactions. His day-to-day practice includes helping clients with residential and commercial purchases and sales, title examinations, foreclosures, mortgage lending, leasing and landlord/tenant law. Mr. Pawlowski frequently makes presentations to real estate agents, mortgage brokers, sellers and home buyers on a variety of topics related to real estate law, including contract drafting, foreclosures, mortgage financing, short sales, avoiding liability, REO Transactions, and home purchases. Due to handling hundreds of sales, purchases and financing transactions each year, he has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Star List, Real Estate Law, 2015 – 2021, an honor bestowed upon only 2.5 percent of attorneys in Upstate New York each year. Mr. Pawlowski is also an experienced litigation attorney and has represented clients in several real estate lawsuits, such as actions for partition, actions to quiet title, and specific performance actions.

Mr. Rikon has practiced eminent domain law in New York since 2003 when he was admitted to practice as an attorney and counselor at law. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2002 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in 1999. Prior to being admitted to practice, Mr. Rikon completed his law school’s externship requirement at Steinhardt Pesick & Cohen, P.C., one of Michigan’s finest eminent domain, condemnation, and land use law practices. Mr. Rikon is a member of the New York State and American Bar Associations as well as the New York City and Westchester County Bar Associations. He served as the vice-chairman of the Condemnation Committee of the ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law. Mr. Rikon has taught continuing legal education courses; he was awarded the CRE designation from The Counselors Of Real Estate; he is a member of Scribes, the American Society of Legal Writers, and he has also been designated a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.

Ms. Sigmond is a partner in the Construction and Litigation practice groups at Greenspoon Marder. With more than four decades of legal experience, She focuses her practice on construction industry matters, including arbitration, appeals, bid protests, contract preparation, mediation, litigation, and suretyship. Ms. Sigmond represents clients in construction defect litigation relating to issues that arise when adjacent owners develop their properties, as well as expediting a builder’s construction project by ensuring that the proper contracts are in place. As a seasoned practitioner, She has a history of litigating construction disputes for public works and buildings in both the public and private sectors. She also has extensive knowledge preparing contract documents, including designbuild, construction management, guaranteed maximum price, and fixed-price contracts. Additionally, Ms. Sigmond is an experienced mediator and arbitrator handling construction or real estate cases for the New York County Supreme Court Commercial Division Roster of Volunteer Mediators and the American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Construction Industry Arbitrators. For several years, She has taken an active role in shaping the construction law community in New York. Ms. Sigmond is a former Vice President of the New York State Bar Association and a former President of the New York County Lawyers Association. She is also a frequent speaker and has authored a number of legal publications relating to construction law and publishes The Co-Op Condo Help Line in the monthly Mann Report. Furthermore, she was a member of Law360‘s 2020 Construction Editorial Advisory Board. As a recognized leader, Ms. Sigmond was named among the Crain’s New York Business “Notable Women in Law” list for 2022, New York State Bar Association’s 2020 “Real Estate Section Award for Professionalism,” and received the Albert Nelson Marquis “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Marquis Who’s Who in 2019. She is also listed as “Top Rated” by New York Super Lawyers for Construction Litigation. She earned her J.D. degree from The Catholic University of America School of Law.

Mr. Clase holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and a master’s degree in Public Administration from The Ohio State University’s School of Public Policy and Management. With expansive professional experience, he has previously employed as a public employee in city, village, township and county governments throughout Delaware and Union counties. As an experienced public official, Mr. Clase established the business in 2013 with the primary mission of helping clients to develop a local quality of life through smart growth and sustainable planning. Today, he has brought together a team of professionals who provide start to finish assistance on client projects. Mr. Clase is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has also served as a member of regional planning commissions, public works committees, public safety committees, appeals board, zoning commission, health board, transit board, along with various other boards and committees. Since, 2013, Plan 4 Land has been focused on providing high-quality, professional land use planning and public policy assistance to local governments, small businesses and land owners. The company uses the expertise of those trained as, or who have served as, local government officials and small business owners, executives and managers to help provide assistance in the fields of conservation, development, policy and zoning. Plan 4 Land strives to blend conservation and development to better the quality of life for its clients. With a focus on conservation development, the firm strives to educate clients on the success of Randall Arendt’s vision for a farm village that provides smart growth opportunities as published in Rural by Design. 

