Paul Bernard works in the Planning and Zoning Department of Wood County, WI as the Land Record Coordinator and GIS Specialist. He focuses on coordinating the Land Records Modernization efforts in Wood County, and performing and/or supporting all GIS efforts for County departments.
“It is a very challenging, diverse, but fun workload – There are always many projects going on at the same time and new tasks popping up frequently.”
Paul and his son, Silas
Education and Background:
∙ Saint Cloud State University, Saint Cloud MN
- Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance – Emphasis in Percussion (Graduated Spring 2011)
∙ University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
- Bachelor’s Degree in Geography – GIS Emphasis (Graduated Spring 2015)
∙ University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Master’s Degree in GIS Development & Web Mapping (Graduated Summer 2020)
Previous Careers:
∙ Student
∙ Musician
∙ United States Army Musician – Percussionist (42R)
Interesting Facts about yourself:
∙ I have lived in Connecticut, Minnesota and Wisconsin
∙ To date the US Army has been my longest held position at 8 total years
∙ I got into the GIS field because I loved making maps and visualizing data, but in recent years I found a passion for automation and programming – especially in Python but also in Javascript, HTML & CSS.
∙ My Mom is a musician, my Dad is an accountant and my Sister is a graphic designer – it is fun to think that I got to be in a career that combines elements of all 3 – creativity from my mom’s path, crunching numbers from my dad’s path and visualizing data from my sister’s path.
Paul’s wife Heather, and son Silas
What you do in your leisure time/hobbies/anything else you’re involved in and would like to promote:
Life has sure changed a lot in the past few years, I have gotten married, our family is growing and I am working full time with a longer commute. I am still trying to find a good work/life balance that will keep me in strong mental health while still spending enough time with family and work. While my free time is in short supply these days, I still am able to fit in some hobbies and interests.
I really enjoy history – especially military history. I frequently listen to podcasts while I am doing tedious work.
I like running – I have run 3 marathons and a dozen half marathons. I am certainly no stellar athlete, but it has been nice to be disciplined and work towards a goal that leaves me very proud of my accomplishments.
Music continues to be a big part of my life. The days of being able to spend 8 hours a day in a practice room are long gone but learning a new piece of music on piano is still one of the most relaxing and therapeutic things that I do.
Family and Personal Life:
I have a beautiful wife, Heather, and an energetic little boy, Silas, who will be turning 2 in June of 2021. I am blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family.
Huge thank you to Paul (and his wife and son) for giving us a peek into his life. Cloudpoint values it’s customers above all else; without you we wouldn’t be able to exist and show the world all that GIS can do. If you’d like be featured in one of our spotlights, it’s easy, become a customer!