Our Board Members

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

Dr. ​Jon Comer is Professor and Department 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 from 2019 to 2023. 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. Stacey Brown-Amilian - Professor and Chair | Department of Geography and GIS | Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

Dr. Brown is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography & GIS at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is also the Secretary for the Illinois Geographical Society (IGS). Her research interests focus on why some areas are healthier than others, whether that be access to healthy food or proximity to toxic facilities and pollution. She enjoys working with students and has helped 50 students complete their Senior Assignment in order graduate with their bachelor’s degree. She has also chaired or served on 25 graduate committees. Stacey graduated with her Ph.D. in Geography from Oklahoma State University and received her M.A. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She was fortunate to receive the 2023 Distinguished Geographer Award from the IGS and has been past-chair of the West Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers. She loves to camp, hike, spend time with her family and work on either an embroidery or cross-stich project. 

Brett Lucas - Principal Planner and Economic Development Coordinator | Planning Department | City of Cheney, Washington

Brett Lucas serves as the Director of Research at the Greater Des Moines Partnership in Des Moines, Iowa, where he leads research strategy and data-driven initiatives that support regional economic development and business attraction. He oversees a centralized research function, managing key data systems and geospatial efforts while supporting expansion and recruitment projects and contributing to marketing, communications, and public-facing resources.  Prior to this role, Mr. Lucas held planning and geospatial positions with the City of Cheney, Washington; City of Vancouver, Washington; Alameda County, California; and the U.S. Geological Survey. He is also an adjunct instructor in Geography and Urban & Regional Planning at Eastern Washington University and American Public University, teaching courses in geography, GIS, location analytics, transportation and logistics, economic development, and planning.  In addition, Mr. Lucas has served on strategic planning committees at Iowa State University and Eastern Washington University and operates a small consulting business focused on retail, real estate, and economic development strategy for private sector clients and small cities. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring the backroads of North America, visiting unique landmarks, and interpreting the roadside landscape. He holds degrees in geography from Oregon State University and California State University, East Bay.

Afshin Shayeghi Moghanlou - Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability | University of Oklahoma

Afshin Shayeghi Moghanlou is pursuing his Ph.D. in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oklahoma, where he also serves as a Research Assistant. His research focuses on hydrological remote sensing, agricultural water sustainability, and climate change. Before starting his Ph.D., Afshin earned his master’s degree in Water Resources Engineering  from Imam Khomeini International University in Iran. His work focused on Water Resources. His bachelor’s degree is also in Agricultural Engineering-Water, and earned from Mohaghegh Ardabili University.
Afshin has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications, focusing on topics such as the reliability of satellite rainfall estimates, assessing drought impacts on groundwater and agriculture, and evaluating global precipitation estimation products. Afshin has earned Ta Liang Memorial Award from ASPRS Collaborative Scholarships and the Charles Standely Memorial Award for outstanding publication in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, Robberson travel grant award, Graduate Student Senate travel award, and first place in the GIS Day student poster competition at the University of Oklahoma.  Afshin has applied his expertise in Hydrology and GIS working for PAGA Consultant Company in Iran.

Amanda Barney - Department of Geography and Environmental Studies | Texas State University

Amanda leads an exciting life full of love, adventure, and education. She is raising and homeschooling two intelligent, wild, and happy girls, and she teaches once a week at their homeschool co-op. Last year, she taught chemistry, and this fall, she will teach anatomy to children between ages 8 and 13. She is also a full-time caregiver for my mother who has Parkinson’s Disease. Her health journey has been long and difficult, but Amanda has cared for her for nearly 10 years now. She also has two fur babies, and she enjoys spoiling them with affection and good food.
Amanda is also dedicated to her own education and personal development. She is working to complete her master’s degree at Texas State University and plans to continue my education to receive a PhD in Geography. She is a physical scientist first and foremost, and her current research focuses on soil geochemistry, fluvial geomorphology, and long term paleoenvironmental change. She is fascinated by the way exposed soils tell us stories about past climates, and she wants to use those stories to predict future climate changes. However, she is also intrigued by the effects of soil health on human nutrition and nutritional deficiencies.
Throughout her time at the university, she has presided over Gamma Theta Upsilon (an international geographical honor society) and volunteered at numerous community and university events. Her hard work over the past few years was reflected in the spring of 2024 when she received the Outstanding Graduate Student award from her department for her service both at the university and in my community, and for her dedication to her family and her education. In addition, she received the Outstanding Service to GTU award for her service to the geographical honor society. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, kayaking, hiking, sewing, exploring national parks, learning about fitness and nutrition, and volunteering at community and university events.