Mr. Newell is the owner of Blue Church Surveys in central Ohio. Some of his projects include boundary, topographic, construction, and ALTA surveys. Mr. Newell has also served as project manager and survey manager for a regional survey and design firm in Columbus, Ohio. He has previously had experience as an instructor for Sinclair Community College. Mr. Newell received his received his undergraduate studies from Ohio State University. Mr. Newell is responsible for project management of Surveying and GPS projects. This work includes coordination with clients to manage client needs and expectations, and the daily coordination and supervision of full-time survey crews and office technical staff. These responsibilities include work assignments, schedule compliance, cost compliance, and quality assurance. Mr. Newell has been a licensed professional surveyor for 34 years, with more than 45 years of surveying experience and specializes in surveys that involve large engineering design applications. He routinely supervises American Land Title Surveys (ALTA), right-of-way, property description and resolution, construction staking, topographic, photo control, utility, geodetic control, and global positioning system (GPS) control. Mr. Newell has completed certification of OSHA-Approved Competent Person in Construction and 40-Hour Health and Safety to allow him to work on OSHA-classified hazardous sites.

Ms. Thornton holds a real estate license for the State of Ohio, as well as many certificates for Marketing, Management, and Business. She is an experienced businesswomen with professional experience in land development since 2017 working as a manager for construction and development services. She uses a unique combination of strategic planning, problem solving, and analytical skills to excel in roles as a project manager. She understands the importance of coordination, communication, and time management to ensure successful project completion. Ms. Thornton started her real estate career in 2023 and started working with Red One Realty in Central Ohio to expand her knowledge in land use and development. She has been employed with Plan 4 Land since September 2022 and has a remarkable reputation amongst her clients and other realtors with a tenacious work ethic, emotional intelligence, and professional poise that is critical in the land development, construction, and real estate fields.

Mr. Beatty concentrates his practice in the areas of civil, business and commercial litigation, including real estate litigation, boundary and border disputes, business torts, construction and lien law litigation, contract disputes, collections, foreclosures and title insurance claims. In addition, he represents insurance carriers, third party administrators, and employers in the defense of workers’ compensation claims. Mr. Beatty also handles appellate cases throughout the state of Florida. He is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, as well as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Beatty holds an AV® Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He was selected as one of Gulfshore Business Magazine’s and Business Observer’s (f/k/a Gulf Coast Business Review) top 40 Under 40. Mr. Beatty graduated from Wake Forest University, B.A., cum laude, in 1993, and graduated from University of Miami, J.D., cum laude, in 1996.

Mr. Colburn, Esq. founded The Colburn Firm, PL, in April 2013. His practice involves obtaining and addressing approvals; legislation and codes; permitting; zoning; land use and development matters; green building and regulation; waterfront and docks; environmental permitting and due diligence. His dedication to environmental and economic sustainability led him to put his knowledge to work as an attorney for Economic Recovery Group, where he helped both his own clients and, acting as co-counsel, helped dozens of other Florida law firms’ clients to navigate the very challenging BP Claims process. He was a founding director of the Sarasota Young Professionals Group and IMPACT. In addition to chairing the Downtown Sarasota Alliance, Mr. Colburn serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of Suncoast Community Capital. He previously served multiple terms as chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, and as counsel and director to The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. He is an active member of the Government Affairs Committees of the both the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange and the International Council of Shopping Centers and serves on ICSC’s National Environment Committee. He also serves as an advisor to Communities for Veterans and as a principal in the political consulting firm, Crane & Tide, LLC. Most recently, he’s very proud to have helped the country finally make good on a decade-old promise to US veterans, securing approvals to utilize several sprawling VA Campuses across the country to house and care for disabled, aged, and homeless US veterans. He received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Arizona and his juris doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Mr. Hanratty is a Florida native, born in Miami in 1961 and admitted to the practice of law in 1992. Mr. Hanratty has focused his practice on civil litigation in the area of condemnation, eminent domain and land use regulations. He has handled hundreds of condemnation cases throughout the State of Florida, including numerous inverse condemnation and land use regulation matters. Mr. Hanratty was the chairman of the Marion County Land Development Regulation Board for four years and the vice-chairman for the previous four years. In addition to civil litigation, Mr. Hanratty has handled cases before various Florida District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court.

Ms. Seay is an attorney licensed to practice law in South Carolina and Florida. Since 2001, she has been Florida Bar board certified in international law, and currently serves on the Executive Council of The Florida Bar International Law Section. Ms. Seay is a full professor at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers where she teaches constitutional law, criminal law, comparative justice, and international justice issues. As an attorney, she provides legal advice and consultation for foreign and domestic businesses on international legal matters including ethics and business development. Ms. Seay is a regular lecturer on international law and legal ethics, speaking in the US, and around the world, including Greece, Italy, China, England, Brazil and other sites. She is the author of a number of publications, focusing on international issues, including a textbook titled International Travel and the Global Experience. She earned her J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and her LL.M. degree in International Law from Stetson University College of Law. Ms. Seay has served six terms on The Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee.

