Matthew Cropper, President↓

Matthew Cropper is the founder and president of Cropper GIS. Since opening the company in 2005, he has built the consulting business from a one-man operation into a leading K-12 planning firm with seven staff members. Matthew Cropper and Cropper GIS have worked with hundreds of school districts and governmental agencies since the company was formed. Mr. Cropper is an expert in understanding and leveraging GIS technology, but his ability to collaborate with people to make technology work for them is likely his strongest skillset. Matthew has managed community-driven redistricting and school planning projects for districts all over the United States.

At The Ohio State University, Matt studied geography, sociology, and geographic information systems. As he continues to build the company, Matthew looks to create an environment where staff can continuously be challenged with the work they are doing, while also having fun. His 'Family First' philosophy in managing staff and workload is rooted in the belief that friends and family are the most important part of life, and it is best to 'Work so that you can live'. The company recently moved to a 4-day work week so that the focus on life can be more centered around family and friends. Our staff are some of the best in the business when it comes to analytical and problem-solving strength.

Matthew continues to look for ways to improve planning processes in the K-12 world, and strives to deliver the best service and planning work that is available to clients. He and his staff are passionate and their expertise in the industry continues to set the bar in K-12 planning.

Andrew McKibben, Senior Planning Analyst↓

Andrew McKibben is a Senior Planning Analyst at Cropper GIS where he works with clients on school rezoning projects and demographic studies. Andrew holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Evansville and has a wide field of knowledge and experience in GIS, spatial planning, data management, and quality assurance. At Cropper GIS, Andrew uses his background in these areas to help clients understand the demographics of their school districts, make critical rezoning decisions, and develop tools to engage the community. With a strong background in mathematics, he brings a unique insight to solving complex problems. In particular, Andrew enjoys making data easy to understand and finding new ways to present data to clients and the public they serve.

While working at Cropper GIS, Andrew has collaborated on several redistricting and demographic projects including:

Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland
MSD Washington Township, Indiana
Frederick County Public Schools, Maryland
Richmond Public Schools, Virginia
Charleston County Schools, South Carolina
Great Falls Public Schools, Montana
Cranston Public Schools, Rhode Island
DeKalb County Central United School District, Indiana

James Cooper, GIS Planning Analyst↓

James Cooper is a GIS Planning Analyst at Cropper GIS where he manages the GIS and statistical operations of many of Cropper’s projects. He holds a B.S. in Geoenvironmental Studies with a concentration in Land Use Planning, as well as a GIS Certificate from Shippensburg University. Working alongside valued clients such as Baltimore County Maryland and Brunswick County School District, North Carolina, James enjoys applying an array of technical GIS skills to redistricting and demographic projects. James is also interested in working with clients to develop web applications and other tools to simplify GIS and empower end users to better understand and utilize GIS data. James enjoys opportunities to contribute to the GIS field, and has presented at the annual EnerGIS conference in Canonsburg, PA. In his free time, James enjoys traveling and outdoor activities, whether it be hiking or lounging at the beach with his family.

While working at Cropper GIS, James has assisted in several redistricting and demographic projects including:

New Hanover County Schools, North Carolina
Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland
Westerville City Schools, Ohio
Richmond Public Schools, Virginia
Madison County Schools, Mississippi
Reading School District, Pennsylvania
Brunswick County School District, North Carolina

Shawn Dowling, GIS Planning Analyst↓

Shawn Dowling is a GIS Planning Analyst at Cropper GIS where he provides expertise to clients in the areas of mapping and spatial data analysis. He completed an Associates Degree in Geographic Information Systems from Columbus State Community College and a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Studies from The Ohio State University. At Cropper GIS, Shawn works with school districts on community-based school rezoning projects. He brings to these projects skills in several areas including cartography, geoprocessing, data maintenance, and data analysis. Shawn especially enjoys using his expertise in GIS to assist clients in revising maps during the school rezoning process, helping to ensure that school districts achieve their rezoning goals.

While working at Cropper GIS, Shawn has assisted in several redistricting and demographic projects including:

The Public Schools of Brookline, Massachusetts
New Hanover County Schools, North Carolina
Wayne County Public Schools, North Carolina
Akron Public Schools, Ohio
Big Walnut Local School District, Ohio
West Jefferson Hills School District, Pennsylvania
Frederick County Public Schools, Virginia
Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia
Richmond Public Schools, Virginia
Spotsylvania County Public Schools, Virginia

Jerome McKibben, Ph.D., Demographer↓

Dr. Jerome McKibben possess over 20 years of experience in projecting enrollments, population, and housing. He holds a Ph.D in Demography from Bowling Green University, and has taught demography, statistics, and sociology at several universities within the U.S. and in Europe. Dr. McKibben has a Bachelor’s degree from Geneseo, NY and a Masters Degree from Syracuse.

In addition to having been the State Demographer of Indiana for 6 years, he also was the recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award in Berlin, Germany in 2002. He has testified before state legislatures, courts, and the US Congress on census and population issues.

Dr. McKibben specializes in population and enrollment analysis/projections, redistricting, policy and planning, research methods and statistics, needs assessments, and race/ethnicity based issues.

Dr. McKibben will be the lead on the development of all enrollment forecasts. He is regarded as one of the foremost experts on small area population forecasts among his peers. Dr. McKibben has written multiple publications about demography and social issues that pertain to population and housing.

Zoran Stojakovic, Demographer↓

Zoran Stojakovic has been a demographer and planning analyst at Cropper GIS since 2017. He has been working in various K-12 GIS research and planning capacities since 2011. Zoran holds an M.S. in Geographical Information Science, B.S in Electrical Engineering, and is on his path to finishing M.S. in Applied Demography. His experience includes demographic studies, real estate market and migration research, and most importantly population and enrollment projections, anywhere from block level to county wide geographical areas. He also has vast experience in school redistricting process, from the planning phase to its final implementation, including providing specialized statistical, spatial and network analyses for clients.

Zoran is mostly focused on helping school districts understand their current demographic situation, while providing vision of what their near- and long-term future population and enrollment trends will look like.

Brad Crowe, GIS Developer↓

Brad Crowe is a GIS Developer and Analyst at Cropper GIS where he supports and maintains the online mapping applications for school rezoning projects. Brad holds a BS in Geography from Ball State University where he specialized in GIS. Working closely with clients, Brad develops interactive online maps that allow school districts that are undergoing school rezoning to keep the community engaged in the process. He uses his expertise in ArcGIS Online to help clients design web mapping applications that allow users to explore aspects of school rezoning that may impact their family and community. Applications that Brad has developed allow community members to learn more about current and draft school zones, identify areas in their school district impacted by school rezoning, and explore school zones alongside other relevant spatial data. Brad brings value to clients through his knowledge of ArcGIS server maintenance and updates, security for customer access, and Google Analytics. When working with school districts, Brad especially enjoys designing ways to display spatial data that help community members to understand school rezoning.