Speakers

Richard Kaplan has an extensive background in economics, accounting, management, and executive leadership that have benefited many corporations, start-ups, universities, and other organizations.

He is currently the President and CEO of Pictometry International Corp., a rapidly growing visual information systems company that is experiencing exponential growth. Mr. Kaplan is also the former President of Richland Industries, Inc. and Max Pies Floor Coverings, a retail floor covering chain. He was Chairman and co-founder of Resnick Media Associates, Inc., an advertising and marketing agency, and Blanton Communications, Inc., a computer software company. He was President of RAK Realty Corporation, a real estate development company. He is the former Chairman of the Board and founder of WorkSmart International Inc., a human resource development, publishing, and training company for multi-market, multinational corporations and organizations. He was also Chairman Emeritus and founder of the Maxim Group Inc, previously a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (MXG). He is also the founder and chairman of the board of the Comon Group which is a franchise initiator, its first franchise being a retail photography chain called CLIX.

Mr. Kaplan has done private consulting and guest lecturing on marketing, economics, and organizational development at universities as well as many business groups. He is also an investor and participates on the boards of many start-up companies.

Mr. Kaplan serves on numerous advisory boards at leading universities and related organizations. He is the Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Vice President of the Rochester Angel Investment Network, a board member of the High Tech Incubator at RIT, Nazareth College EP Board, and a member of the University of Rochester Venture Development Advisory Board.

Mr. Kaplan holds a black belt in karate and is an active member of his community. He is or has been, on the boards of many charitable and other organizations such as: The American Cancer Society (former Chairman, Monroe County Division), Camp Good Days and Special Times, The Better Business Bureau (Vice Chairman), Charter School for Science and Technology, Rochester’s Child, Sojourner House, Wilson Commencement Park Advisory Board, the Martial Arts Center of Rochester, and the Rochester Broadway Theater League (Vice Chairman). Through his volunteer efforts, Mr. Kaplan has received many community awards.

Mr. Kaplan ran for the U.S. Congress in 1998 and is also the creator of a new and unique theory, regarding social remediation in democracies, called C.A.R.I.N.G. He has written a book and lectured on the causes of, and the solutions to, poverty and other problems facing our society. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Buffalo, where he majored in Accounting and minored in Economics.

Jay Benson is vice president of business planning and development in North America, responsible for the company's pricing, strategic acquisitions and partnerships. Since joining Tele Atlas in 1999, Benson has held several positions including director of business management and vice president of development. In these roles Benson has helped build the company's presence in several new markets, including the evolving location based services (LBS) marketplace covering navigation, fleet management, internet and wireless navigation applications.. Prior to joining Tele Atlas Benson was a management consultant. Benson holds a bachelor's degree in geography from Dartmouth College and a master's in business administration from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.

Founded in 1984, Tele Atlas delivers the digital maps and dynamic location content that powers the world’s most essential geographic solutions. The information is the foundation for a wide range of personal and in-car navigation systems, mobile and Internet map applications that help GPS system users find the places, products and services they need, wherever they are. Tele Atlas also works with business partners who deliver critical applications for emergency, business fleet and infrastructure services. The company employs 2,300 full-time staff and contract cartographers at offices in 20 countries around the world and uses a sophisticated network of thousands of sources to regularly update its maps. For more information, visit www.teleatlas.com.

George Moon has more than twenty-five years experience with complex, multi-user, spatial information systems. He joined MapInfo Corporation following the acquisition of the SpatialWare business unit from Unisys Corporation in 1996. Since that time, Moon has been the driving force in developing MapInfo's enterprise mapping R&D. Through his leadership, the organization has developed numerous new products and technologies.

As MapInfo's CTO, Moon's office focuses on standards and their development impacts, public technology briefings and pre-commercial development and investigation of advanced technology. Mr. Moon is a member of the GeoWorld Editorial Advisory Board and writes a quarterly column focusing on GIS in the enterprise.

Christopher Cappelli is the Director of ESRI's U.S. sales force and the international Business Partner Program. During his career, he has served as a consultant and advisor on many large geospatial implementation projects. Since joining ESRI in 1990, he has held several positions: Regional Manager of ESRI's Philadelphia office; Account Manager working with clients to define and implement solutions; and Consultant and Programmer helping users successfully implement and customize their ESRI solutions. Prior to joining ESRI, he was a GIS Analyst for a large photogrammetric mapping firm. Chris is currently serving on the Board for Penn State's online Masters of Geographic Information Systems Degree Program.

