OUR TEAM

Melody was introduced to GIS through her undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Minnesota, Twin-Cities. She has worked with GIS in organizations such as the US Forest Service, William Rainey Harper College, and Entrust Solutions Group. In her spare time Melody enjoys all things 80’s, gardening, vegan cooking, studying aerial fitness and dance, and spending time with her parrots, Chubby & Isley.

Eric began his career with MGP as a GIS Site Analyst in November 2018. He worked previously in the natural gas industry as a GIS Technician for Nicor Gas in Naperville, Illinois, and prior to that was a GIS intern in the real estate department at Commonwealth Edison in Oak Brook, Illinois. Eric attended Harper College, earning an Associate of Arts degree and then went on to Elmhurst College where he earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in Geographic Information Systems and the other in Geography, with a minor in Urban Studies. Eric enjoys traveling and so far, has been to 16 countries on 4 different continents. Before working with GIS, Eric served in the Marine Corps for 5 years.

Kristin began her career with MGP in December 2018. She worked previously in the Village of Schaumburg as an Engineering Project Technician and as the GIS Technician for the Village of South Barrington. Kristin earned her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Southern IL University, Carbondale and has continued her education at College of DuPage and Harper College taking courses in ecology, horticulture, and earning her GIS Certification. Kristin is a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager and at the peak of her natural resource management career was burning 300-400 acres per year. Currently, she enjoys volunteering her chainsaw skills with Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) after natural disasters.

Grant began his career with MGP in August 2018. He worked previously in 911 dispatch as a GIS Intern with QuadCom 911, producing emergency service analyses and data visualizations. Grant attended the University of Southern California, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in Interdisciplinary Archaeology and Religion. He earned his Master of Arts in Archaeology from the University College London, and is finishing a Master of Science degree in Geographic Information Science and Technology at USC. Grant is an avid history buff and traveler. He has visited 27 states and 10 countries and once visited 9 castles in 3 days.

Izzy began his career with MGP as a GIS Analyst in October 2022. He previously worked in local government as a Research Associate for Region 1 Planning Council in Rockford, Illinois. Prior to that, Izzy worked as GIS Analyst for McArthur Land Company and interned as Transportation Planner for Maricopa Association of Governments—both in Phoenix, Arizona. Izzy attended Arizona State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and a Certificate in Geographic Information Science. Izzy is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Data Science at Northwestern University. Outside of work, you can find Izzy running at a local forest preserve or the Lake Michigan shoreline. He hopes to run a full marathon soon. Additionally, before pivoting into GIS, Izzy served in the United States Air Force as a Radio Technician for 4 years.

JonEric Eubanks, a 12-year experienced professional in government policy and community development, excels in project coordination and strategic planning. He developed statistical analysis and GIS data utilization skills during his tenure at the City of Fort Worth, leading to better evidence-based decision-making. JonEric is an enthusiast of creative web design, 3D printing, and woodworking with a CNC machine. He also enjoys spending time with his energetic dogs, showcasing his diverse interests outside of work.

Mike has been with MGP for most of the company’s history. He has been a GIS Specialist since 2000. He currently manages the GIS programs in Mundelein and Lake Forest and routinely participates in the training and mentoring of many of MGP’s employees. Prior to MGP, he worked as a Project Manager for Geocode Inc. in Eau Claire Wisconsin. Mike has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point. Mike has always had a strong interest in local government, which prompted him to become an active member with the Kenosha Unified School Board in April 2015. Although Mike has quite the sweet tooth, he absolutely despises Lemon Meringue Pie!

Jennifer received her B.S. in anthropology from Illinois State University and worked for 6 years as an archaeologist for Illinois State Archaeological Survey, conducting. Jennifer then received her M.S. in Urban Planning and Policy and a Geospatial Analysis and Visualization certificate from the University of Illinois Chicago. Jennifer interned for the Chicago Planning Department TIFWorks program, audited ComEd utility structures for UrbanGIS, and worked on airport planning for 3 years as a GIS consultant and analyst for Ricondo, Inc.Jennifer is a fan of live music and is always looking out for great shows to attend in Chicago or nearby. She enjoys outdoor adventures like disc golf and hiking, as well as more relaxing activities like candle making and playing NYT puzzle games on the couch.

