EDUCATION

 

Cornell University, College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Ithaca, NY.                 January 2001

 

Doctorate of Philosophy. “The Implications of Spatial Patterns and Policies for Residential Valuation in Boston, Massachusetts.” Major: City & Regional Planning, Community Development; Minor: Housing, Real Estate Valuation, Urban Studies, Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Statistics. Volunteer. Recipient, SAGE Graduate Fellowship for Minority Scholars.

 

Cornell University, College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Ithaca, NY.                     1982-1984

 

Master of Regional Planning. “The Pedestrianization of the United States: A Case Study of Boston’s Downtown Crossing.” Concentration in land use and fiscal planning; Focus in Housing Development, Urban Design and Planning Administration. Commencement Honor Marshall.

 

Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse, NY     1978-1982

 

Bachelor of Arts in Policy Studies. Minor in Housing, State and Local Finance. Minor in Gerontology. Study abroad in Strasbourg, France. Syracuse and Clark Foundation Scholarship. Senior Honors Club. Army R.O.T.C. Physical Fitness Award from Ft. Knox, Kentucky Boot Camp.

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS & RESEARCH

 

Professional Articles & Conference Papers (published and under review)

 

Thompson, Michelle M. and Sam Strong, 2007. Prioritizing Reinvestment for ACORN Housing Corporation Adjudicated Properties in New Orleans, LA, Journal of Planning Education and Research. under review.

 

Thompson, Michelle M., New Orleans Park and Neutral Grounds Survey Report, as found in the A People’s Plan for Overcoming the Hurricane Katrina Blues, ACORN Housing/University Collaborative, New Orleans Planning Initiative: www.rebuildingtheninth.org. 2007.

 

Thompson, Michelle M., The Bogota Cadastre: Contemporary Policy Issues in Planning, as found in Liliana Bustamante, Diego Erba and Michelle M. Thompson, International Planning Perspectives: Cadastres in Practice, LandLines, Volume 16, Number 2, April 2004. 

 

Thompson, Michelle M., Kyu-Sang (Joshua) Lee, and, Anna Karwowska, Building Internal Community Capacity through Technology: Sibley Consulting and DSNI. ESRI Users Conference: State & Local Government Track. Environmental System Research Institute. 2004.

 

Thompson, Michelle M., GIS Technology and Data Sharing, Planning into the Next Millennium, Colloqui, Cornell Journal of Planning and Urban Issues, Volume 15, 2000, pp. 20-33.

 

Edited Volumes and Book Chapters

 

Thompson, Michelle M., Community Uses of Geographic Information Systems for Economic Equality & Empowerment. As found in Visual Valuation: Practical GIS Applications in Property Analysis & Valuation, Mark R. Linné, John Cirincione, Michelle M. Thompson, Editors. Appraisal Institute (Forthcoming, 2008)

 

 

 

Thompson, Michelle M., El Catastro Territorial en Estados Unidos de America, (The Territorial Cadastre in the United States of America) a chapter in a forthcoming book by the Program in Latin America, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Catastro Multifinalitario Aplicado a la Definición de Políticas de Suelo Urbano (Multipurpose Cadastres Applied to the Definition of Land Policies). Written in English but translated into Spanish. 2007. ISBN 85-906701-0-4

 

Thompson, Michelle M. and Ann-Margaret Esnard. Mapping: Property Maps in Modern Cadastres.  American Planning Association. Planning and Urban Design Standards. (Contributor) New York: John Wiley and Sons. Part 5, pg. 535. 2006.

 

Wachter, Susan and Michelle M. Thompson and Kevin Gillen, Geospatial Analysis for Real Estate Valuation Models, in Pick, James B. (ed) Geographic Information Systems in Business, Idea Group, Publishing, Spring 2004.

 

Professional Reports

 

Thompson, Michelle M., City of Ithaca : Construction Projects Internet Mapping Service. Professional E-Government report for the City Clerk in cooperation with Tompkins County IT/GIS Department. 2007.

 

Thompson, Michelle M., Megan Gilbert and Anne Schwieger. City of Ithaca : Pilot Graffiti Mapping Project. Professional E-Government report prepared for the Ithaca Youth Bureau. 2006.

 

Thompson, Michelle M. Stewart Park User Survey. Professional report for the Ithaca Youth Bureau. August 2006.

 

Thompson, Michelle M. Leila Aman, Julienne Chen, Anna Karwowska, Kyu-Sang Lee, Jason Luger and E.J. Neafsey. Building Bridges Between Community Based Organizations and Technology: Exploring Tools for Community Participation and Economic Development for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. CRP 607. 2004.