Mr. Evans is a native of Cartersville, Georgia, and he attended the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee and the law school at the University of Georgia. Following law school Mr. Evans spent two years as a clerk to Federal District Court Judge Harold L. Murphy in Rome, Georgia. Mr. Evans’ practice is focused on eminent domain, criminal defense, and general litigation. Mr. Evans is a leader in defending the property rights of families throughout the State whose land is sought by electric companies such as Georgia Power and the Georgia Transmission Corporation. He represents landowners throughout the State of Georgia, in over 50 counties, including: Bartow, Barrow, Cobb, Coweta, Catoosa, Forsyth, Gordon, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Oconee, Paulding, and Washington counties.

Ms. Liberman has broad experience handling real estate-related disputes. She represents individuals, associations and businesses in matters such as real estate contractual disputes, fraud claims, construction-defect claims, boundary disputes, adverse possession, equitable partition, and contested trusts and estates. Based in the Atlanta area, Ms. Liberman is an experienced real estate dispute attorney handling cases throughout metropolitan Atlanta and the State of Georgia. She is a trained litigator with more than 20 years of experience who understands the value of resolving disputes before they escalate whenever possible.

Prior to his service at TVA, Mr. Savage was in private survey practice for 10 years specializing in dispute resolution and expert witness services. He has surveyed several disputed state boundaries to resolve jurisdictional conflicts. Mr. Savage is an adjunct professor at Cleveland State Community College where he teaches courses in boundary law, geodesy, GIS, and surveying fundamentals. He has researched and retraced the historical surveys of Henry David Thoreau and has published several articles on the subject. Mr. Savage teaches exam review and continuing education seminars at various state and local conferences across the country.

Ms. Sturm works with the commercial real estate practice group bringing 16 years of experience advising individuals, community groups, homeowners associations, businesses, local governments and non-profit organizations on a variety of environmental and land use matters. She focuses her practice on environmental litigation at the regulatory, administrative, trial and appellate levels. Kasey represents clients on a wide range of land use and zoning matters, including before governmental bodies and appeal boards, as well as in state and appellate courts. She also advises clients on a variety of environmental matters related to land ownership, use and development; represents clients in actions to address damage to property stemming from various environmental conditions, including as a result of storm water flows and sedimentation; compliance and permitting under a wide range of environmental laws, as well as land use and zoning laws and regulations. Kasey also advises clients in non-profit leadership and management, including formation of community groups and non-profit organizations.

Ms. Cunning has been conducting public and agency-specific ANILCA trainings for over 30 years, including contracts with Institute of the North for Department of the Interior University, US Forest Service, National Park Service, State of Alaska, and various nonprofit organizations. Ms. Cunning grew up in Alaska and has a BS degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. After ten years with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, she was appointed in 1981 to establish the State of Alaska’s “ANILCA team” of state agencies’ designees to liaison with federal agencies in the implementation of ANILCA. Ms. Cunning oversaw the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s role in ANILCA for 30 years, served as staff to the Alaska Land Use Council for several years and represented leadership in many federal/state resource matters until retirement in 2010. During this time she served on various national committees of federal and state agencies seeking resolution to federal management issues involving wilderness, fish and wildlife, and waters. She was co-chair of the State’s Interagency Navigable Waters and Access Team for over two decades. Ms. Cunning worked under an intergovernmental personnel agreement with US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop policies and regulations to implement the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, particularly to recognize the unique provisions of ANILCA for Alaska refuges. She served on a Wilderness management cooperative effort with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service that developed a national management agreement and initiated joint wilderness training. In 2011, the Governor of Alaska awarded Ms. Cunning the first Conservationist of the Year award for her long dedication to implementation of the special provisions of ANILCA. Since retiring, she works with other federal and state experts to improve ANILCA trainings, provides assistance in locating Congressional intent in the ANILCA legislative history, and volunteers as an advisor in resolution of ANILCA implementation issues.