Josh joined the MGP team as a Site Analyst in September 2022. Before working at MGP he worked for a grant funded planning organization in Urbana, IL. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Planning – Sustainability from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a certificate in Geographic Information Science. After graduating he worked as a data collection intern collecting ADA compliance data for public right of ways until later being promoted to an analyst. When he isn’t working Josh loves to go camping and hiking in an effort to check off his next national park. He’s been to 10 so far, the best trip being Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Louise Hahn has been with MGP since March 2015 and is currently an Analyst in Northbrook, Oak Park, and Glencoe. Louise graduated Magna Cum Laude from Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Geography. Louise has worked various positions outside the GIS field after graduating. One of her unique experiences in life includes spending a summer working on a small, organic farm!

Matt graduated from the Ohio State University in 2022 with a degree in City and Regional Planning with a Minor in Architecture and began working for San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Here, he worked with the Design Engineering team to help visualize public safety data, update street drawings and collect transportation data. In 2023, he moved on to work for RMSI, on a contract with Apple, to help improve the data quality for Apple Maps. Matt is an avid Bears fan. He played football against the mascots during a Bears game on Soldier Field. He also loves to travel. His favorite experience so far is driving a moped down the Amalfi Coast.

Matt Huser joined MGP in 2013 as a GIS Specialist. He has a B.S. in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. After graduation, Matt worked for Garmin International. Formerly a Specialist, Matt now works in the MGP office as an Analyst providing project and technical assistance to Analysts on site. Matt also leads the innovation and development of Community Portal, a portal aimed at giving residents the most pertinent information about their property. In addition to his passion for working with local governments, Matt and his family own and operate a hamburger stand that was started by his great-grandfather in 1909.

Jackie began her career at MGP as a GIS Analyst in January 2024. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater where she also received a GIS certificate. Jackie then went on to get her master’s in environmental science with a graduate GIS certificate from DePaul University. While in her undergraduate and graduate studies, Jackie conducted numerous environmental research studies on both endangered and economically significant species. She previously worked at the Lake County Forest Preserve District, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and the Nature Conservancy as a GIS Intern and research assistant. Jackie loves to spend her free time immersed in nature. While in college, she took a class in ornithology which taught her to have a keen eye for bird identification based on their physical appearance and even by their unique call! Before working with GIS, Jackie considered a career path in the veterinary field. For two years, Jackie worked as a non-critical post-operation technician at a 24/7 veterinary hospital. Her favorite memory was assisting in the OR during a labrador’s C-Section where she got to help wake up the puppies.

Despina completed a Bachelor's in Sociology, a GIS certificate, and a Master's in Demography and Population Analysis. Previously, she worked as a GIS Teaching Assistant and participated in the Student Urban Research Corps. Despina has applied data analysis for the American Psychological Association, ACT Raising Safe Kids program, and Changing Children's Worlds Foundation. Her previous research work includes a grant-funded project on Restorative Justice in schools and a master's thesis on Universal Pre-K access in California, using ArcGIS Pro for regression analysis. In her free time, she enjoys reading, yoga, and spending time with her dog, Oreo.

Sarah joined MGP in December of 2022. She spent over 16 years in local government in positions ranging from GIS Technician to GIS Manager at the city, township, and county levels and has supported a wide range of local government departments including planning and zoning, engineering, utilities, emergency management, elections, schools, and recycling. Outside of government, she provided GIS support in the railroad industry. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Michigan State University and a Master of the Arts in Geography from the State University of New York at Albany. She is also a licensed educator. Sarah has lived in 9 states and loves to travel and explore new places. She is looking forward to exploring more of the upper Midwest and Chicagoland. Sarah taught Texas History to 7th graders for a year.

Geoff has been with MGP since 2013, where he currently manages the GIS Programs in Skokie and Morton Grove. Prior to working with MGP, Geoff worked as an Outreach Assistant for Alliance for the Great Lakes, as an intern for Friends of the Parks, and contributed to the H+T Index as an Intern for the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Geoff holds a master’s Degree in Urban Policy and Planning, and a certificate in Geospatial Analysis and Visualization from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a B.A. from Ripon College. Beyond these, Geoff is an avid fan of The Office, and can quote every episode.

