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Associate Member Spotlight

Zephaniah Asante

This month’s Associate Spotlight type are awarded by public tender by the Government of
features Zephaniah Asante, a Project Ghana. His experience working for the Government as an
Coordinator with SAM-NY employee allowed him to bring that knowledge into the
Geospatial, Inc. Zeph was born in consulting side of the profession.
Kumasi but raised in Accra, in Zeph and his family decided to relocate to the United States
Ghana, Africa. Zeph originally after he married. Because he enjoyed surveying as a profession
desired to be an Electrical Engineer and a lifestyle, he focused on not changing his career path
and attended University in Ghana when he emigrated to the United States. Even though family
for that profession. However, upon and friends tried to steer him differently due to what was
speaking with a relative who was a Geodetic Engineer, Zeph perceived as a difficult path to finding work in the profession
decided to pursue land surveying due to the number of job here, Zeph did not give up on his goal. Admittedly, it was
prospects the profession offered. As a child and into his difficult for Zeph to find work during his first 8 or so months
teenage years, the curriculums in the school system in Ghana of living in the U.S. Many interviews he attended did not
taught technical skills and technical drawing which would provide call backs. His thought was that employers here did
become integral in his choice of profession. Other classes not believe all the things on his resume could be accomplished
focused on the visual aspects of Geometry, not just the by someone so young. He resorted to part-time work with a
numbers. These kinds of skills are also important in our title survey company during this time until he finally began
profession. Upon entering high school, Zeph pursued General working full time with a firm that handled surveying,
Sciences with an elective focus on mathematics among other architectural and engineering projects. Once people realized
courses that were geared towards the overall engineering field. that he could back up his resume with actions and knowledge,
Upon entering University, and having spoken with his relative, they were receptive to conversations about the profession.
he enrolled in a geodetic engineering program. The focus of
this program was surveying and geomatics. But the curriculum As a Project Coordinator with SAM, Zeph’s day-to-day
also sought to educate students on the history of surveying responsibilities include working with the field and office staff
equipment and to teach the students how to use those to ensure they understand the tasks assigned to them, assisting
instruments to carry out various survey tasks. This with scheduling and proposals, doing production work, and
methodology proved to be invaluable. In learning how earlier performing QA/QC of the project deliverables with the
pieces of equipment functioned, it allowed Zeph to learn the Project Manager. Much of the work he takes on production
principles behind the operation of the more automated wise is of the technical aspects of surveying, balancing and
instruments we use today. reducing control networks, working with raw point cloud
data to bundle scans for extraction, analysis of deeds and
Upon graduation and entering the profession as a surveyor in record maps, working alongside the surveyor of record to
Ghana, Zeph had the privilege of doing his National Service develop calculation details, etc. Zeph is working towards
at the Survey Department at the Head Office of the Ghana licensure with New York State. He has taken and passed one
Highway Authority. After his 2-year commitment, he stayed of the three parts and is working towards preparing for and
on at the Highway Authority for 2 more years. During this sitting in on the remaining two. There is no doubt that Zeph
period, he was on the team that worked on design studies and will be successful in his pursuit of becoming a licensed land
supervised construction of many public projects including the surveyor given the background of knowledge he has built in a
Presidential Villa in Ghana and several road projects that were short amount of time. The crew at SAM are grateful to have
meant to connect various towns not just within Ghana, but him as a member of their team.
between Ghana and neighboring countries. In 2009, Zeph
left the Highway Authority to work with a consulting firm Submitted by Michael Lewis, LS
doing much of the same work. In Ghana all projects of this Member, NYSAPLS Young Professionals Committee

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EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 61 • NO 6 / 2025 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 9