News

Mike Johnson (’15)
Associate Designer
Eversource Energy
Manchester, NH

Mike earned dual degrees in Occupational Safety and Geography at KSC.  During his junior year, he served as an intern at Southwest Region Planning Commission.  After graduation he pursued work as a safety engineer, working on job sites around the country.  He returned to New Hampshire to work as a GIS Analyst for Eversource Energy.

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Stephanie Varanay, (’15)
Teacher,
Cambridge School of the Arts,
Cambridge, MA

Stephanie earned degrees in Geography and Elementary Education at KSC.  She worked in several roles after graduation, in public schools and for the email messaging company Constant Contact.  She is currently a full-time teacher at the Cambridge School of Arts in Massachusetts.

Tom Todd (’15)
GIS Specialist
Liberty Utilities
Portsmouth, NH

Tom worked as a GIS intern for CAI Technologies in Littleton, NH while also completing his degree in Geography.  He went on to do GIS work for Eversource Energy in Manchester, and remains in the energy sector, as he currently works as GIS Specialist for Liberty Utilities in Portsmouth, NH

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Keith Pancake (’15)
Operations Manager, New England Region
ACRT, New Hampshire

Keith came to Keene State from Tennessee, where he worked as a professional arborist.  With the goal of shifting to a career in GIS, he earned his BA in 2015, and began working for ACRT, a vegetation management company with offices in New Hampshire.  Today, he trains and supervises employees and contractors on forestry and tree inventory projects.

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Jake Morel (’15)
Environmental Educator
Ashokan Center
Olivebridge, NY

Jake followed a career path in outdoor recreation and education after graduating from KSC.  During the summer following his junior year, he worked as an SCA intern for the National Park Service in Maryland.  After graduation, Jake worked in Oregon for the Army Corps of Engineers, and as a Trail Crew leader at Crater Lake, National Park.  He is now an program leader for the Ashokan Center, the oldest outdoor environmental education center in New York state.

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Jack Lapsley (’15)
Gas GIS Planner
Eversource Energy
Southborough, MA

Jack interned with Eversource as a vegetation management technician during the summer between his junior and senior years.  He went on to take a full-time GIS position with the energy company after graduation.

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John Riordan (’15)
Land Surveyor
Needham, MA

After graduating from KSC, John began working as a Geospatial Analyst for a consulting firm in the Washington DC area. He then returned to the New England region to work for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as a wildlife intern, before moving to a full-time job as a land surveyor in Boston.

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Brian Vose (’15):
Granite State Water Association,
Walpole, NH

Brian worked as a GIS research assistant while at KSC, and his senior seminar project focused on the development of an urban greenspace in Keene.  After graduating, Brian interned with the Town of Walpole in their Public Works division. That led to a full-time position as a GIS Specialist with Granite State Water Association.

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Kat Wood (’15)
Owner, Mudita Massage and Wellness Center
Keene, NH

Kat completed an independent study in the spring of her senior year, in which she walked the entire length of the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway, a 50 mile hiking path.  Just one of many pursuits Kat accomplished at Keene State, which reflect her boundless sense of adventure.   After working for Kroka, a wilderness adventure school, and travelling and living in Ecuador, Kat settled back in Keene.  She earned her massage license in 2018 and opened Mudita Message and Wellness Center, just steps from the Keene State campus.

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Charlie Stoll (’14)
Environmental Engineering Technician
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Troy, NY

At KSC, Charlie worked as a research assistant for Dr. Brehme and Dr. Burchsted, as he used GIS to examine physical and ecological characteristics of rivers.  Charlie used aerial photography to interpret river features, and used GIS modelling to assess fine scale conditions including channel type and adjacent forest cover.  He presented the work at national conferences.  After working for the National Forest Service in West Virginia for two years, Charlie is now employed as an Environmental Engineering Tech with the State of New York.

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Michael Harpool (’14)
Transportation Planner
Missoula Metro Planning Org, Montana

Mike moved west after graduation, and soon enrolled in the master’s Planning program at Portland State University in Oregon.  Upon earning his graduate degree, he began a full-time position as a transportation planner in Montana.

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Meghan Healy (’14)
GIS Specialist, CDM Smith,
Manchester, NH

Meghan was part of a team of senior seminar students who conducted an inventory of recreation assets for the Town of Peterborough, NH.  The work involved GIS mapping, surveys, and statistical analysis.  While a senior at KSC, Meghan interned with CDM Smith, a consulting firm with offices around the US.  She has been working as a GIS Specialist for the same company for more than five years.

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Mike Desjardins (’14)
PhD Candidate,
Dept of Geography, UNC-Charlotte

While a KSC Geography student, Michael used GIS to study  a small patch reef called Coral Gardens off the coast of the Turks and Caicos.  Michael was later awarded a grant to return to the Turks and Caicos with the KSC Biology Department.  During this trip, he collected reef data and conducted interviews with community stakeholders. Michael is currently pursuing a PhD in Geography at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, with an emphasis on health geography and GIScience.

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Shawn Queenan (’14)
Xcel Energy, Denver, CO

Shawn worked full-time at a local manufacturing company to put himself through the Geography program.  He worked on the same senior seminar project as Meghan Healy, to assess recreation assets for the Town of Peterborough.  Upon graduating, Shawn moved to Colorado and found an entry level position with a solar company.  Today, Shawn is the Portfolio Manager for Xcel Energy, a Solar company based in Denver.

