Wednesday, October 9^th, 2024

Kate Berg is the GIS Services Manager for the State of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) where she leads the development of geospatial solutions. Her team’s work drives community engagement, decision-making, and productivity improvements across the State’s environmental program areas, including air quality, materials management, and water resources. In 2023, Kate and her team received the Esri Special Achievement in GIS award. She received her bachelor’s degree in ecology with a minor in GIS from UCLA in 2015 and a master’s degree in natural resources from the University of Michigan in 2017. Aside from working in GIS across several sectors (state government, AEC firm, environmental consulting, academia, and non-profits), Kate’s resume also includes: National Park Service park ranger (flat-hat wearer), zoo education specialist (elephant whisperer), research assistant (poop cleaner), environmental science faculty (PowerPoint designer), and urban wildlife associate (mountain lion crossing guard). She was named one of xyHt Magazine’s 22 Young Geospatial Pros to Watch in 2022 and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Michigan’s professional GIS organization, IMAGIN (Improving Michigan’s Access to Geographic Information Networks). You may know her from her social media presence, @pokateo_maps, where she champions making GIS more fun and approachable through sharing her funny mappy memes and hosting the weekly #GISchat conversation.