WFPS Town Hall - Meet the NSPS Candidates

WestFed held a virtual town hall on Monday, November 17th to meet the candidates running for NSPS office. This provided an opportunity to engage with the individuals who aspire to lead and represent our profession on a national level. If you missed the town hall, below is a link to the recording.

Recording: Click Here to View the Town Hall Recording

 

 

NSPS Vice President Candidate - Cotton D. Jones

Cotton D. Jones, a licensed Professional Land Surveyor, graduated from the University of Wyoming in Laramie with a degree in Business Administration in 1989 and later completed the 30 hour Survey Certificate program at the University.  He began his surveying career in the early 1990’s as a survey assistant with a couple of survey firms in Cheyenne, Wyoming where he matured his career to the point of licensure.  Gaining Licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor in Colorado (2002). Cotton obtained the credentials to be a Certified Federal Land Surveyor (CFedS 2008) in the first group of students following the beta test group and is licensed in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, North & South Dakota, Utah, Nevada and most recently New Mexico. In 2016, Cotton founded Jones Land Surveying, Inc. and currently functions as the principal of Jones Land Surveying and continues to perform all aspects of work associated with the profession.  Cotton is active in the Professional Land Surveyors of Wyoming (PLSW) through various committees, was elected as the President of the Southeast Chapter of PLSW in 2005 and later elected President of PLSW for the 2011-2012 term, has been serving as the Wyoming Director/Governor for the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) since his appointment in 2002.  Cotton has been involved with NSPS through various committees, has served as chair of the Western States Directors Council, completed 2 terms on the Executive Committee, and is a Trustee of the NSPS Foundation. Cotton and his wife Kris are life-long Wyoming Residents living in Cheyenne.  He has volunteered for Cheyenne Frontier Days for 38 plus years and enjoys hunting, fishing and anything outdoors.

 

NSPS Vice President Candidate - Anthony "Rich" Vannozzi

Anthony “Rich” Vannozzi has been licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor for almost forty years. He worked in private practice for 19 years, including eight years as the sole proprietor of his own consulting firm. For the last 22 years, he has been teaching surveying full-time at universities across New England. He is a tenured Associate Professor on the Surveying Engineering Technology faculty at the University of Maine. He teaches courses across the curriculum, helping aspiring surveyors from across the Nation to become licensed surveyors. Rich is seeking your vote to further serve the profession of surveying and his surveying peers as NSPS Vice President. Rich has been a steadfast advocate for the profession of surveying and surveyors throughout his professional life. He has served at every level in his local and state association including as chair of committees, chapter president, state president, and scholarship trustee. For over ten years, he represented Massachusetts on the NSPS Board of Directors (formerly Board of Governors). He is currently a co-chair of the NSPS Education Committee. His proven and long-standing commitment to the profession and surveyors was recognized by his peers, being named MALSCE (Massachusetts) Surveyor of the Year and receiving five Presidential Citations for his work and leadership for the state association. At the National level, he has received two NSPS Presidential Citations and two NSPS Key Director awards for his work. He is a recipient of the NSPS (formerly ACSM) Earle J. Fennel Award, for distinguished educational contributions to the surveying and mapping profession. He was named a Fellow of NSPS in 2017.
Rich has devoted considerable effort in the field of practical surveying education. He led the efforts to create both an undergraduate certificate program and a surveying minor at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. At the national level, he authored the NSPS policies on both Baccalaureate and Graduate education which are in effect today. He also chaired the NSPS national student competition for nine years beginning in 2011. Upon joining the UMaine faculty he revived the NSPS student chapter, encouraging them to compete in the National Student Competition, as they have done each year since 2022. Along with formal teaching, Rich has provided nearly 100 seminars, webinars, presentations and keynote addresses across the country for professional associations, at academic conferences, and professional meetings. Rich holds a bachelor’s degree, with high honors in Forestry from the University of Maine, completing concentrations in both Forest Management and Surveying. In 2006 he earned his master’s in forestry, with an emphasis in surveying, also from the University of Maine. Rich was born and raised in Titusville, NJ where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout at 15. In 2001-2002 he served as president of Plymouth Massachusetts’s 100-member Rotary club.  He is the father of three adult children and grandfather to one. When he is not pursuing professional duties, Rich can be found in his vegetable garden, taking photographs, fishing, or cheering on UMaine hockey.

 

NSPS Secretary Candidate - Danny Martinez

Danny Martinez is a Senior Survey Project Manager at Lamp Rynearson, a civil engineering and surveying firm in Omaha. He earned his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Civil Surveying, graduating with honors from National College in Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1987. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as the Nebraska NSPS Director. During this time, he has served four terms on the NSPS Executive Committee. He was elected to the NSPS Foundation Board of Trustees in 2020 and currently serves as Vice Chairman. In 2021, he served on the NSPS Executive Oversight Committee responsible for selecting the new NSPS Executive Director. He was recognized as an NSPS Fellow Member in 2022. With more than 30 years of active involvement in the Professional Surveyors Association of Nebraska, Mr. Martinez has served two terms as President-Elect, two terms as President, and on the Board of Directors. A lifelong Nebraskan, Danny and his wife Erica reside in his hometown of Fremont, Nebraska, where they raised their three daughters.