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Sean Spendley: (’14)
Theorem Geo Associates,
Indianapolis, IN

As a senior, Sean began working for the City of Keene as a GIS intern.  He continued this work after graduation, and completed a number of projects for the City’s emergency services, planning, and public works departments.  Recently, Sean relocated to Indianapolis for a full-time GIS position with an international consulting firm.

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Ethan Yazinski: (’14)
Deputy Sheriff,
Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office
Claremont, NH

Ethan combined his love for the outdoors with a passion for geography and criminal justice, and interned with the NH Department of Fisheries and Wildlife as a seasonal conservation officer.  Upon graduating, Ethan took a position as a police officer for the Town of Claremont.  He currently works as a Deputy Sheriff for Sullivan County, NH.

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Amanda Smith (’14)
Second Grade Teacher,
Kearsarge Regional School District

Amanda spent part of her junior year abroad, studying in England.  As part of her senior seminar project, she helped bring a giant floor map to Keene and other sites for elementary students to learn about geography.  After earning her BA in Elementary Education, Amanda went on to earn a master’s in Education from Keene State.  She is now working as a teacher in New London, New Hampshire.

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Tia Desgroseilliers (’14)
Elementary School Teacher
Shaker Regional School District
Manchester, NH

Tia graduated with degrees in Elementary Education and Geography, and went on to work for Southern New Hampshire University as an Admissions Counselor, before taking a position as a teacher in Manchester.

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Michelle Lefebvre (’14)
Graphic Designer
Installation Made Easy
Boston, MA

Michelle double majored in Geography and Graphic Design at Keene State.  While at KSC she interned with the Media and Communications Office.  Today, she works as a graphic designer for a  remodeling company in the Boston area.

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Emily Francis (’13)
Science Assistant,
National Science Foundation
Alexandria, Virginia

Emily attended the University of Northern Iowa where her master’s work focused on tracking reindeer in Arctic Russia.  Her interest in wildlife led her to a Fellowship with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Program, and then to a full-time position as a GIS analyst in the USFWS Springfield, Massachusetts office.  From there, she took a job as Permits Biologist in Albuquerque, NM.  Today, Emily works for the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia.

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Christa McGaha (’13)
Planner, Leavenworth County Planning and Zoning,
Kansas City, Missouri

Christa gained applied GIS skills while working as an intern with the Town of Peterborough in her junior and senior years.  Upon graduating from KSC, she first worked as planning intern with Strafford Regional Planning Commission, and then accepted a full-time position with Garmin International as a Cartography Technician.   Today, Christa works as a Planner in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Patrick Brough (’13)
GIS Specialist II
AECOM, Kansas City, Missouri

Pat grew up near the ocean, and worked summer jobs on ferries and in boat yards in Connecticut.  Upon graduating from KSC, an excellent job opportunity lured him to the Midwest, where he worked for the international mapping and navigation company Garmin.  More recently, Pat has moved on to a GIS position with AECOM, an engineering company based in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Greg McCormick (’13)
Staff Scientist,
Wood, San Diego, CA

Greg graduated in 2013, and spent a year travelling and working in California, before enrolling as a master’s student in Geography at San Diego State University.  His work master’s work involved research on water resource issues in remote Pacific islands.  Today, Greg works in San Diego as a scientist for the Scotland-based firm Wood.

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Hannah Elliot (’13)
Operations Supervisor
Renu Energy Solutions
Charlotte, North Carolina

Hannah’s senior seminar project on Sustainability Planning in the City of Keene influenced her to pursue a career in the renewable energy industry.  Upon graduating, she first worked for NRG Home Solar in her home state of Connecticut, before taking a position with Renu Energy in North Carolina.  She was was recently promoted to Operations Supervisor, in charge of all residential solar installations.

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Camille Martineau (’13)
Associate Economist
Baldwin Group, Charleston, SC

During the spring semester of 2013, Camille had an internship with the Southwest Region Planning Commission in Keene, NH.  The focus of her job was to assist in the community outreach of the Monadnock Region Future Plan.  Camille went on to earn a Research Assistantship in Geography at Virginia Tech University.  She graduated with a master’s in 2016, and went on to her current position as an Associate Economist with Baldwin Group, a consulting firm based in Charleston, SC.

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Kristina Sargent (’13):
GIS Specialist, VHB, Nashua, NH

Kristina worked as an intern for the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, and was then hired as a full time GIS Specialist for the agency upon graduating from KSC.  She went on to earn a master’s degree in GIS from Northeastern University, and is currently a GIS Specialist for the consulting firm, VHB, based on Nashua.

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Adam Riffle (’13)
GIS Lab Manager and Graduate Research Assistant,
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA

During his senior year, Adam worked on a NASA-funded research project to create a 3D model of the Pasterze Glacier in Austria.  This research was led by Dr. Klaus Bayr and peer Chris Dunn.  Upon graduating, Adam continued to work for a utility construction company in his home state of Connecticut, before moving west in 2016.  He is currently completing a master’s degree in Geography at Central Washington University, where he is also the GIS Lab Manager.

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