Career Title: Professor of Geography, Emeritus, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Education:
Career Profile: George retired from the Department of Geography, University of Utah in July 2019. He specializes in geographic information science (GIS) applied to environmental issues, the geography of human conflict and terrorism and workforce development in the geospatial industry. At the University of Utah, he served as Chair of the department for nine years. He served as Director of the University of Utah NGA-USGS Academic Center of Excellence in Geospatial Sciences Initiative, Director, USGIF Geospatial Intelligence Certificate Program, University of Utah and as Associate Director, Institute of Public and International Affairs, 2007- 2012. He was national President of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) 2001-02. He served 2007-2010 as a member of the Mapping Sciences Committee, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences and as Director, University of Utah, Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP), Consortium of five U.S. and four Mexican universities 2000- 2013. He was a founding editor of the global change journal Earth Interactions. In research and instructional capacities, Dr.Hepner has had external associations with the California Institute of Technology, JPL, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Yonsei University, Seoul Korea and Akita International University, Japan.
Volunteer/community Service: Over the years George has worked as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and in several technical and cultural exchanges with Mexican scientists and officials. He has volunteered time to the environmental cleanups, professional career development for underrepresented students and recycling efforts. He was an official with USA Cycling, participating in regional and national road cycling races.