Meet the Instructors

Chad Phelan

GIS Modernization Implementation Lead, Seattle Information Technology

Chad Phelan has worked in local government in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for 15 years since graduating with a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. While working for four different cities and utility districts, he has gained knowledge in many aspects of GIS and its integration with the business processes that make local governments run.

Phelan focuses on modernizing GIS systems and business practices in his current role as GIS modernization implementation lead. Before coming to the City of Seattle in 2020, he spent five years at Silver Lake Water and Sewer District as an IT and GIS manager. An instructor for the UW Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS, he was honored with a Teaching Excellence Award in 2023.