2022 TNGIC Board of Director NomineesBelow are the 2022 TNGIC Board of Director Nominees and their biographies. We are excited to have a great list of candidates! Shawn Anderson
Shawn Anderson is the GIS Director for Tipton County, TN Government and has served in this role since 2004. He also served as IT Administrator for the County from 2012-2020. In 2001, Shawn started his career as GIS Coordinator for Allen & Hoshall in Memphis and worked part-time as GIS Analyst for the Town of Arlington, TN from 2006-2016. He graduated with a B.S. from Austin Peay State University in Environmental Geography in 1998 and an M.S. in Geography from the University of Memphis in 2001. He was also certified as a GISP in 2008. Shawn has been a member of TNGIC since 2003 and was honored to serve on the TNGIC Board from 2010-2013. He’s participated in various TNGIC committees and events over the years and presented many times at conferences and Fall forums. Shawn has also served with MAGIC (Memphis Area Geographic Information Council) since 2003 as a member, officer, committee chair, or whatever it took to get things done. He is also a member of URISA since 2007. Shawn lives in Atoka, TN with his wife Sara of 22 years and their daughter Cora, who is 16. Shawn is very active with his church family and enjoys every opportunity to serve others. If he’s not serving, Shawn likes to read, mow the yard and attend his daughter’s band events with his family in West Tennessee and Midsouth area. Charlie Mix
Charlie earned his B.S. in Geography from Jacksonville State University and is aiming to complete his M.S. in Information Science and Geographic Information this fall from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His professional background is rooted in the application of geography and GIS for natural resource management and protection. Charlie has led numerous successful projects utilizing GIS and cartography for conservation and outdoor recreation planning, public health, environmental management, and community prosperity. His cartographic work has received international recognition through awards and publications. Charlie's passion is conservation GIS and enabling others with the power of GIS and spatial thinking. Charlie’s career as a geographer was largely shaped by a love of rivers, mountains, and getting lost in the backcountry. Charlie is an avid mountain biker and whitewater kayaker. He also serves on the board of directors for the Southern Off-Road Mountain Biking Association (SORBA Chattanooga,) serves on the advisory committee for the Thrive Natural Treasures Alliance (a regional conservation partnership for Chattanooga,) and served on the Hamilton County COVID-19 Task Force, data subcommittee. Blake Sartin
Blake Sartin is the GIS Manager for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, which manages both McGhee Tyson (TYS) and Downtown Island (DKX) Airports. He has held this position since 2006. Previously he was the GIS Manager for the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission (2001-2006) and also worked for the University of Tennessee’s Center for Transportation Research (1996-2001). He graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a B.A. in Geography in 1996 and was part of the inaugural class of GISP certifications in 2003. Blake has worked in the past as organizer of the Geography Network of East Tennessee (GeoNET) from 2006-2016. His hope is to restart this group in the near future. He enjoys attending the ESRI User Conference as well as TNGIC events. Blake is also one of the few GIS Professionals certified by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). He also regularly guest lectures on GIS concepts for the Civil Engineering students at UTK. Blake lives outside Maryville, TN with his wife of 27 years, three kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens. If you could find his house, you would probably find him on the tractor or repairing something mechanical. Blake and his wife also enjoy live music and travelling to see their college-aged kids. Brian Ham
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Charlie Mix is the GIS Director for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, helping campus and the Chattanooga community utilize GIS. He is responsible for GIS project development and management, spatial data analysis and modeling, cartography, GIS application development, partnership coordination, training, and GIS infrastructure management for UTC's campus and partners. Charlie oversees UTC's IGTLab (Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technologies Lab) which works with community partners to fulfill cartographic and spatial analysis needs by creating applied learning opportunities for UTC students. The IGTLab primarily works with various conservation and community nonprofits and local, state, and federal agencies. 
I started my geospatial journey through a GIS and geology tract at Western Kentucky University (WKU) and after a couple years in geotechnical consulting, returned to WKU for a Master of Science in karst hydrogeology. After sharpening my skills in private environmental consulting, I now worked at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water to use my skills to ensure protection and preservation of water resources throughout the state. I have over 18 years of experience in GIS data analysis and environmental resource management. I firmly believe in the importance of not only enhancing environmental data to be “spatially enabled” but also making that data readily available to our citizens. As a candidate for the TNGIC board, I hope to expand initiatives for Tennessee authoritative geospatial data and ease of access for the GIS audience and general public. I’m encouraged by all of the talent in the TNGIC community and see many opportunities for private, government, and non-profit user groups to collaborate and launch our community into more efficient workflows for creating, sharing, and analysis of spatial data in Tennessee. Environmental resource management is an increasingly important topic in our state with so many critical natural resources to protect and the use of GIS tools will continue to be the most important key to effectively communicate these challenges and solutions. I would greatly appreciate your vote to include me on the TNGIC board to help solidify our collective goals and this vision for the future.
Natalie Robbins is a research analyst in the Spatial Analysis Research Lab (SARL) at Vanderbilt University, where she serves as a geospatial and geophysical consultant to researchers and outside partners. Natalie is originally from Arizona and received her BS in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona, before moving to Tennessee to complete her Professional Science Masters in Environmental Informatics at Tennessee Tech University. In her role at Vanderbilt, Natalie has worked on projects such as COVID-19 tracking, characterization of mobility among persons living with HIV, Mapping Self and Society (MaSelfS), and geophysical survey of Battle of Nashville Civil War sites. Natalie is also an instructor in Vanderbilt’s Peabody College for a course centered around personal mobility and critical spatial inquiry. Along with her collaborator, Stacy Curry-Johnson, Natalie co-leads a series of GIS workshops each semester for students, staff and faculty. Natalie is passionate about teaching GIS and helping others discover the power of geospatial information and geo-enrich their projects. When she is not mapping, Natalie enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, and spending time with her dog, Lucy.