It’s only the start of 2015, but Azavea already has several new team members.

Lewis Fishgold joins Azavea as a Software Developer on the Civic Apps Team.  Lewis received a B.S. from the University of Delaware and a M.S. from the University of Texas at Austin, both in Computer Science.  As a student, Lewis did research in the fields of machine learning and high-performance computing, and served as teaching assistant and tutor.  Prior to joining Azavea, Lewis worked as a software developer at Quantum Leap Innovations, contributing to a variety of applications focused on artificial intelligence.  Recently Lewis has become interested in civic app development as a way to combine his interests in technology and making cities better.

Outside of work, Lewis enjoys reading the New Yorker, listening to podcasts, hiking, biking, running, and traveling to exotic locales.  Lewis’s latest adventure was a trip across Asia

Karissa Justice joins Azavea as the new Office Manager.  Karissa graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Fine Arts.  While an undergraduate, she worked for Penn Hospitality Services coordinating conferences and events for external groups wishing to use campus buildings.  Prior to joining Azavea, Karissa worked as an Operations Coordinator for Drexel University, managing facilities projects in residential buildings for over 5,000 students.

In her free time, Karissa enjoys playing video games, primarily MMOs such as Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft.  She also loves food and is frequently trying new recipes and South Philly restaurants.

James McClain joins Azavea as a Software Developer on the Civic Apps Team. James holds an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Mississippi.  James recently finished his Ph.D in Computer Science at Flordia State University. James’s Ph.D focused on embedding road network metrics into vector space for better GIS-related queries.

James is a computer enthusiast, interested in all aspects from theory to programming to games. James is also brand new to Philadelphia and learning the city.

Matt Williams joins Azavea as a UI/UX Designer. Matt holds a B.A. in Graphic Design from Rowan University. Prior to joining Azavea, Matt started two of his own business, and has worked tirelessly to better everything through design and bad jokes.

Away from the office, Matt enjoys riding his bike around the city and looking for the next best thing to eat or simply hanging out with some friends over some video games. During the winter you’ll often find him with a snowboard strapped to his feet riding down a mountain.