Berrien County has hired a new director for the GIS Department.
GIS stands for Geographical Information Systems, and the GIS director maintains detailed geographical maps of property throughout the county to help local governments, developers, the public, and businesses make more informed decisions.
Hired for the position of director this week was Erika Espeland. She most recently managed the Cass County GIS Department, where she was the first employee and worked to create the department. She has also previously worked for the Berrien County GIS Department.
The four-member team maintains property information for approximately 86,000 parcels, as well as property maps and aerial photography for all 39 local governments in Berrien County.
Espeland has been hired to take over for the retiring Lex Winans, who has served Berrien County for 27 years.
