Our Board Members

Dr. Jon Comer - Professor and Associate Head | Department of Geography | Oklahoma State University

Dr. ​Jon Comer is Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Geography at Oklahoma State University. He has served on the Board of Directors for AGX since 2014 and as Secretary since 2019. His research interests include communications geography, spatial analysis, and urban, economic, and transportation geography. The very first academic conference he attended (as a graduate student) was the Applied Geography Conference in Charlotte in 1990, and he has been a regular presenter at AGX since 1999.

Dr. Tony Hernandez - Professor | Department of Real Estate Management | Ryerson University

Dr. Tony Hernandez is a Professor in the School of Retail Management and Department of Real Estate Management at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University. Dr. Hernandez also serves as the Director and Eaton Chair in Retailing at the Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity. Founded in 1992, the CSCA is a not-for-profit academic research unit at Ryerson that primarily studies retail and service sector activities. The centre works with private and public sector organizations, including major retailers, developers, brokerage and leasing firms, consultants, government departments and industry associations. His research and teaching focuses on retail innovation and strategy, location analysis and retail planning. Trained as an applied geographer, Tony enjoys being part of the AGX community, sharing research interests with colleagues, and serving on the Board.

Dr. Wei Song - Professor and Chair | Department of Geographic and Environmental Science - University of Louisville

Dr. Wei Song is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences at the University of Louisville (UofL). He is also a Ph.D. faculty in Urban and Public Affairs and an affiliated faculty in Asian Studies.
Dr. Wei Song received his Ph.D. in geography from the Ohio State University, his M.A. in regional science from the George Washington University, and his B.S. in economic geography from Peking University.
Dr. Wei Song is a human-economic geographer. The central theme of his research is the spatial heterogeneity in social, economic and demographic processes, primarily at urban and regional scales. Dr. Song’s research and teaching interests include location and transportation analysis, economic geography, urban (crime) issues, spatial statistics, and GIS applications.
Dr. Wei Song is a Social & Behavioral Sciences Representative in the Kentucky Academy of Science. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Papers in Applied Geography, a Topic Editor of Sustainability, and on the editorial board of International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research. 

Dr. Brandon Vogt - Associate Professor | Department of Geography and Environmental Studies | UC-Colorado Springs

Dr. Brandon Vogt earned his Master's and a PhD, both in geographical sciences, from Arizona State University (ASU). He joined the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (GES) faculty in 2009. Within physical geography, Dr. Vogt's research focuses on understanding the ways in which landsurface texture interacts with earth surface and atmospheric processes. Mountain weather and microclimate drive his passion in this area. His current research seeks to unravel some of the nuances of thunderstorms’ interactions with the mountainous topography of Colorado. 
Dr. Vogt teaches courses in geospatial technologies, physical geography, geomorphology, meteorology, microclimate, a capstone snow and ice course in Silverton, Colorado, and co-teaches a course that explores how sound informs landscape. He is committed to undergraduate research and serves as the Graduate Director for the UCCS MA in Applied Geography. He emphasizes experiential learning and other high-impact educational practices and is especially proud of the ways in which he extends art into science. 
Over the years, Dr. Vogt’s largest contribution to AGX has been his role with conference student paper and poster competitions. He believes that students are, without a doubt, the most important part of AGX conferences and community (our future applied geographers!), and he always looks forward to watching students advance their academic and professional careers as they network with others and share how they are working to advanced applied geography. 

Claire Burch, M.S. - Ph.D. Candidate | Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability | University of Oklahoma

Claire Burch is a Ph.D. candidate interested in environmental governance in renewable energy development as well as the role of the oil and gas sector in the energy transition. She received her M.S. in Environmental Sustainability in 2020 from the University of Oklahoma. She currently serves as a graduate research assistant and project manager for an NSF-funded research experience for teachers focused on sustainable energy engineering for empowering rural communities. In addition to her studies, Claire is an Assistant Scientist with Olsson in their Power Delivery division, where she assists in managing environmental studies and permitting requirements for renewable energy clients in Oklahoma. She is also an Energy and Environment Fellow for the Advanced Power Alliance. Claire began as a student board member for AGX in 2020 and transitioned to a full board member in 2021. Claire joined AGX because she felt the organization offered a unique opportunity for students to build their networks.​

 Dr. Denise Blanchard - Professor | Department of Geography and Environmental Studies | Texas State University

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Dr. Denise Blanchard is a Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University specializing in natural hazards and disaster management, energy and natural resources use and management, coastal zone management, economic/business geography, historical geography, and history of geography. She has taught and produced scholarly research in these areas for more than 30 years. Denise graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.S. Degree in Economics from Florida State University, and B.S.B.A. Degree in Finance from Auburn University. Denise has served as Chair of the Subcommittee for Education and Outreach for the San Marcos River Watershed Protection Plan. She has served as Internship Director and Director of the James and Marilyn Lovell Center for Environmental Geography and Hazards Research in her department, as well as being named, Honorary Professor of International Studies, by the International Studies Department at Texas State University. Denise also serves as a Career Mentor for the American Association of Geographers. She joined the Board of Directors for the Applied Geography-X community in 2019. 
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Dr. Timothy Hawthorne - Associate Professor of GIS and Graduate Director | Department of Sociology | University of Central Florida

Dr. Timothy L. Hawthorne is 2022 National Geographic Explorer and a tenured, associate professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the department of sociology at University of Central Florida. He is a public scholar broadly trained in human geography with expertise in community-based scholarship and citizen science. In 2015, he founded an internationally recognized research group called Citizen Science GIS. The group’s goal is to connect scientists and society through the use of geospatial technologies to make science more accessible and responsive to community concerns.  Along with UCF support and that of several public partners and Lynx, a local bus company, the team recently built the nation’s first GeoBus™, a mobile STEAM research and education lab on a repurposed 40-foot city bus that provides geospatial technology learning experiences to K-12 youth and teachers in Florida.

Samantha Yannucci - Urban Planner | KO Consulting, LLC.

Samantha Yannucci holds a master's degree in urban and regional planning and a bachelor's in geography. Her approach to planning is shaped by her experience of living abroad in Europe. As an urban planning consultant, she approaches projects through a lens of human behavior and the lived experience. She emphasizes the importance of human-scaled places and takes pride in empowering the civic commons to take an active role in decision-making processes. Samantha works diligently to ensure a better quality of life for those of generations to come.