 

HONORS/AWARDS

 

Cornell University, 2007-2008 Faculty Innovation in Teaching Award                             Ithaca, NY

 

Competitive campus-wide award for development of the New Orleans Neighborhood Analysis Project and New Orleans Community Information System.  Faculty Innovation in Teaching Award program is a distributed learning initiative supported by University President and Provost.

 

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Environmental: Special Achievement in GIS                    San Diego, CA

 

Award for innovative Planning & Development Team that created the ‘Community Lots’, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, website providing community based organizations with online geographic information systems tools. Website provides academic and professional GIS users with ‘best case’ implementation strategies for community integration. 2005.

 

Cornell University, Faculty Fellows-In-Service                                                                             Ithaca, NY

 

Public Service Center grant which to ‘advance academic service learning and public scholarship.’ Funds were used to support advanced GIS methods analysis for the community-university partnership project with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston, MA.

 

 

 

 

Cornell University, Certificate of Appreciation                                                                                      Ithaca, NY

 

Honoree, and participant, in the Planning Students of Color: “A Salute to Blacks in Planning” symposium. Presented my contribution as lecturer in City & Regional Planning and as a licensed independent fee residential real estate appraiser. 2003.

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

Wells College, Environmental Studies                                                                          Aurora, NY

ENVR 106 Geography & Geographic Information Systems                                              Spring 2008

 

New lecture/lab course providing concepts of geographic information systems and science applied to practice and research. Topics include map design, visualization, querying, editing, on-screen digitizing, georeferencing, data models, GIS data structures, data classification and sources, spatial analysis, manipulating census data, NeoGeography, GIS ethical and social criticism. Hands-on exercises using ArcGIS9.2.

 

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Faculty Associate/Course Developer                     Cambridge, MA

                                                                                                                                2001 – present

 

Assists the Chair of the Department of Valuation and Taxation with course design for mid-career professionals. Conducts research on emerging trends in municipal taxation and real estate valuation. Provides Institute with resources on contemporary valuation methods using geographic information systems. Conducted market analysis for implementation of nation-wide online teaching curriculum. Ongoing research on national and international valuation.

 

Harvard University Department of Government                                                                             Cambridge, MA

Government 1009 Advanced GIS Workshop: New Orleans Case Study                                                     Spring 2007

 

Co-led instruction for applied geographic information systems for New Orleans, LA case study.  Lecture/Lab provided intermediate and advanced instruction using ArcGIS. Course focus on geodatabase development, processing and analyzing spatial data in professional reports.  Created 3D analysis of property values in 9th Ward for ACORN Housing.

 

Cornell University, Department of City & Regional Planning

Summary of 4 years of Teaching and Curriculum Development                                 2003-2007

 

CRP 508DL Introduction to Geographic Information Systems: Using GIS for Parcel-Based Analysis     2006-

 

Launched first GIS on-line education course at Cornell University for Summer Sessions Distance Learning.  Core geographic information systems theory applied to parcel level technology.  Internet lab reviews, chat sessions, self-directed student project.  Includes Cornell Cybertower online video entitled ‘Applied GIS: Turning Data into Information’. http://sandstone5.cit.cornell.edu/Requester/demo.

                                                                                   

CRP 321 Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis                                                 Spring 2007

 

Developed new undergraduate methods course curriculum to provide theory, technique and application of quantitative methods for policy analysis focusing on post-disaster planning policy; case study of New Orleans, Louisiana. Examined the pre-Hurricane Katrina socio-economic conditions and post-disaster response related to Road Home program. Advanced geospatial training provided using ArcGIS9.1 geographic information system, SPSS and Excel for basic data analysis.

                                                                                                                                          

 

CRP 330/530 Neighborhood Planning Workshop/Studio: New Orleans                    Fall 2006

 

Co-Instructor for ACORN Housing/University-led consortium to create a neighborhood plan for the 9th Ward (Districts 7 and 8).  Lead manager and developer for the creation of New Orleans Map & Data Atlas. Organized and led Community Survey Methods training manual for supervision of 70 student/faculty/volunteer field research teams using new survey instruments in the 9th Ward. 

 

CRP 659 Sustainable Campus and Building Design for the Waldorf School              Fall 2005

 

Community Design Workshop/Studio. Co-taught a physical design and geospatial market analysis workshop. Traditional approach to combining the architectural design process and geographic information systems to analyze the feasibility of a new Waldorf school on a 100-acre site.  Combined qualitative and quantitative methods of conducting land and market analysis using visual and spatial analysis techniques.

