Planning Welcomes GIS Specialist

Andrew was born and raised in Beeville, TX, a small rural town where his family has been for five generations.

He moved away to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in geography. He spent several years beyond graduation in Austin, and eventually moved to San Antonio with his wife where he worked for the San Antonio River Authority. Andrew gained valuable experience there while working as a GIS Analyst in charge of IT and GIS work for the engineering and planning departments. They enjoyed the city, but moved to Knoxville within a couple of years so that his wife could pursue her PhD.

Andrew recalls that the first time they visited Knoxville it was a bitterly cold January day with a high temperature of 6 degrees. Not quite knowing what they were in for, they returned again the following June, and he said the beautiful green, lush landscape was enough to hook them. They moved here in July of 2018, buying a house in the Oakwood-Lincoln Park neighborhood. Andrew got a job working as a Stormwater Engineering Tech with the City of Knoxville, which he did until taking the GIS Specialist position with Planning in August.

In addition to his full-time job, Andrew is also pursuing a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning through the University of Florida at Gainesville.

The program is online, so he takes classes and works on coursework in the evenings. Andrew is about to begin his thesis, which will use content analysis to examine housing policy in the Southeast United States. He and his wife are both looking forward to next spring, when they anticipate completing their academic programs.

While his downtime is currently pretty limited, Andrew soaks up what he does have. He loves spending it outside hiking, fishing, and hanging out with his dog, Posey. He and his wife also enjoy traveling and appreciate Knoxville’s proximity to so many other destinations. He looks forward to taking part in all those hobbies more next year after he graduates.

We’re glad to have Andrew as part of our team and look forward to all the contributions he will make. Help us extend a warm welcome!