first published week of: 08/19/2013
ASPRS Executive Director James Plasker has announced his retirement from ASPRS and plans to step down from his position, effective January 2014. Plasker was selected as the Executive Director in 1998 to succeed William French who had served in the position for 20 years.
As ASPRS Executive Director for nearly 16 years, Plasker led or significantly contributed to numerous programmatic efforts on behalf of the ASPRS membership and the broader geospatial community. These included resolution of professional licensure issues and expanded geospatial representation to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES); development of the Ten Year Remote Sensing Industry Forecast (Phases I-IV); increased awareness of Landsat data continuity issues and the requirement for a National Land Imaging Program; ASPRS participation in several U.S. Department of Labor career and statistical reporting programs including NAICS and ONET; expansion of both thenumber and monetary value of the ASPRS awards and scholarships endowed through the ASPRS Foundation; supported a number of ASPRS studies on camera calibration, digital orthophotography and the value of Landsat data; aided ASPRS volunteers in the development of the LAS common data exchange standard and the best practices guidelines for procurement of professional geospatial services and geospatial products; oversaw expansion of the ASPRS Certification Program to include technologists and intern categories; and increased efforts to support the accreditation of applied science and engineering programs through his continuing service to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).