 

CRP 607 GIS Applications Workshop/Studio                                                                                Fall 2004

 

Initiated GIS client services contract with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) to conduct community asset mapping and market analysis for Roxbury (Boston) service area. Student-led research using assessing and census data to conduct spatial analysis using linear regression in ESRI ArcGIS8.3 spatial analyst. Students provided DSNI/Roxbury neighborhood profile after site visit, summarized trends in spatial poster project with jury review and final summary report presented to the Director of DSNI.

 

CRP 629.02 GIS Applications in Real Estate                                                Fall 2004-2006                                                                                                                                        

Developed inaugural geographic information systems (GIS) workshop for the Program in Real Estate.  Demonstrated ESRI ArcView3.3 Business Analyst for workshop class to introduce graduate students in real estate with the features, function and philosophy of GIS.  Supervised independent students work on evaluating a neighborhood market potential using ArcGIS9.1. Included instruction on Claritas: Prizm and ESRI: Community Tapestry market segmentation data.

 

Cornell Urban Scholars                                                                                                        Summer 2003

                                                                                                                                        

Managed field coordination and provided instruction for summer institute in New York City for undergraduate students participating in a summer-long public policy internship.  Developed self-assessment tools for service-learning at 24 student placement sites. Coordinated weekly workshops included self-reflection on work skills development, goal setting and project timeline management.  Lead field visits to community-based programs throughout the 5 boroughs.  Taught GIS introduction, data collection and analysis for workshop class. Assisted Cornell graduate students on thesis research preparation and technical writing.

           

CRP 408/508 Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems                                        Spring 2003

 

Converted previous curriculum from ArcView3.2 to ArcGIS8.2 including revision of all labs and lectures. explored history, current technology, ethics, and guest lecture series. Expanded student classroom experience to include instruction on ArcView3.2, StreetMap USA, Spatial Analyst and the Geography Network. Completed requirements of substantial semester-long research project to incorporate data mining, transformation, as well as, statistical and spatial analysis. Assisted Department Chair with inaugural GIS Poster Contest.

 

 

 

 

WORKSHOPS & PROGRAM INSTRUCTION

 

New Orleans Neighborhood Analysis Project & Workshop                                                                   October 2007

Data Collection Field Training & NeoGeography                                                                            New Orleans, LA

 

Coordinated field team to catalogue images and assessment values of Road Home properties in New Orleans. Provided student and community volunteer teams with field-based training to identify property addresses using global positioning system technology.  Managed analysis of residential assessments from online property valuation systems.  Supervised development of NeoGeography, digital mapping, with interns at Cornell University and University of New Orleans.

 

 

An Introduction to GPS Technology & Geocaching                                               November 2006

GIS Day, Dept. of City & Regional Planning, Olin Library – Cornell University               Ithaca, NY

 

Instructed on the history and uses of global positioning system (GPS) software technology using the Garmin Etrex Legend, GPS hardware.  Collected (x,y) coordinate data (waypoints) on Arts Quad then converted to shapefiles using the DNR Garmin protocol for use in ArcGIS9.1.  Introduced ‘geocaching’ and how to use the ‘go-to’ function to navigate to a known waypoint. Discussed methods of collecting GPS data in urban and rural context for community analysis and academic research.

 

New Orleans: 9th Ward Districts 7 & 8: Partnerships, Politics & Promises                                   November, 2006

Sara Lawrence College                                                                                                                      Bronxville, NY

 

Presenter in tract on Community-Based Planning for Viable Neighborhoods in the conference: Rebuilding A Democratic New Orleans: New Architecture, Affordable Housing and Public Spaces. A symposium of Architects, Activists, Builders, Policymakers and Residents. http://pages.slc.edu/~rebuildneworleans/

 

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems                                                         Ithaca, NY

Department of City & Regional Planning/Olin Library – Cornell University                     2004-2006

 

Co-developed 2-hour workshop series on topics related to geographic information systems (GIS) with Geospatial Library. Workshops intended for participants interested in community asset mapping to long-term academic research in both the Cornell and Ithaca communities. Workshops involved theory of GIS, as well as, hands-on instruction using ESRI ArcGIS9x software. Topics: Introduction to GIS, GIS across the Disciplines, Thematic Maps Using Census & Economic Data, Mapping for Community Based Organizations, GIS Mapping Using Demographic Data. GIS mapping Using Residential Property Parcel Data, US Census: Using the American Factfinder, International Thematic Maps – China, Tanzania and Columbia, Accessing and Preparing Data for GIS.