Michael graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning. He worked for the town of Andover, MA as an urban planning intern, and was a part of revamping their town hall in addition to working on a project that highlighted multifamily housing. Michael helped obtain a $750,000 grant for the Village of Bartonville through Safe Routes to School to help create a safer environment for all modes of travel.Michael loves to travel and has visited 12 countries and 5 territories including living in Florence for almost 4 months!

Leslie joined the MGP team as a Site Analyst in February 2022. Since 2007, he has worked as a GIS specialist in agriculture, environmental management, and housing. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Ghana, a Master of Science in Geo-information Science from a Consortium of three universities in Europe, and a Master of Arts in International Development Administration from Western Michigan University. Outside of work, Leslie is a worship leader, writer, and musician. He has visited over 10 countries on 4 continents.

Alissa began her career with MGP in March 2014 as a GIS Specialist. She manages the GIS Programs in La Grange, Schiller Park, and Oak Park. Alissa received a B.S. in Physical Geography from the Department of Geography and Geographic Information Systems at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she conducted research to raise awareness of hazardous materials obstructing waterways. After graduation, she had a GIS internship at the Field Museum in the Conservation and Environment Department. Her passion for cartography does not stop with her career, as she has an impressive collection of map inserts from National Geographic magazines between the 1950s to early 2000s!

Elyse began her career with MGP as an Analyst in May 2023 as an 11-year veteran of the GIS industry. She started in GIS with two years at the Village of Addison’s GIS department where she went used a gps unit to locate manholes, fire hydrants, & light poles for the Public Works department. She also worked as a Mapping Specialist for The Sidwell Company for 9 years, where she helped create & maintain the GIS data for counties throughout the United States. Elyse has two dogs Barney and Eleanor that she spends most of her free time with. She is also in a bowling league.

Randy joined the MGP Team as a GIS Analyst in 2021. He has over 25 years of experience in GIS and data management and has held positions with Motorola, HERE Technologies and Allstate. He also held roles in Data Quality Analyst and as a Scrum Master. He earned his Bachelors in Geography from Northern Illinois University in 1994. Since his college days, Randy has been updating a wall map of the US that shows every major road he has traveled. Randy has extensive backpacking experience with trips logged in The Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho and Montana.

Martín worked as an urban planner for the City of Takoma Park and the Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission. He spent a brief period working in New Orleans helping communities map blighted properties after Hurricane Katrina. For the past 9 years, Martín worked as a GIS analyst at the Center for Research and teaching of Economics (CIDE- in Spanish) located in Mexico. There, he worked in various federal projects that studied environmental issues. He also worked with historians and digital humanists creating visualizations of historical data.Martín holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Loyola University, New Orleans. He earned a Master of Arts in Community Planning and a Master’s degree in GIS from the University of Maryland, College Park. Martín loves road trips and traveled throughout Mexico, Bolivia, parts of the US and India. His first major trip was at the age of 6. He and his family drove from La Paz, Bolivia, into the Amazon Forest (crossing into Brazil) where they encountered leopards, wild pigs (peccaries), and Chiman natives.

Joel joined MGP as a Site Analyst in November 2020. He has over 23 years of experience in GIS, map production, and database management, the last 19 of which were with the Content Operations and Sourcing groups at TomTom. He has supported in a variety of roles focused on Map and Data Specifications, Process Development, and Database Quality Analysis. Joel attended University of Illinois where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography. Despite only attending a few live sports events each year, Joel was fortunate to see Mark Buehrle pitch a perfect game for the White Sox in 2009.

Vasu began his career at MGP in April 2024 as a GIS Analyst. Vasu graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in GIS and began working for the Franklin County Office. Here, he worked with the Appraisal team to help visualize property data, update county zoning and insure orthophotography accuracy. Vasu’s interests lie in the automotive world, alongside a keen passion for traveling and culinary arts!

