Alissa holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Olaf College in studio art and a Master of Science in cartography and geographic information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her role, Alissa combines experience in user-centered design, cartography, and GIS programming skills to create processes and documentation for internal use and to develop graphics and videos for external use that support the education, access, and use of publicly available data to a larger audience.
For Alissa, starting in a GIS master’s program with a studio art undergraduate degree and career experience in professional kitchens, the learning curve was steep for getting up to speed with the language around the work before acquiring the skills needed to do the processes and then apply it to new situations. Ensuring a valuable experience for users of varied experience levels is Alissa’s primary consideration for any decisions or discussions within project teams.