PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January/February 2020

Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org 27 Incoming NSPS Leadership Team Includes a Prominent Female Voice from the Northwest I n March, longtime NSPS contributor Amanda Allred will be sworn in as the next Vice President of that organiza- tion, making her a part of the essential group of elected decision makers who serve as stewards of the land surveying profession at the national level. After completing a distinguished career in the private sector, as a proud product of the outstanding survey program at New Mexico State University, and also as the holder of a subsequent geomat- ics degree from the University of Alaska, Amanda is now a federal employee, based in Walla Walla, Washington, who works on projects throughout our region, as a surveyor for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Having established herself as a successful busi- nesswoman in her hometown of Silver City, New Mexico, her abilities have been recognized at the national level for sev- eral years, and her professional success has made her an ideal demonstration of the great career opportunity which the land surveying profession now offers to bright young female students. Amanda has wisely placed no limits upon her fu- ture possibilities, obtaining licensure in several western states, which provides her with enhanced career opportuni- ties and also enables her to establish a broad group of supporters, giving her a prominent national voice, which she will now have a chance to utilize on behalf of land surveyors all across the country. In fulfilling this role, she will take on an elevated level of visibil- ity, becoming yet another marvelous example of achievement through di- versification, which illustrates that our profession is a particularly good choice for any young woman who has the de- termination to be a trailblazer, carving out a place of distinction for herself in a historically male dominated line of work. Congratulations Amanda, the surveying profession thanks you for taking on the task of serving as a role model, showing that this profession no longer has any glass ceiling, and most of all, being an inspiration to the next generation!  x Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Welcomes New Survey Supervisor I n February, Mark Boon of Battle Ground, Washington, pictured here with his wonderful wife Kristi, who is a former BPA Access Road Engineer, and their adorable daughter Peyton, was promoted from his previous position as a BPA Project Surveyor to Supervisor of the BPA Survey Group, succeeding Kelly Miller in that role. Mark will now oversee and guide the work of numerous feder- ally employed and privately employed surveyors, as they execute the mission of BPA, performing surveys throughout the 8 northwestern states comprising the BPA region. He welcomes questions from surveyors regarding BPA boundary documentation and BPA survey work. A lifelong Washingtonian, he began sur- veying in 2005 and significantly enhanced both his knowledge and his career oppor- tunities by enrolling in the Clark College survey program in 2012. Prior to join- ing the BPA survey team and becoming a Washington licensee, he worked as a private sector surveyor for MGS and MSI until switching over to the public sector in 2013, where he now takes the helm at BPA at the age of 37. Mark is particularly grateful for the mentorship he received from outstanding local surveyors David Denny, Jason Simes, Chris Sherby and Matt Faulkner, during his career as a pri- vate sector surveyor. Special thanks and recognition are also due to his immedi- ate predecessor Kelly Miller, who has moved into a leadership position in the BPA Engineering Group, as well as her pre- decessors Brandee Shoemaker (a proud product of the OIT Survey Program, now Manager of Strategic Operations at BPA) and Jay Conant (now retired) for their many years of service as recent leaders of the BPA Survey Group.  x Updates