Joanne Markert is the Washington State GIS Coordinator. She has over 20 years experience as a GIS practitioner in the public and private sectors, including being a GIS instructor. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters in Environmental Studies. She started her career in GIS at the Washington Department of Natural Resources. She then worked in consulting for 17 years on a variety of GIS/IT projects before returning to lead the Geospatial Program for the Washington Office of the Chief Information Officer.