Heather has been around the surveying profession her whole life but started her land surveying career the summer she turned 16. Heather is currently a director on the board for the Southern Chapter of NALS (Nevada Association of Land Surveyors) and is also a student member of the CLSA (California Association of Land Surveyors) and NSPS. Heather is currently the field crew coordinator for her family business (Diamondback Land Surveying), managing up to 6 crews a day. Heather also provides administrative support for the project setup, proposals, and accounting. In addition, Heather is currently the social media coordinator of Mentoring Mondays for the Land Surveying Profession and Wisdom Wednesdays.

I got into surveying after graduating from UNR in 2018 with a Civil Engineering degree; then, I got a job at a land development as a civil engineer in Reno. From there, I was recruited into the survey department and ended up loving surveying more than engineering. I then went back to school at Great Basin in Elko for my Land Surveying/Geomatics degree which I graduated this past May, and I now I have my PLS license. I am excited to be Vice President because I want to get more young surveyors involved and keep growing the community.

Hi, my name is Brett Clarke. I am a Great Basin College graduate. I got into surveying by taking surveying classes at Santa Rosa Junior College right after high school. I had an internship my second semester there and have been at it ever since. I got into YSN by being a student member of NALS. I have met a group of fellow students through YSN that has put me on the fast track to success and led to many friendships. They have helped me with hard classes and passed my Fundamentals of Surveying test. I can’t encourage being a member of YSN enough to people who are trying to get through an online-based surveying program like the one at Great Basin College. It would be incredibly hard without them!

Starting with a degree in Geological Engineering, my path to pursuing surveying has not been a linear one, to say the least. After graduating from UNR, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Natural Hazards from the University of Oslo, Norway. My thesis dealt with UAV mapping of landslide-prone areas. This project sparked my interest in drone surveys. From there, I returned to the US, and after some time, I got a job in the Imagery Section at NDOT. This was my first introduction to practical applications of surveys. After spending three years there and growing my survey knowledge and building up a UAV program, I decided to move to the private sector and work for Wood Rodgers. This position allowed me to further my UAV skills and learn much more about the surveying line of work. Thanks to those around the Young Surveyors Network and me, I am now well on my way to obtaining a PLS. I want to run for treasurer/secretary to help the group and get information out to others who would have potential interest in this field. Although my path to get to where I am was good fun, and I wouldn’t change it, having some of the information earlier so that 10+ years of schooling wouldn’t have been necessary would have been nice!