Karen Siderelis, Geographic Information Officer (GIO) of the US Geological Survey, will present the keynote address at the 15th Annual GIS in the Rockies Conference and Exhibition. The keynote is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 9th at the Plaza at the Mart.

As GIO, Siderelis is responsible for guiding the formulation of strategies that provide innovative information management solutions and ensure the integrity of USGS scientific information. She en-sures that USGS information management policy supports its mission, and she provides leadership in coordinating USGS scientific information management with other government agencies.

Prior to joining the USGS, Siderelis served as director of the Center for Geographic Information for the state of North Carolina, where she managed the state's GIS service center and oversaw the development and maintenance of a statewide geographic database. From 1981 to 1991 she was the director of the Land Resources Information Service of the N.C. Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources. Siderelis has served as a member of the Mapping Science Committee of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the board of the National States Geographic Information Council.

After Ms. Siderelis' address Wednesday morning, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will open the exhibition. Concurrent technical sessions and the exhibition will continue through Thursday. The conference theme is "GIS from Start to Finish." The conference begins with workshops on Tuesday, October 8, 2002.