Certified Floodplain Manager & GIS Analyst / Project Manager

Meticulous and determined GIS Analyst with FEMA, LiDAR and hazard expertise.
Certified GIS Professional with over 10 years of experience and Certified Floodp
lain Manager with more than 4 years of experience applying floodplain management
principles to analyses and planning for flood hazard reduction efforts. Experie
nce includes utilizing concepts and methods for development and completion of st
udies for natural hazard mapping, risk assessment, planning, site suitability, a
nd a breadth of study in earth sciences. Expertise includes terrain processing (
including LiDAR), hydrologic modeling, quality control checks, and managing FEMA
's mapping and flood insurance studies. Project Management expertise with regard
s to implementing flood models and mapping, assessing problems, and supervision
of a team.
Terrain Processing - Project Management - FEMA Flood Studies & Mapping- QA/QC
Image Interpretation - Troubleshooting/Problem-Solving - Environmental Hazard M
apping & Planning
Data Collection & Management - Analysis & Design - Floodplain Management
EDUCATION
M.A., Geography, Completed Graduate GIS Certificate program - University of Sout
h Florida - 2005
Thesis title: Mapping the Major Axis of Dispersion with a Mesoscale Atmospheric
Model (MM5): Example from Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua.
B. A., Natural Sciences - New College of the University of South Florida, Saraso
ta, FL - 1997
Thesis Title: The Nature of First-Order Mid-Ocean Ridge Segmentation
Ph.D. Candidate, Marine Geophysics - University of California, Santa Barbara Gra
duate School, Department of Geological Sciences - 1998
Geography Department - University of South Florida - 1998-2002
Geology and Geophysics - Off-campus semester at University of Hawaii at Manoa -
1995
CERTIFICATIONS & CONTINUED TRAINING
* Certified GIS Professional (GISP) - 2008
* Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) - 2007
* University of South Florida. Portuguese language certificate - 2008

CONTINUED TRAINING / RELEVANT COURSEWORK

* Advanced Remote Sensing and Satellite Interpretation utilizing ENVI -2007
* Environmental Applications of GIS (watershed modeling, terrain analysis, habit
at fragmentation, wildlife monitoring, time series analysis)
* Socioeconomic Applications of GIS (network analysis, land management, Census G
IS, site suitability, crime pattern analysis)
* Spatial Statistics (point pattern analysis, spatial regression analysis)
* Advanced Statistical Methods (correlation analysis, multivariate regression an
alysis)
* Advanced GIS (network analysis, transportation modeling, spatial interpolation
, surface analysis, spatial regression)
* Urban and Regional Planning (planning theory, forms, and issues)
* Remote Sensing (image & aerial photo interpretation, photogrammetric, imaging
classification and enhancement, spatial modeling)
* GIS (data structures, vector & raster cartographic modeling, surface data mode
ling)
* Cartography (map data collection & display, intro to ArcView, Remote Sensing)
SOFTWARE & OTHER SKILLS
ArcView GIS (versions 9.x, 8.x, 3.x), ArcCatalog, ArcToolbox, ArcInfo -- UNIX &
Windows NT versions, Arc Hydro, HAZUS, HEC-RAS, Image Interpretation, ERDAS Imag
ine, ENVI, GPS, FEMA DFIRM standards, Map Projections, Georeferencing and Digiti
zing, Programming - PERL and C, UNIX, SQL, Microsoft Office products, MapInfo
~ Continued ~

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senior GIS Analyst, Project GIS Analyst - Taylor Engineering, Tampa, FL
2006-2010
Created flood insurance studies for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (F
EMA) Map Modernization and RiskMAP projects as well as floodplain modeling and m
apping. Experienced in such software packages as HEC-RAS, ArcGIS, MapInfo, and G
eoRAS. Assisted in proposal preparation for FEMA programs and storm water planni
ng studies.
Collaborated with FEMA and their representatives to resolve complex engineering,
mapping and programmatic issues, and schedules. Provided oversight, Project Man
agement, QA/QC reviews, and terrain processing (including LiDAR) for engineering
analyses and GIS-based floodplain mapping. Addressed FEMA accreditation issues
for levees with federal and local agencies. Responsible for the process for crea
ting Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps for FEMA.
Graduate Research Assistant (Geology and Geography) - University of South Florid
a, 2003-2005
Performed volcanologic studies, modifying a preexisting atmospheric model to cre
ate analyze a wind field over time. Utilized programming languages like C and P
ERL to model volcanic ash particles inserted in the 3-dimensional wind model. Pr
ocessed large amounts of information from the resulting particle tracking data,
and performed GIS mapping and modeling to visualize direction and final location
of ash particles.
Graduate Teaching Assistant (Meteorology) - University of South Florida, Tampa,
FL 2003
Supervised and mentored students and assisted professors as needed. Some college
instruction performed, as well as grading assignments for college courses.
GIS Analyst II - Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jernigan (PBS&J), Tampa, FL
2001-2003
Provided technical assistance to various internal groups including environmental
research, right-of-way, civil, roadway, and drainage engineering. In charge of
floodplain delineation and modeling, watershed analyses, utilities mapping for b
oth water and sewer. Oversaw the creation and maintenance of various modeling in
formational databases, site feasibility studies, and survey points. Handled aspe
cts of data conversion, habitat impact studies, aerial photo interpretation, veg
etation transect mapping, corridor studies and map production.
Achieved numerous internal awards for the airport planning project for Panama Ci
ty and the 2012 Olympics. Assisted in providing expert testimony for a local law
firm in regard to the defendant's undervalued land reports. Compiled data recei
ved from the defendant and helped determined the correct size of the holdings.
GIS Technician - Florida Center for Community Design and Research - University o
f South Florida 2000
Performed benthic modeling of lake bottoms, contour mapping and studied maximum
lake depth. Handled all database maintenance and utilities mapping.
Early Career:
GIS Analyst I - PBS&J, Tampa, FL
VMAP (GIS) Technician, VMAP Quality Control - Pine Design Engineering Services C
ompany, St. Petersburg, FL
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara, Department
of Geological Sciences
Student Volunteer - National Weather Service, Tampa Bay area, Ruskin, FL
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant - New College of University of South Florida, M
athematics Department Calculus
PUBLICATIONS
Byrne, M.A., A.G. Laing, and C. Connor (2005), Predicting Tephra Dispersion Axes
with a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model and a Particle Fall Model: Application to Ce
rro Negro Volcano, submitted to the Journal of Applied Meteorology.
Bonadonna, C., C. B. Connor, B. F. Houghton, L. Connor, M. Byrne, A. Laing, and
T. K. Hincks (2005), Probabilistic modeling of tephra dispersal: Hazard assessme
nt of a multiphase rhyolitic eruption at Tarawera, New Zealand, J. Geophys. Res.
, 110, B03203, doi:10.1029/2003JB002896