instructor biographies

Jeff Carlen

Mr. Carlen holds a Bachelor of Science from S.U.N.Y. College of Forestry and a Master of Science in Photogrammetry from Syracuse University. In addition to being a Professional Surveyor and Mapper he is a Certified Photogrammetrist (American Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing) and a Certified Hydrographer, Inshore and Offshore, (American Congress on Surveying and Mapping).

During his twenty four years as a commissioned officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) he served on steel tower triangulation parties in New York and Texas, led first-order leveling teams throughout the mid-continent area and performed super precise crustal movement studies in California and Alaska. His sea duty assignments included four NOAA ships conducting hydrographic and oceanographic surveys in Long Island Sound, the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean. He commanded the NOAA Ships WHITING and RESEARCHER. While operating off the coast of Peru the RESEARCHER discovered the first indications of the 1984 El Nino.

Jeff was Chief of NOAA’s photogrammetric and hydrographic processing office in Norfolk, Virginia. He served as the geodetic survey advisor to the U. S. Army Field Artillery School and Fort Sill where he was awarded the Order of St. Barbara, and was the National Ocean Service Advisor to the State of Florida.

After completing service in NOAA Jeff developed and implemented a course of study in land surveying at Florida A&M University which was approved by the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers, and taught surveying for eleven years. Jeff now restricts his activities to a small private practice of consulting, surveying and writing.

Angelo M. Ferrari, Ph.D.

Mr. Ferrari, was born in Argentina in 1934. He is married and has three children and three grandchildren.

Education

Three years of Civil Engineering (incomplete, no degree) National University of Buenos Aires, Argentina;

MS in Physics (1959) National University of Cuyo, Argentina;

PhD in Nuclear Engineering (1991), University of FL, Gainesville, FL

Professional History

1991- Present, Professor of Physics, Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, FL

1973-1985, Independent sales representative for research, medical, and industrial instrumentation.

1970-1973, Consulting Engineering for Nuclear Instrumentation group, Combustion Engineering, Windsor, Connecticut

1964-1970, V.P. of Engineering, Tennelec, Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee

1960-1961, Research Assistant at University of Rochester, Rochester, New York and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

1962-1963, Researcher and professor with the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission.

When an engineering student worked as a surveyor in the construction of National Highway #3, in Patagonia, Argentina.

Michael Garcia, PSM

Michael F. Garcia, PSM, is a licensed Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper. A native of Florida with over 20 years experience, his diverse background includes Boundary and Topographic Surveys, Right of Way Mapping, Control Networks and GIS data applications. Mr. Garcia has been employed by Seminole County Government for 11 years and is currently a Project Manager with the County's Stormwater Division, lending his expertise to a variety of projects. He is a member of the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society and Past President of the Central Florida Chapter.
Alvin Gloer, PSM

Mr. Gloer has worked for State of Florida, Department of Environmental Regulation, Division of State Lands, Bureau of Survey and Mapping since 1994 and is responsible for Survey Review of various surveys dealing with the sale, purchase, use or lease of lands of the State of Florida. Duties include verifying that surveys meet the statutory requirements of the state and that they meet the Minimum Technical Standards for Land Surveyors. Bureau's GIS coordinator. Manager of the state USGS digital mapping program, manager of the LABINS program. The LABINS program is a website that distributes survey and mapping data related to the State of Florida. Previously taught seminars includes What's new in LABINS, Florida's Public Land Survey Unique Identifier System, Florida's Certified Corner Record Program, GIS Data Retrieval and it's use and LABINS website.

