We’re excited to continue the ILGISA Board Spotlight series, designed to introduce you to the dedicated members of our Board of Directors. Each installment will highlight a different board member, offering a glimpse into their professional background, current role, and passion for GIS. Through this series, we hope to foster stronger connections within our community and celebrate the individuals guiding our organization.
Renée Büker, ILGISA Secretary
Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got started in GIS?
GIS is actually a second career for me. I have a master’s degree in library and information studies and worked as an academic reference librarian for a number of years. In 2014, I decided to enroll in the graduate program in geography at Western Illinois University, with the thought that a second, subject-specialty master’s degree would be beneficial in my academic library career. I discovered I really enjoyed GIS – the detail-oriented nature of the work, navigating table and database structures with boolean queries, and the importance of planning out good data organization on the back end made GIS feel like a natural fit for my background. When I graduated, I was offered a position at the WIU GIS Center, and I have been working there since.
What is your current role, and how does GIS play a part in your work?
My current position is Senior GIS Manager at the Western Illinois University GIS Center. The Center is a partnership between the university and the local city and county government, providing GIS services to the local area and giving current GIS students real-world experience working on these projects. We also contract with other local entities for GIS projects and have been particularly involved recently in assisting PSAPs with NG911 GIS data.
How long have you been involved with ILGISA?
I have been involved with ILGISA since I was a student at WIU – the first meeting I attended was a Regional Meeting held on the Western campus in 2016.