Staley Bufford (BS Environmental Geology, 2010)

GIS Intern, City of Tacoma, Community and Economic Development Department (CEDD), GIS Analysis and Data Services (GADS)

In August 2016 I graduated from the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) with a Master's of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

I was selected for my internship last March and have enjoyed working for the City of Tacoma while finishing up my degree and now looking for employment in the Geographic Information Services (GIS) field. I do lots of different projects for the city mostly looking at the spatial distribution of services that involves cartography and data analysis. On any given day I will create a potential development map/brochure to a more in depth look at future land use designation and zoning to identify potential rezones. This role keeps me on my toes, there is always something new to learn which I thoroughly enjoy.

With an environmental background (BS in Environmental Geoscience from CWU) I wasn't sure how I would like working for CEDD but it turns out it really is an important job and I love it. I believe that I have an opportunity to make Tacoma a better place on multiple fronts which keeps me engaged and motivated.

Going forward I am looking for a permanent role either in Community and Economic Development, Parks and Recreation or Environmental Services here in the South Sound. I look forward to applying the latest technology to help everyone access the information they need and when they need it whether that is building a mobile/web application or using ArcMap.

I sincerely miss all you geology folks. CWU Geology was very good to me and I will always treasure those field excursion experiences.