2022 Election: Candidate Bios - Pgs

CANDIDATES FOR NSPS PRESIDENT-ELECT

Steve Gould - Maine

I was born on July 9, 1971 in Skowhegan, Maine, and currently live 1 mile from that hospital, with my wife, Stacie. My only child, Kylie, who is now working for me, has 2 sons, Dak (Go Cowboys) and Bodi. My family has been in the logging industry for at least 3 generations so, of course, I wanted to join the family business. My father told me to look elsewhere as logging was a dangerous business and there was no future. In the summer of 1987, I went to work for Mick Sackett of Sackett & Brake Survey, Inc., and also started in Survey Engineering at the University of Maine at Orono, and graduating in 1993 in the Civil Engineering Technology program. (I hated and struggled with calculus and physics, hence the switch!). I started full time with Sackett & Brake in May 1993, and for the past 34 years have worked in this same office. In 2008, I took over ownership of the Company and since that time we have grown to have 2 offices. Since 1997, I have been Director of the Somerset Chapter of the Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS). From 2001-2002 I served as President of MSLS, and currently serve as Program Chair. I served as Governor to NSPS, and then served as NSPS Area 1 Director until NSPS reorganized. I have been Chair of the NSPS Education Committee for the past 5 years and am currently a Jefferson Club Member.

Davey Edwards is a professional surveyor in Texas and Oklahoma, a Texas Licensed State Land Surveyor (LSLS), and U.S. BLM Certified Federal Surveyor. He is a professional assistant professor of surveying at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, director of the Texas Spatial Reference Center, and vice-president of Edwards Surveying, LLC.

Davey has a master’s degree in Geospatial Surveying Engineering and doctorate degree in Geoscience. His practice consists primarily of boundary issue resolution on original land grants and cadastral systems. Some of his surveys have been working on high-profile projects with Congress on interstate boundary issues.

Davey is the past-president of the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors (TSPS) and past-president of Fort Worth chapter of TSPS. He has served as a public member of the Texas Board of Architecture Examiners and LSLS member of the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying. He now serves as an emeritus, survey advisory committee, and LSLS committee member of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. He has served as an item writer for the fundamental surveying (FS) exam and the examination for professional surveyors (EPS) committee and is currently serving as a delegate for Texas and an advisor to the chair of the education committee at the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

Davey is currently serving as vice-president pro-tem and the International Federation of Surveyors Commission 2 (professional education) delegate for the National Society of Professional Surveyor (NSPS).He is also the vice-chair for the education committee for NSPS.

Dan Martinez is a Senior Survey Project Manager at Lamp Rynearson, a civil engineering, surveying and planning firm located in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1987, he graduated with honors from National College in Rapid City, SD. He holds an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Civil Surveying.

For over 10 years, Dan has been serving as the Nebraska NSPS Director. During this time, he has served three terms on the NSPS Executive Committee. At the Spring 2020 NSPS Board of Directors meeting, Dan was elected to the NSPS Foundation Board of Trustees, which he currently serves a Vice Chairman. In 2021, he served on the NSPS Executive Oversight Committee, which conducted the search for the new NSPS Executive Director. While serving on this committee, Dan assisted with the national search, reviewing applications, developing interview questions and attending the in-person interviews with the candidates. Most recently, he was nominated and approved as a NSPS Fellow Member during the Fall 2022 NSPS Board of Directors meeting.

During his past 30 years of involvement in the Professional Surveyors Association of Nebraska, Dan has served as President Elect, President and on the Board of Directors.

“For several years our profession has been faced with many challenges. Working together through NSPS we can draw upon the experiences and ideas of all our members in order to meet these challenges and turn them into opportunities.”

Dan Martinez - Nebraska

Davey Edwards - Texas

CANDIDATES FOR NSPS VICE PRESIDENT

Matthew Morris - Montana

Matthew D. Morris, a licensed Professional Land Surveyor, graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman. He began his surveying career as a teacher’s assistant while studying at the University. After college graduation, Matt joined Pierson Land Works, LLC, in Jackson, Wyoming where he matured his career to point of licensure. Gaining Licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor in Montana (2007), Matt moved to his hometown of Choteau, Montana to assist family with existing businesses, including Morris Construction. In 2008, at the request of friends, Matt founded Morris Land Surveys, PLLC.

Matt obtained the credentials to be a Certified Federal Land Surveyor and is Licensed in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Currently, Matt functions as the principal of Morris Land Surveys, and continues to perform all aspects of work associated with the profession.

Matt is active in the Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors (MARLS) through various committees, was elected as the President of the North Central Chapter of MARLS in 2009, elected President of MARLS for the 2013-2014 term, has been serving as the Montana Director for the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) since his appointment in 2014, and received recognition as MARLS outstanding surveyor of the year in 2017. Matt has been involved with NSPS through various committees, has served as chair of the Western States Directors Council, completed a term on Executive Committee, and is a Trustee of the NSPS Foundation.

Matt is a life-long Montana Resident and serves in leadership capacity at his home church, Trinity Lutheran.

Linda Foster, PLS, GISP, currently represents South Dakota on the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Board of Directors. An active participant in the Society, Linda currently serves on the Bylaws and Workforce Development committees and is the liaison for the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA). She is also developing the Society’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and supports the annual student competition held in Washington DC. Having served as President of her state’s Society, Linda was instrumental in special projects such as designing the Low Distortion Projection (LDP) Zones for incorporation in the National Geodetic Survey’s (NGS) State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 and developing a digital corner record system (underway).Linda also serves on Commission 7 of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and is participating in the Women’s Land Rights and Innovation in Land Administration Working Groups.

Having practiced 17 years in a private consulting engineering and surveying firm, Linda has extensive experience in land surveying and land management including boundary, ALTA, mineral, engineering, and Right-of-Way surveys, permitting, and planning. Professionally, she has always had a keen interest in researching and developing emerging technologies and applying them to timeless land surveying and land administration challenges. Linda is currently the Global Manager of Land Records at Esri, overseeing the Company’s worldwide strategic vision for land records/cadastre, surveying and land administration.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering from South Dakota Mines, and a Master of Geographic Information Systems from Penn State University.

Linda Foster - South Dakota

CANDIDATE FOR NSPS TREASURER

Robert R. Miller has been influential in the governance of NSPS since 2005. He first became involved with NSPS as the Trig-Star Chairman for Pennsylvania. He became the NSPS Governor for PA in 2006 and remained there until 2015. In 2010, Bob became the Trig-Star Liaison to NSPSF and remained there until 2015. In 2015, Robert became the NSPS Treasurer and has been fulfilling that role to the present. As Treasurer, Bob dealt with the 100% campaign and the dues increase. Mr. Miller has been surveying since 1970. He became licensed in PA in 1979. He became a member of PSLS in 1976 and has been a member ever since. Bob was PSLS State President in 1997 and Surveyor of the Year in 2008. His current employer is Horizon Engineering in Pennsburg, PA, where he also serves as Vice-President. According to Bob, “while there are times that the volunteer position as Treasurer can be daunting, the rewards of working with Directors from around the Country can be very rewarding.