A Letter from the President

2023-2024 WVAGP Board of Directors (L-R): Austin Dotson, Meryl Friedrich, Taryn Moser, Aaron Ferrari, Marvin Davis, Jennings Starcher, Stacey McDaniel, Amanda Adams, Eric Bess, and Hussein Elkhansa. Not Pictured: Jessica Gormont, Dusty Hays.

Hello, 

I'd like to start off with saying it is an honor to be elected as the President for WVAGP for the 2023-2024 term. I am forever grateful for the membership and the Board of Directors for their trust in me to lead WVAGP through a year that, I believe, we will see some great changes and growth in our organization. I am sending this message to provide you some goals and plans for the coming year, and asking for you to provide input to the Board of Directors to help us in steering WVAGP forward.

Goals

The goals I'm setting for the coming year are:

1. A Geospatial Professional Census. It has been a while since we had a true count on the number of people practicing, and organizations utilizing, geospatial technology. Collaborating on this effort with the Office of the State GIS Coordinator, once the position is filled, would be of benefit to all.
2. Make WVGeoCon 2024 a Valuable Event for All. WVAGP has implemented changes to our format by moving to an annual conference and branding as WVGeoCon for 2024. We aim to have events, workshops, and presentations that will be valuable to all of our members and attendees.
3. Increase our Engagement with Allied Organizations. We have many organizations in our state that have users who use geospatial technology or wish to learn how to use it. We want to ensure we are fostering growth in the profession in the Mountain State!
4. Continue Building "WVAGP 2.0." We have been focused on taking the next step as an organization in updating our bylaws, implementing new strategies, and moving to our new website. The work is far from finished and this year we need to continue moving forward, but it can only be done with all members participating. Help by joining a committee or by providing feedback!

Help Us Help You!

WVAGP always relies on its members to inform the Board of Directors on ideas, needs, or concerns they have. We are including a survey in this email to ask for your brief input on our organization so we can work to make this organization even better. Your participation is key! The survey will close on Monday, July 31st.

I look forward to working with you all in this coming year. Let's make it spatial!

Marvin A. Davis

WVAGP President, 2023-2024