Helen Bates - Department of Urban Studies | University of Pittsburgh

Helen Bates is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and Geographic Analysis, along with a minor in Economics and a certificate in GIS. She is a member of the Urban Studies Honor Society and the Urban Planning Club at Pitt. A native of Washington, DC, Helen has loved maps, geography, trains, and public transit since she was a young child. As an undergraduate, she has worked on a variety of urban planning and mapping projects in the City of Pittsburgh and is particularly interested in using GIS, spatial analysis, and community input to understand and address challenges facing communities at any scale. After graduation, she plans to work in a role that combines her interests in GIS, transportation, and urban development.

In her free time, Helen is an avid ultimate frisbee player and serves as a captain on the University of Pittsburgh Danger women’s D-1 club team.
 

Brian A. Mikelbank - Associate Professor of Urban Studies | Cleveland State University

Brian A. Mikelbank is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Cleveland State University and a visiting scholar at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. He is a quantitative urban geographer interested in the pattern and process of urban phenomena. His research has spanned the topics of urban-suburban dynamics, metropolitan housing markets, tree canopy coverage, food insecurity, debt-related driver’s license suspensions, and more.   Brian served as a postdoctoral Urban Scholar with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, a Visiting Scholar in Community Affairs at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the director of the Center for Housing Research and Policy at CSU, an Associate Editor of Economic Development Quarterly, and is currently an Associate Editor for Papers in Applied Geography. His work has been published in a variety of academic journals, including Housing Policy Debate, Annals of Regional Science, and Urban Geography. Brian has taught a wide range of classes, including housing analysis, quantitative methods, regional theory and analysis, urban geography, and research methods.

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Stewart Berry- Vice President of Product Management Studies | Caliper Corporation 

Stewart Berry serves as Vice President of Product Management at Caliper Corporation, where he leads the development and strategic direction of Maptitude, a leading location intelligence platform. With over two decades of experience in the geospatial industry, he has been instrumental in transitioning Caliper's products from desktop to SaaS solutions and from perpetual licensing to subscription models, enhancing accessibility and customer engagement.
Stewart's expertise lies in strategic product management, digital innovation, and the application of geospatial data for decision-making across various sectors. He has actively contributed to the applied geography community through participation in AGX and AGC events, offering technical insights and fostering collaborative discussions.
Holding an Executive MBA from Quantic and an MSc in GIS from University College London, Stewart combines academic rigor with practical experience. His commitment to advancing the field of applied geography is reflected in his ongoing support of AGX initiatives and his dedication to developing innovative mapping solutions.

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Aydin Bakhtar- Department of Civil Engineering | University of Texas at Arlington

Aydin Bakhtar is a PhD student and researcher in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he serves as an instructor for the Applied Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. His academic work is grounded in hydrology and hydroclimatology, focusing on complex data modeling to address critical water-related challenges.

A passionate technologist, Aydin is dedicated to developing high-performance solutions at the intersection of engineering and computer science. He is particularly enthusiastic about Web GIS, parallel processing, and High-Performance Computing (HPC), utilizing Python and Rust to build efficient, scalable data tools. Outside of his research and coding, Aydin is an avid film photographer who enjoys the technical artistry of the darkroom.

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Jia Lu- Professor of Geography and Urban Planning | Valdosta State University

Dr. Jia Lu is a Professor of Geography and Urban Planning at Valdosta State University. She holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning, as well as a Master’s Degree in Planning and a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture. Her research focuses on urban modeling, geospatial technologies, environmental studies, and urban development.
Dr. Lu has published a book, along with numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has been awarded multiple research grants and fellowships. In addition to her academic work, she has professional experience in governmental planning and architectural design, with several of her designs constructed in China.
Outside of academia, she enjoys painting and traveling, and she has published artwork.

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