Event Details

NCSS is partnering with the Coastal Chapter to present this seminar.

Registration begins at 7:30 am with coffee and breakfast, and class concludes at 5:00pm. Breakfast and Lunch are included.

Topics:

• Ethics (1 PDH) and Standards of Practice (1 PDH) by Mike Benton
• New Datum and CORS Update by Gary Thompson
• Elevation Certificates and Legislative Changes by Eryn Futral
• Block Scanning by Chris Breedlove
• Navigating the Website and NCSS Update by Sherri Barron

Instructors:

Richard M. (Mike) Benton, PLS, was born and raised in Goldsboro, NC. He graduated from Eastern Wayne High School in 1976 and attended the college transfer program at Wayne Community College from 1976 to 1978. He graduated from Coastal Carolina Community College with an AAS degree in Surveying Technology in 1982. In 1991, after living and working several years in Greenville, NC, Mike moved back home to Goldsboro and established Benton & Associates Land Surveying and Mapping, PA. Mike has been an active member of the North Carolina Society of Surveyors (NCSS) since 1991, serving as the chairman of the Formal Education Committee from 1993-2000, President of NCSS in 2003, and the North Carolina Delegate to the Board of Governors for the National Society of Professional Surveyors from 2008-2013. On November 06, 2012, Mike was appointed by Governor Beverly Perdue to serve on the Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.

Gary W. Thompson 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).

Eryn Futral, AICP, CFM, CZO; Eastern Branch NFIP Planner (NCEM) began her floodplain administration career with the Town of Wrightsville Beach, NC, shortly before graduating with a master’s in Environmental Studies, Coastal Management from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She gained 10 years of local experience with Wrightsville Beach and the City of Wilmington, responsible for planning, zoning, CAMA, and floodplain development review and permitting. In April of 2019, she joined NC Emergency Management, Risk Management as the NFIP Eastern Branch Planner.

Chris Breedlove, GISP, ISA Certified Arborist, joined the remote sensing team at WithersRavenel in April 2025, where he supports mobile scanning and other remote sensing projects. With a background in mobile mapping business development as well as geospatial production, GPS/GIS asset management, and urban planning, he was excited to join the geomatics experts at WR, and is working toward his PLS himself. Additionally, Chris teaches online GIS classes at the Beaufort County Community College UAS Operations Institute, and hosts the weekly Your Drone Questions Answered. Podcast for Drone Launch Academy. Chris is certified as a GISP, an ISA Certified Arborist, and FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot, and he holds a B.A. in Geography and a B.A. in American Studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and an A.A.S. in Horticulture Technology from Central Piedmont Community College.

Sherri Barron serves as the Executive Director of NCSS, where she oversees the organization's operations, educational programs, legislative initiatives, membership services, and strategic growth. She works closely with the Board of Directors, volunteers, and industry partners to advance the surveying profession across North Carolina.