Adena Schutzberg is Executive Editor of Directions Magazine and contributes to its widely-read weekly electronic newsletters and website. Before joining Directions Magazine, Schutzberg founded and edited GIS Monitor for nearly five years.

She is also the Principal of ABS Consulting Group, Inc., a GIS consulting firm providing services to clients including the Open Geospatial Consortium and GIS software and imagery companies.

Before opening her own company, Schutzberg headed U.S. operations for UK-based Cadcorp, and held several positions at ESRI over eight years. She began her career heading Arthur D. Little’s CAD/GIS lab and teaching college geography. She holds a BA in Chemistry from the University of Chicago and an MS in Geography from Pennsylvania State University.

Bill Johnson is Assistant Deputy Director & CIO for the New York State Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination. He functions as Operations Manager for the agency, overseeing both GIS and Cyber Security. He also Chairs the 18-member NYS GIS Coordinating Body which oversees the Statewide GIS Coordination Program. Previously, Bill was CSCIC's Manager of Geographic Information and Critical Infrastructure Coordination. Prior to the establishment of CSCIC in 2002, he was Deputy Director of the New York State Center for Geographic Information at the New York State Office for Technology, and before that, he was Director of Mapping and GIS for the New York State Department of Transportation. Bill has more than 21 years of experience with mapping and GIS in New York State, and has been very active in statewide GIS coordination for many years. He also served for seven years on the Board of Directors for the National States Geographic Information Council, including a term as President in 2003-2004.

Bill holds a Masters degree in Geography from Michigan State University. He has also been a Certified Mapping Scientist, GIS/LIS, by the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Ian White is Founder and CEO of Urban Mapping LLC, where he maintains responsibility for product development and overall growth of the company. He holds 10 years experience in marketing strategy and product development. Ian has written for I.D. magazine and Core77 and has been co-author for several academic journal articles. He holds an MBA from Babson College, BA from McGill University and also studied in France and Ireland. Ian counts Harvard University, General Motors, Trader Joe's, Xerox Corporation, Parsons School of Design, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration among his past clients. White also serves as Adjunct Professor at Parsons School of Design.

Todd Fabozzi, Regional Planning Expert, Capital District Regional Planning Commission
After six coast-to-coast explorations, and after four years teaching junior high social studies to inner-city students in Los Angeles, Todd returned to his former home in the Capital Region to attend the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program at SUNY Albany. He has since spent the last thirteen years as a professional geographer and planner working two and a half years for the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and Planning, and the last eleven years with the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.

His focus at the Commission has been regional growth analysis, water quality planning, and the development of the Commission’s regional Geographic Information System. He has utilized the GIS for a wide variety of applications including water quality planning, land use planning, regional growth analysis, economic development, environmental preservation, demographic analysis, cartography, aviation planning, and transit planning.

Todd has lectured extensively on regional development issues and on the application of GIS in planning. He is a former member of the Amsterdam Industrial Development Agency and the City of Amsterdam Comprehensive Plan Committee. He is currently on the faculty of the UAlbany Department of Geography and Planning where he teaches a course in Geographic Information Systems. He lives in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Dr. Ross S. Whaley, Chairman, Adirondack Park Agency
The New York State Senate approved the Governor’s nomination of Dr. Whaley as Chairman of the Adirondack Park Agency on September 16, 2003. He brings to that position more than 30 years experience as a university teacher, researcher and administrator. He also served as Director of Economics Research for the United States Forest Service for 6 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a Ph.D. in natural resource economics from the University of Michigan.

Since 1984, Whaley has been associated with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 16 years as its President and subsequently as University Professor. As Professor his interest focused on the political economy of sustainable development. He continues to maintain a part-time relation with ESF through the Research Foundation.

Ross Whaley has served as a consultant to or member of several state, national and international commissions devoted to natural resource and environmental issues. In recognition of these activities, he has been awarded the Pinchot Medallion by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, the Professional Conservationist Award by the New York Conservation Council, the Heiberg Memorial Award by the New York Forest Owners Association, and Honor Alumnus of Colorado State University.