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Executive Committee Elections

The following constituency groups did not receive two or more eligible nominations by the end of the extended nominating period. The individuals nominated below are considered to have won the election and voting will not be conducted.

Federal Government Constituency Group

Vacant

No nominations received.

Land Surveyor Constituency Group

David Avery

David Avery is currently a Senior Survey Project Manager with Langan Engineering and Environmental Services. He has over 40 years of experience in the industry. His career started in 1984 working for a small business servicing mainly residential clients. For the past 30 years, he has worked for multi-disciplined firms servicing mainly commercial and industrial clients. He currently oversees a group providing surveying services for utilities on large linear projects. His work involves mapping projects currently totaling over 150 miles and spanning multiple municipalities and counties. David is part of the committee at Langan that created a field-survey standards manual to guide field staff in the collection of GNSS and other data. He understands the importance of establishing control and validating the control through independent methods. He has been following the development by NGS of NATRF2022. It will provide surveying and mapping professionals with a low-distortion geospatial framework from which to work. David is a member of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors where he serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Director for the North Jersey Chapter. He is a past member of the Legislative Committee. David has been a guest lecturer for the Boundary Survey class at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He has also presented to NJSPLS North Jersey Chapter on determining Mean High Water elevation. He was selected to NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying) Panel to assist in selection of test content. David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Surveying from Oregon Institute of Technology. He was licensed to practice surveying in New Jersey in 1996 and in Pennsylvania in 2010.

Regional Authority/Municipal Planning Organization Constituency Group

Jocelyn van den Akker

Jocelyn van den Akker is an experienced GIS professional with a passion for transforming data into powerful analytical tools and compelling interactive visuals for end users. During her 11 years with the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council in Chester Township (Morris County), which includes the past four years leading the agency’s GIS team, Jocelyn has been the driving force behind numerous innovations and enhancements to the Council’s GIS capabilities and offerings. On a daily basis, Jocelyn is responsible for management of the Council’s core online mapping application, currently known as the Highlands Resource Explorer (REX). Overseeing a staff of two and several subcontractors, she ensures the integrity and performance of REX, which is a vital tool for the agency. Staff members, professionals outside the organization, and the public rely on REX for everything from detailed resource mapping that helps implement the protections of the Highlands Act, to reviewing proposed development projects, to simply learning more about the region. Jocelyn also led development of, and continues to refine, analytical methodologies that form the backbone of the Council’s Regional Master Plan Monitoring Program, and ongoing analysis of land preservation in the Highlands region. Working in partnership with the Highlands Council’s science staff, Jocelyn led the development and launch team for an Interactive Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) application in 2022 and continues to manage maintenance for the application. The Interactive ERI allows municipalities to develop the core elements of an ERI in mere minutes, as it pulls data from multiple authoritative sources on demand, providing immediate access to the best currently available data regarding natural and built resources. The application can also be used for project reviews, open space or other planning, and can generate maps and template text for a wide range of uses. In addition, Jocelyn is integral to the agency’s outreach and education efforts. In collaboration with the Communications team, she refines GIS deliverables for non-technical audiences resulting in informative presentations and materials that help convey the importance of the Highlands region and the need to protect it. Notably, in 2024 she curated a “Mapping the Highlands” exhibit for the Highlands Council’s 20th Anniversary celebration. Jocelyn holds a BS in Biology from Marist College (now Marist University), Poughkeepsie, NY with minors in Environmental Science and Music and a MSc in Geography with focuses on Geomatics and Ecology from the Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. When she’s not getting excited about maps, she enjoys crafting, playing tuba in the local community band and beekeeping.

The following candidates were nominated by the current Executive Committee from within the respective constituency group as no eligible nominee was offered by the end of the extended nominating period. The individuals nominated below are considered to have won the election and voting will not be conducted.

Non-government Organization Constituency Group

Kenneth Fung

Kenneth Fung, Senior GIS Manager, leads The Land Conservancy of New Jersey Mapping Center and provides mapping support for The Land Conservancy of New Jersey’s Partners for Greener Communities Planning and Land Acquisition programs since he joined our staff in 2007. Kenneth creates and produces all required maps for our municipal and county preservation plans. The maps developed by Kenneth for the Sussex County Open Space and Recreation Plan Update earned first place at the 2017 30th Annual New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Mapping Contest and second place at the 2016 MAC URISA conference. The Gloucester County Farmland Preservation Plan, whose maps Kenneth produced, won First Place Best Analytical Presentation and Second Place Best Overall Map in the 2008 21st Annual NJDEP Mapping Contest. He has completed numerous Greenway and Trail Maps for The Land Conservancy. Kenneth received his Masters in Urban Planning from Rutgers University, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. He served as the Geographic Information System Specialist for the Division of Environmental Health in the Department of Health for Hunterdon County in Flemington. He specializes in data compilation, analysis and map production. NJGF Executive Committee member since January 2024.

updated 10/28/2025