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Applanix named Peter Stewart its Marine Systems product manager. Avineon Inc. appointed John Tarr as geospatial business development executive, commercial division. The Coalition of Geospatial Organizations selected Geney Terry as its 2011 chair. GeoDecisions promoted Mike Wiley to director and Keith Mullins to director of intelligent transportation systems. The company also named Matthew J. Schiemer a vice president at its Mexico City office. Geographic Technologies Group Inc. added GIS solutions provider John Dombzalski to its North Carolina corporate office. Infotech appointed Dan Beasley as a senior account manager for its North American Utilities, Telecom and Government Division, and hired Jeff Jones as production manager for its new North America Center of Excellence in Dallas, Ga. Jack Pellicci , Intergraph’s Security, Government & Infrastructure division senior vice president, was appointed to serve on the National Geospatial Advisory Committee, a Federal Advisory Committee sponsored by the Department of the Interior. In addition, Intergraph named J eff Robertson as vice president and general manager of its U.S. publicsafety business unit. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk of Canada presented National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett with the Canadian Meritorious Service Medal (Military Division).
BLM Chief Heads to New Agency
Bob Abbey, the recently confirmed director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was tapped to serve as acting director of the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the beleaguered agency on whose watch the BP oil spill occurred. BLM and MMS are key players in the realm of map-related data, serving as stewards of information on boundaries, attributes, uses, and rights to federally owned land and U.S. offshore territory. Abbey comes on watch at MMS as leadership “stovepipes” are being deliberately BLM chief Bob Abbey introduced to the agency. In May 2010, in is stepping in as acting an effort to resolve conflicting missions and director for the Minerals lapses in oversight at the agency, Salazar Management Service. ordered MMS divided into three separate entities with independent missions. “Bob Abbey’s recent leadership on onshore energy reforms is exactly the kind of experience we need as we continue to reform and begin to restructure MMS,” noted Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “I appreciate Bob’s willingness to help tackle this crisis in the Gulf.” Abbey, who was confirmed as BLM director in August 2009, will remain BLM director as he works toward MMS reorganization, but he will turn over his daily BLM management duties to deputy director Mike Poole. Abbey has more than 33 years of experience in resource management in federal and state government. Before returning to Washington to work on the new MMS, he was assisting with oil-spill efforts at the Incident Command Center in Louisiana, where he had been helping to lead the Department of the Interior’s response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The MMS reorganization should result in a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and an Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR). The three bureaus will replace the Minerals Management Service. All three new agencies are expected to have mapping-related roles to play: BOEM with resource evaluation and planning; BSEE with environmental-protection duties; and ONRR responsible for royalty, revenue and asset management.
Novariant Inc. promoted Kurt Zimmerman to chief technology officer and vice president of emerging business. The Schneider Corp. hired Karl Browning as chief operating officer.
Kevin Cobb joined Topcon Positioning Systems as director of product management and business development for precision agriculture products; Fraser Smith, a geomatics engineer, was named director of GNSS product management; and Kai Umino is the new director of sales support.
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