Amber Wittner

Amber specializes in versioned data management, editing workflow orchestration, replication strategies, and the deployment and maintenance of ArcGIS Enterprise using Configuration as Code (CaC). Her work supports federal priorities in digital modernization, data interoperability, and resilient infrastructure. She advises on enterprise GIS strategy and data governance, collaborates across DOI bureaus, and stays current on security and system updates through monthly interagency calls. She leads agile sprint planning and execution and administers Portal for ArcGIS using APIs to automate and streamline enterprise workflows.
 
Before joining the NGTOC, Amber worked at the USGS Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, supporting the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). She designed enterprise geospatial workflows and data services that enabled USGS FEDMAP geologists to collaboratively access, edit, and share versioned geologic map data via a centralized portal—still in use today. She also served as a geospatial systems consultant to the USGS Mineral Resource Program (MRP), fielding technical inquiries and contributing to working groups evaluating the feasibility and design of a potential in-house enterprise GIS.
 
Her career includes roles at the U.S. Forest Service, NASA DEVELOP, USDA Farm Service Agency, Apple Maps, and the Stanford Geospatial Center. Across these organizations, she contributed to geospatial systems supporting emergency response, resource management, and environmental science. She holds incident command qualifications as an Air Resource Advisor (ARA), GIS Specialist (GISS), and Infrared Interpreter (IRIN), reflecting her commitment to public service and emergency response.
 
Amber has served for over 10 years as adjunct faculty at Foothill College, where she develops curriculum and teaches geospatial technology and physical geography. She is an active AI prompter, using generative AI tools to streamline documentation, accelerate technical communication, and support curriculum development—bridging geospatial science and AI to help organizations adopt emerging technologies with clarity and purpose.
 
She earned her M.S. in GIS from the University of Redlands and a B.S. in Earth Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. A first-generation college student and Pell Grant recipient, she joined Cal Poly’s Educational Opportunity Program in 2005. In 2023, she celebrated full student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program—a milestone made possible by an initiative that encourages and rewards long-term commitment to public service.

She serves in the GS-2210 IT Specialist (Application Software) series at the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC).
 
Fun Fact: As part of Cal Poly’s “Learn by Doing” philosophy, Amber spent eight weeks at sea aboard the TS Golden Bear through the Cal Poly at Sea program.