Mr. Estes has been contributing to the interdisciplinary science, legal, institutional, and public involvement training and implementation of instream flow and water level conservation (IFWLC) since the early 1970s. After Estes’ 2010 retirement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a Fisheries Scientist and Chief of its Statewide Aquatic Resources Coordination Unit, he entered into private IFWLC consultation as principal of Chalk Board Enterprises, LLC. He is a co-founder of the Instream Flow Council and served as one its Directors-at-Large since its formation in 1998. He has authored numerous IFWLC and related publications. He has held several national leadership positions including the development and implementation of the 2006 National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP). NFHAP was codified as the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) in 2020 by Title II of PL 116-188. Estes serves on several science and technical committees for professional societies and organizations. Current priorities are providing Alaska based water rights training with an emphasis on IFWLC for governmental, NGO, academic, and private sector clients and developing a global IFWLC Training Center for all water stakeholders. Estes has received several awards for his professional contributions throughout his career and received the 2021 Stanley A. Moberly Award co-sponsored by the American Fisheries Society, NFHP, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration for his Outstanding Lifetime Achievements and Contributions to Fish Habitat Conservation. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science from Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona and his master’s degree in environmental science from Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.

Mr. Horn specializes in natural resources law with a heavy focus on ANILCA and related Alaska land issues. As a former deputy under secretary of the Interior in 1981, he was responsible for the Department’s Alaska portfolio. Mr. Horn retained that portfolio and was later confirmed as assistant secretary for Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He directed the implementation of ANILCA in its first eight years, and many of the regulations and policies he helped promulgate then are still in effect. Mr. Horn has extensive expertise in land acquisition and appraisal; wildlife law, including the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; national park concessions; Forest Service matters; recreation permits; and other public land and related regulatory matters. Mr. Horn’s experience in complex interstate land transactions includes the largest interstate land exchange ever consummated (the Arizona (Indian School)-Florida (Everglades) Exchange. Mr. Horn has established an active and successful litigation as well as legislative practice. A recognized expert in the field of natural resources law and policy, he has also served as chairman of the U.S./Canada Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and on National Academy of Sciences boards for Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration. In addition, he has a lengthy background in private conservation serving on the board of directors for the Bonefish & Tarpon, Trout Unlimited, Falling Spring Greenway and Friends of the Teton River. Mr. Horn is an author as well and just published his third book, The Crimson Wave: Sockeye Salmon, Rainbow Trout & Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

Ms. Seidman served as assistant director of International Affairs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 2020 through 2022 following 20 years as a wildlife law practitioner and director of Litigation and International Affairs with SCI in Washington, D.C. In 2023, Ms. Seidman founded Two Right Shoes LLC. to provide meaningful and enjoyable continuing legal education courses to lawyers throughout the country, with special emphasis on professional ethics and subjects of interest to environmental law practitioners and those who practice in multiple jurisdictions. Throughout her career, she has focused on providing legal education for lawyers, law students and laypersons. Ms. Seidman has prepared and presented numerous courses on professional ethics and environmental law to both domestic and international audiences including the Legal Committees of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and attendees of the International Wildlife Law Conference 2019, held in Barcelona, Spain. Prior to her work as a wildlife lawyer, Ms. Seidman practiced personal injury law and specialized in medical malpractice and products liability cases. She also consulted for the Nonprofit Risk Management Center and for the federal government on liability issues arising from volunteer activities provided by nonprofit entities. Ms. Seidman is the author and/or co-author of several publications, including Kidding Around? Be Serious: A Commitment to Safe Service Opportunities for Young People. She received a juris doctor with honors from the National Law Center of George Washington University Law School in 1982 and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Brown University in 1979. Ms. Seidman is admitted to the courts of the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and Virginia and has practiced pro hac vice in many courts around the country, including on multiple occasions in Alaska. In 2019 she received the Gary Taylor Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for her outstanding achievement in the field of public conservation policy.

Ms. Lathrop is licensed as a professional land surveyor in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and as a professional planner in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and has been involved in surveying since 1974 in projects ranging from construction to boundary to environmental land use disputes. Ms. Lathrop is also a certified floodplain manager through the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) and a certified floodplain surveyor through the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors. A former adjunct instructor at Mercer County College in New Jersey, she has also taught as part of the team for the licensing exam review course at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lathrop has been teaching seminars for surveyors since 1986 and has been writing articles for surveyors since 1983. She is a contributing editor for The American Surveyor magazine, and she has four articles included in the American Bar Association’s text, Land Surveys: A Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals. She and Stephen V. Estopinal, PLS, PE co–authored a book entitled Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions: Composition, Construction, and Comprehension, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2011. She is also on the faculty of GeoLearn, a web-based educational provider. Ms. Lathrop is a past president of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and she has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Geodetic Surveying.