Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Nikisha Mistry joined the Office of Planning Advocacy in January 2026 as the GIS Specialist. In this role, she utilizes geographic information system (GIS) software to support state planning and decision-making by mapping land use and environmental data to help planners evaluate proposed changes to state planning areas and other designations.

Nikisha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Geography with a Certificate in Metropolitan Studies from the University of Georgia. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) from the University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning. Following graduate school, she worked as the GIS Specialist and Special Projects Planner in the Community Development department at the City of Alpharetta in North Georgia, where she gained an understanding of the integral role GIS plays in city operations both within and beyond the planning realm. Nikisha later joined MARTA, Atlanta’s Regional Transit Authority, as a Right of Way Database Specialist in the Real Estate department. In this role, she gained insight into the implementation of transit planning related to land acquisition and management for existing rail and bus routes, as well as the development of Atlanta’s first Bus Rapid Transit line.

With experience spanning local and regional planning, Nikisha looks forward to expanding her knowledge of planning and geographic data management at the state level using GIS to support informed decision-making.