Andrew began his career with MGP in 2013. Prior to joining MGP, Andrew worked for the Sequoia Riverlands Trust in Visalia California. He has a Bachelor of Science with a dual major in Forestry and Biological Conservation and a certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a Masters in Geographical Information Science from the University of Denver. A fun fact about Andrew is that he has dressed up as Smokey the Bear on more than one occasion. Ask him about it!

Jillian began her career at MGP in January 2024 as a GIS Analyst. Jillian first used GIS in 2018 while obtaining her bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, where she majored in Environmental Science. Jillian has worked with GIS in a variety of fields, including a marine GPS company, gas utility company, and in Wisconsin county government. Jillian has three years of environmental consulting experience and is extremely well versed in conducting Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. Jillian has only owned manual vehicles and loves to take road trips to visit her friends and family. She loves to travel and has a goal to take one international trip every year. Her favorite place she’s visited is Panama during a program studying jaguar conservation. Jillian fondly recalls setting camera traps and sleeping in a jungle hammock in the middle of the rainforest.

Trevor began his career with MGP in January of 2024 as a GIS Analyst. Trevor has been working with GIS since 2019, attending Illinois State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography and Environmental Science and later, attending Arizona State University where he received a Master of Advanced Study degree in Geographic Information Systems. Trevor formerly worked for the Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority located in Chandler, Arizona where he was responsible for updating and managing the existing GIS Electrical Network and producing deliverables for on-going and future projects.

Donna Thomey joined MGP in 2003, and is currently the Management Support Specialist. Donna started her professional career in an Administrative capacity with Jim Beam Brands and then moved into Office Management with MCG, a deferred compensation company. Following MCG, Donna went into Human Resources/Personnel with OneSource and Lake Forest High School. Donna has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Merchandising with a minor in Business from Western Illinois University in Macomb. Donna keeps the MGP “ship” afloat, making sure that all aspects of the company are in great shape!

Jan has been a long time, loyal component of MGP since 2004. He serves as an Analyst for the company. Prior to MGP, his GIS experience derives from a GIS Analyst role with the Village of Arlington Heights, an Application Development Technician for the Earth Data Analysis Center,  and a Map Reference Assistant with the Map and Geographic Information Center also in Albuquerque. Jan has a B.A. in Geography from the University of New Mexico and holds several Microsoft™ certifications. He has a knack for traveling and has visited all contiguous U.S. States and 32 countries!

Krista began her career at MGP as a GIS Analyst in November 2021. Previously, she worked in the communications infrastructure and services industry as a fiber support specialist for Extenet located in Lisle, IL responsible for digitizing fiber network as-builts while maintaining a high level of data quality. Krista holds a BA from Simpson College in Indianola, IA in Computer Information Systems as well as a MS from Elmhurst University in Geographic Information Systems. Krista began her quest to join the Premier Hockey Federation in 2013 by equipping herself with a bike helmet, figure skates, and a used hockey stick. She has since purchased proper equipment and joined a women’s rec league and can be found at the ice rink most weekends in the winter. One day she hopes to skate as fast as Kendall Coyne.

Before joining MGP in January 2023, Alex was an Office Associate for the Town of Normal Engineering and Public Works Department. She promoted the town’s smart cities initiative within the public works department by innovating and maintaining the department data systems. She received a Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University as a Geography major, with minors in Information Systems, Environmental Studies, and Water Sustainability. During her time at ISU, she also worked as a computer consultant for students and faculty. In her free time, you may find her gardening, playing with Moony the kitten, or attending concerts and farmers markets. Her previous office was featured in the newspaper when they rescued a kitten in May 2022. She also worked at an organic sustainable farm in Eureka, Illinois.

Kevin began his career with MGP as a GIS Analyst in April 2023. He has been working with GIS for the past 6 years, previously in the utilities industry as a GIS Project Specialist for Entrust Solutions Group implementing GIS and analytics projects for a major gas utility client. Kevin attended Illinois State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in History Education, as well as earning a certificate in GIS from Moraine Valley Community College. Kevin previously worked for his father’s small plumbing and HVAC business where he learned some useful skills he applies to many home improvement projects.