Annual Conference

Steve Amos, PLS, CFS
Steve is a North Carolina Professional Land Surveyor with more than 25 years of comprehensive land surveying experience, including 15 years managing Geomatics operations on a number of significant surveying projects across the state. His experience extends to survey staff management, survey compliance programs, and survey quality control in both the private and public sector markets. His specialties include overseeing survey operations, including ALTA, boundary, topographic, route, as-built, and construction surveys throughout North Carolina. He is also experienced in SUE and UAV surveys. Steve is a licensed Remote Pilot – sUAS Airman with the Federal Aviation Administration and is a Certified Floodplain Surveyor. He has served on the Gaston County Park and Recreation Advisory Board for over a decade. Outside of work, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, serving his community with his church, and being a Kansas City Barbecue Society Certified Master Judge. He has participated in over 80 contests in 11 states.

Sully Gibbs, PLS
Sully is the SUE Director at ESP Associates. He graduated in 2003 from Wake Tech with an A.A.S. in surveying technology and civil engineering technology. Sully has maintained professional licensure in North Carolina in 2012. He has served as the Johnston County Chapter Secretary since 2013 and was the 2018 NCSS Young Surveyor of the Year. Sully has been in the surveying industry, specializing in SUE, since his graduation from Wake Tech in 2003. Throughout his career, he’s been involved in many types of projects, including transportation, power generation and distribution (nuclear, coal, gas), and municipal water/sewer, to name a few.

Jared Lambert – Hydrographic Division Manager, McKim & Creed
Jared Lambert is the Hydrographic Division Manager at McKim & Creed, with over 20 years of experience in the hydrographic and geospatial survey industry. His career has taken him across the U.S. and Brazil, leading projects ranging from federal navigation channel surveys, beach renourishment initiatives to geophysical and geotechnical investigations. His career reflects deep expertise in field-based surveying, advanced sensor operations, and cutting-edge technologies for hydrographic, geotechnical, and geophysical applications. Extensive hands-on experience has shaped his proficiency with a wide range of surveying tools and methods while his commitment to professional growth ensures familiarity with the latest industry advancements. Jared began his career with an AAS. in Marine Technology and is currently pursuing a degree in Geomatics. At the heart of it all, he’s driven by a passion for applying advanced tools and techniques to projects that directly benefit coastlines, communities, and the environment.

Kris Nixon, PLS
Kris is the Land Surveying Manager at Green Mountain Engineering, where he leads survey operations integrating GPS and aerial LiDAR acquired through UAS platforms. His extensive background in Building Information Modeling—developed over more than a decade of 3D scanning work—informs his approach to modern surveying practice. A licensed North Carolina Professional Land Surveyor since 2000, Mr. Nixon previously served as Principal of Meridian 3D, Inc. and led the Laser Scanning Division of Meridian Associates, Inc. From 2002 to 2010, he served as a Director of the United Kingdom’s Warner Land Surveys Ltd., where he learned Measured Building Surveying.

Gabriela De Oliveira – Hydrographic Production Manager/ Hydrographic Project Manager, McKim & Creed
Gabriela De Oliveira is a Hydrographic Production and Project Manager at McKim & Creed, based in Wilmington, N.C. She has nearly a decade of experience in hydrographic surveying, data processing, mapping, QAQC, and project management. Gabriela has led major survey projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, dredging and coastal engineering firms and local municipalities, including the Historic Area Remediation Site in New York, Seven Mile Island in New Jersey, the Hudson River navigation channel, the Houston shipping channel, and Ocean Isle Beach and Bald Head Island beach monitoring projects in North Carolina. Her expertise includes single beam, multibeam, and geophysical surveys. Prior to joining McKim & Creed she worked in seismic vessels, where she was responsible for all the in-sea equipment positioning and vessel navigation in areas of the North Sea, Barents Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. Gabriela holds a Master’s in Biological Science, AAS in Marine Technology, is pursuing a second Bachelor’s in Geomatics, and maintains multiple professional credentials, including Certified Survey Technician Level III, OUPV Captain’s License and FAA Remote Pilot certification.

Joe Priestner, PE, PLS
Joe is a Geospatial Solutions Engineer at Duncan-Parnell, focusing on the support of monitoring, mobile mapping, UAS, and remote sensing solutions. Joe has over 35 years of experience working as a consulting surveyor and engineer, with the last 15 years focused on heavy civil and vertical construction. Joe holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from The Citadel, a BS degree in Survey Engineering Technology from the NJ Institute of Technology and is licensed as both a Professional Land Surveyor and Engineer in multiple states.

Shane Strickland, PLS, CFS
Shane is a Senior Survey Project Manager with McKim & Creed, overseeing surveying operations in the Raleigh office. A licensed Professional Land Surveyor since 2007, he began his career in 1996 and has led a wide range of industrial, commercial, and residential projects across the eastern United States. He holds an Associate in Applied Science in Surveying Technology from Wake Technical Community College. Shane is the President-Elect of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors (NCSS) and has previously served as Johnston County Chapter President, NCSS PAC Chair, and a member of several NCSS committees. He is a recipient of the NCSS Shining Star Award (2018) and a 2023 NCSS Education Foundation Service Award. He lives in Pine Level, North Carolina, and enjoys camping, hiking, and spending time outdoors with his wife.

Doug Suttles, PLS
Doug Suttles assumed leadership of Suttles Surveying in 2016 but began his career in 1990 after obtaining an Associate Degree of Applied Science in Surveying Technology from Coastal Carolina Community College. He has been involved with surveying since 1986 and his expertise includes data management and output from AutoCAD and various software packages as well as information technology management. Doug has served as a Council member of the North Carolina Electronic Recordation Council for 10+ years as well as being a member of the following associations and boards. The North Carolina Society of Surveyors (Foothills Chapter President), Director of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors Education Foundation, Member of Western Piedmont Community College Advisory Panel, Member of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors Education Enhancement Committee, Chairman of the McDowell County Utility Coordinator Council (UCC) and is the co-chairman of the Burke/Caldwell Utilities Coordination Committee.

Gary W. Thompson, PLS
Gary is the Deputy Hazard Mitigation Chief, North Carolina Emergency Management/Hazard Mitigation, and Chief of the North Carolina Geodetic Survey/Hazard Mitigation/NC Emergency Management. He has held a professional license as a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) in North Carolina since 1980. He has served as president of both the North Carolina Society of Surveyors (NCSS) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). Gary is an emeritus member of the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBEES) and, as of July 2025, serves as a commission member of the ABET Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission (ANSAC).

David Turner, PLS
David is a U.S. Army and Army Reserve veteran and has worked in the land surveying profession since 1996. Influenced by both his father, a surveyor, and his wife, Elisabeth “Lissa” Turner, PLS, CFS, he earned licensure in North Carolina in 2005 and Kentucky in 2010. David and Lissa founded and operated Turner Land Surveying from 2009 to 2023. In 2023, the Turners sold their company to Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), where he now supervises the land surveying services in North Carolina and Kentucky. David currently serves as Vice President of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors (NCSS). He has held multiple chapter leadership roles and remains actively involved statewide through the Workforce Development Committee (Chair), the Golf Committee, and the NCBEES Candidate Selection Committee. He also presents Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) programs for NCSS and the Western Chapter. Outside of work, David enjoys fly fishing, playing music, and spending time with Lissa and their dog, Addie.