 

Hobart, Williams & Smith College - Finger Lakes Institute                                         Geneva, NY

GIS Curriculum Development for NYS High School Teachers                                              July 2006

 

Lead instructor for Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) instruction and curriculum development in

2-week seminar hosted by the Finger Lakes Institute.  Provided support for global positioning system (GPS) and integration into ArcGIS9.1.  Developed exercise plan that migrated students from ArcView3.2 to ArcGIS9.1.  Provided hands-on instruction materials for integration into high science curriculum for teachers throughout New York State.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community GIS Seminar                                                                                             Ithaca, NY

Introductory GIS Workshop for Community Based Organizations                                    April 2005

 

Created and coordinated area-specific geographic information system teaching curriculum for the Central New York Community GIS Seminar using census and parcel data.  Provided pro bono course development and marketing for community based organization hands-on training in a community-university partnership project;  Consolidated resources from the Cornell University Mann Library, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Department of City & Regional Planning and the Community Affairs Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Co-developer of advanced spatial analysis workshop modules with Françoise Vermeylen, Cornell Office of Statistical Consulting.

 

Columbia University, Division of Community Health                                                                           Seattle, WA

American Legacy Foundation/Community Voices                                                                         March, 2004

 

Developed research methods and case study analysis for the ‘Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Initiative 3rd Annual Networking Conference.’  Presented paper on ‘GIS: Evaluating Health Policy Issues Using Census and Neighborhood Indicators’ for national community based health promotion organizations.

 

Departamento Administrativo de Catastro Distrital                                                           Bogotá, Colombia

Administrative Department of the Local Cadastre                                                    November 2003

 

Program Evaluator in the First International Conference on the Cadastre Methodologies that were organized by the City of Bogotá.  This 4-day conference included a review of ‘policy, practice & protocol’ on the administration of the cadastre including community outreach, citizen participation, building & construction, valuation, GIS, abatement, econometric modeling, juridical, cartography and mapping.  Presented critique of existing cadastre administration and recommended program modification and implementation strategies.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & COMMUNITY SERVICE

 

Kip Keino Foundation, Inc. Co-Executive Director (2006-2007)                                     Ithaca, NY

                                                                                                                                                    

·        Co-Executive Director of Foundation, Keino Mile Race & Media Director, Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator to support international charity for Dr. Kipchoge ‘Kip” Keino. 

·        Organized and facilitated the creation of a USA-based 501©3, tax free, not-for-profit sponsoring the Kip Keino Mile and BorgWarner Health & Fitness Expo (May, 2007).

·        Assisted with the implementation of the Eldoret, Kenya and Ithaca, New York Sister City Initiative.

 

City Of Ithaca                                                                                                           Ithaca, NY

GIS & Quantitative Methods Planner                                                                               2005-2007

                                                                                                                                                    

·        Provided mapping services, grant applications, and geospatial analyses for Department and Citywide GIS Program. 

·        Conducted demographic analysis and development of quantitative/qualitative data for neighborhoods. 

·        Created web pages and managed updates for department-wide Department Of Planning & Development website. 

 

Thompson Real Estate Appraisal                                                                                 Natick, MA

Owner/Principal                                                                                                             1992-1996

 

·        Conducted residential appraisal evaluations utilizing extensive field research and analysis.

·        Collected residential and commercial property data for uniform appraisals for multi-client fee assignments.

·        Performed quality control, on-site inspections, comparable database and all office management functions.

 

Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency                                                                     Boston, MA

Single Family Appraisal Coordinator                                                                               1987-1992

Site Evaluation/Senior Appraisal and Marketing Analyst

 

·        Developed policy criteria for the review and completion of single and multi-unit residential appraisals.

·        Provided technical assistance for Multi-family funding competitions.

·        Prepared training documentation and provided training on single-family site evaluation policy and procedures.

 

Executive Office of Communities & Development (EOCD)                                         Boston, MA

Special Needs Housing Development Specialist                                                                 1985-1987

Family Housing Development Specialist

 

·        Managed statewide completion of Federally mandated housing with Local Housing Authorities.

·        Provided technical assistance and budget conformance for $54 to $101M housing programs.

·        Monitored compliance of local Housing Authorities with State and Local project development regulations.

 

 

This page belongs to Michelle M. Thompson (mthompson@wells.edu), who is solely responsible for its content. Please see our Statement of Responsibility.

Last updated: 29 December 2007

 

Click <here> to return to ENVR 106 Home page.