Larry Kryske, Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Larry works with people who want to create their finest hour and with organizations that want to be more successful. He has over thirty years of worldwide success leading men and women and building unstoppable teams. He was a career naval officer, private school administrator, and strategic planner. He is President of Homeport Speaking and Seminars, a full-service leadership firm. He speaks nationwide on leadership, teamwork, and productivity. He has worked with clients in over 50 different industries including surveyors in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and California. Commander Kryske has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Astronomy in 1971 from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master of Science Degree in Applied Science in 1978 from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is a graduate of 830 hours of continuing education in quality improvement, communications, marketing, customer relations, and productivity (1990-2005), a graduate of Carlson Learning Company Instrumented Learning Certification Program (1995), a graduate of Deming Quality Improvement Program (1990), and a graduate of over 3,500 hours of Navy technical, leadership, and management training courses (1971-1993). Commander Kryske is author of the leadership book, The Churchill Factors: Creating Your Finest Hour and the leadership and teamwork book, The Greatest Board in the World.

Gail Oliver, PSM

Mrs. Oliver is a Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper (#4564) with over 26 years of experience. In March 1979, after graduating from the First Coast Technical Institute with a Diploma in Drafting and Design – Cartography, she began her career with The Deltona Corporation at their St. Augustine Shores Development as a drafter/rodman. Since that time she has gained a wide range of experience in many aspects of surveying, including Boundary, Topographic, Mean High Water, Sectionalized Land, Rights-of-Way, Hydrographic, and Geodetic Surveys. In addition, she has done residential and commercial platting in several counties and municipalities throughout Northeast Florida spanning her 23 year career.

Mrs. Oliver has been County Surveyor for St. Johns County since 1995 and been involved in the plat review process since her employment with the County in 1993. From 1993 to 1997 she was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee that was responsible for the substantial rewrite of F.S. Chapter 177, Part I, Platting. Mrs. Oliver served as a member of the State of Florida DPBR Board of Surveyors and Mappers from 1994 to 2001.

Through her position with the County, on the Chapter 177 Ad Hoc Committee, and a former DPBR Board Member, she is well versed in the platting and the regulatory process. She sees the need for continuing education and believes that it is the cornerstone to building a strong surveying profession.

Scot Smith

Mr. Smith received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1982. He has been at University of Florida since 1989. Before coming to Florida, Scot was at Kodak and before that, he was a professor at Ohio State.

Mr. Smith became a registered surveyor and mapper in Florida in 1995. His expertise is primarily in remote sensing, but also teaches GIS classes.

Current research activities are a wildlife habitat-mapping project of Florida for the US Fish and Wildlife Department, site analysis in Sinai, Egypt and a study of the impact of a new dam on the Danube River in Hungary. Scot has a new project funded by NATO to investigate the use of zeolites for treating wastewater in Hungary.

R. Thomas Snow, PSM

Mr. Snow, PSM, is a Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper with over 17 years of surveying experience. Tom received an Associate of Science Degree from Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida in 1992 and became a Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper in 1996. In June of 2000 Tom received his license in Georgia. Tom has a wide range of surveying experience including Boundary and Topographic Surveys, Construction Layout, Sectional Surveys, Right of Way Surveys, GPS Surveying and GIS Mapping. With his interest in education, Tom taught at Valencia Community College from 1997 - 2001 as an Adjunct Instructor in the Surveying and Mapping Program. He has taught at the Seminole Community College from May 2001 to the present and is an instructor for Continuing Education Seminars for the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society (FSMS). Tom has received the following awards:

In 1999 the Central Florida Chapter of FSMS Surveyor of the Year Award
In 2000 the FSMS Chapter President of the Year
In 2001 the FSMS Presidents Award for Outstanding Contributions
In 2002 the FSMS Jim Bennet Board Member of the Year

Michael J. Whitling, PSM

Mr. Whitling has been a licensed surveyor and mapper in Florida since 1989. He began his surveying career in 1975 and is currently the County Surveyor for Dade County.

During his career he has served as President of the Dade County Chapter of Florida Survey and Mapping Society. He is currently the State Director for District # 7. Additionally he serves on the Surveying and Mapping Council and Education Committee for FSMS.

Mr. Whitling recently chaired the Surveying Committee for the Education Workforce Development Curriculum Restructuring meeting held in Tampa in July. He is also an instructor at Miami-Dade Community College. He began teaching courses there in 1989.