Michelle M. Thompson, PhD, GISP, has been awarded the Louisiana Manufactured Housing Association (LMHA) Professorship and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Planning & Urban Studies. Michelle received her Masters and PhD in City & Regional Planning Ph.D. from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) in 2001. The focus of her dissertation entitled “The Implications of Spatial Patterns and Policies for Residential Valuation in Boston, Massachusetts” initiated her desire to continue research and service using public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS). She manages a community data information system project, WhoDataNola.org, which provides students, residents and municipal agents with opportunities to create and use data to monitor neighborhood change. Michelle has expanded her research to include the use of citizen science in planning research and practice. Michelle teaches courses on neighborhood planning, history of the New Orleans Region, metropolitan studies, housing, land use planning, community development finance and applied geographic information systems (GIS). Michelle is a designated GIS Professional (GISP) and past President of the Louisiana chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association.