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Facilities

 

Building Excellence: Luke Tabbert

11/25/2024


Luke Tabbert
Luke Tabbert


Planning, Design & Construction’s Planning & Space Management group is responsible for campus planning, space data management, property management, GIS and mapping, and archives. In his new role as the Geographic Information System (GIS) Data Analyst, Luke Tabbert is responsible for creating, editing, printing, and maintaining the GIS data and maps for Facilities and Planning, Design & Construction.


A warm welcome to Tabbert, as he started in this position on October 4th. Tabbert, a graduate of FSU’s Master of Science in Geography program, enters his new role already familiar with the campus. While attending graduate school, he was a Teaching Assistant (TA) acting as an instructor and lab supervisor in the geography department. Before attending Florida State, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of South Florida in 2008. Additionally, Tabbert holds certifications in Microsoft: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate, and Power BI Data Analyst Associate.


After graduating from FSU, Tabbert worked for one year as an OPS GIS Technician with the Florida Department of Health in Leon County. He then worked for the Florida Department of Transportation as a Transportation/GIS Analyst for around five years. Last year, Tabbert worked as a Project Planner with the civil engineering consulting firm Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP before returning to the public sector and his alma mater.


In his current role, Tabbert is responsible for maintaining the GIS data and maps, which include the public-facing FSU campus map, as well as the underlying data that are used to populate these maps. He is also available to assist Facilities and Planning, Design & Construction with producing unique one-off maps, such as for construction areas and pedestrian rerouting, web map applications, interactive dashboards, and geospatial/database analysis as needed. Additionally, he is responsible for printing large-format maps and posters on the large-format plotter.


“We're thrilled to have Luke join the Planning team. Luke’s skills, as well as his passion for technology and learning, will enrich the work we do for FSU. We look forward to an innovative future and the achievement of great things with Luke onboard.” said Kristine Azzato, Associate Director of Planning.


Still further acquainting himself with FSU, Tabbert says that he spends a significant familiarizing himself with the university’s geospatial data. When not in data discovery mode, he assists with printing pre-existing maps and drafting new ones as needed. So far, he has spent most of his time collaborating with others to create new maps, which is a task he finds very rewarding and fun. As time goes on, Tabbert expects to be brought in to help with online web map applications and dashboards.


In his time in his new role so far, Tabbert says that his favorite thing is enjoying the campus while doing fieldwork for specialized, by-request maps. He is also excited to take advantage of the FSU Employee Tuition Scholarship program, as he has just been accepted into the M.S. in Information Technology program here via the School of Information and will begin classes in the upcoming Winter 2025 semester!


Outside of work, Tabbert enjoys spending time and playing games with friends, competing in disc golf at Tom Brown Park, or attending a live concert or performance of some kind (art, music, dance, theater, etc. – he loves it all!). When at home, he enjoys watching the NBA or UFC, reading, and playing video games. But since he’ll be returning to graduate school next year, that’ll probably be taking up most of his free time.


Tabbert also loves animals, and his goal is to eventually buy a house with a big fenced-in yard and then get a large dog who will truly appreciate it. He’d also like to get some guinea pigs once he has the room for them. While Tabbert does not have family that lives in the immediate area, he’s made some great local friends over the years and is always looking to make more!