LeadAR Class 20 Spotlight: Daniel Phillips

by Lisa Davis - December 8, 2023

Let’s meet another member of LeadAR Class 20. Daniel Phillips is an Arkansas State Surveyor at the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services - GIS Office. We asked him to respond to the following questions.

Why did you apply to the LeadAR program? What motivated you?

Two members of my organization completed the LeadAR Program. They have brought a wealth of information gained from LeadAR to our organization which has translated to better service to our constituents. I would like to gain some of the same experiences and better contribute to my organization and community.

What leadership quality do you admire most in others? Why?

I admire it when people can build public support for a policy change. Getting many people onboard with an idea is very difficult especially when it's a controversial issue. An example of this could be raising membership fees and needing an unanimous vote of the members to do so.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Why is this surprising?

I have a Class A Commercial Driver's License, and I'm pretty good at operating an excavator.

What are your top three ingredients necessary for success?

Patience will overcome most obstacles. Be reliable at work. Keep many folks in your corner.

What are your top three ingredients necessary for happiness?

Stay healthy, stay busy, and treat people well.

Describe your personal leadership style.

Lead by example. Demonstrate to others the importance of work tasks. Make sure others have a personal investment in the outcome.

What is something you hope to gain from your LeadAR experience?

I would like to learn from others, network, increase public speaking skills, and learn more about the state's agricultural economy. I would like to meet local, state, and federal leaders as well as private industry leaders.

How can effective leadership help move the state of Arkansas forward?

Federal, state, and local agencies maintain land survey records. These records can be used by surveyors, County Assessors, title agencies, and landowners. If all these records were maintained by one central repository, it would be a great benefit to all stakeholders. With good cooperation between these different levels of government, a better records system can be created and made easily accessible. This will move Arkansas forward in areas of taxation and jurisdictional boundaries and will reduce court costs involving land disputes.

You are stranded on a desert island. What are your three MUST HAVE items?

Satellite phone, 40 gallons of fresh water, and a large container for the water.

What is something that was difficult for you six months ago but easy for you now?

Our office uses a computer aided design (CAD) program to create land survey drawings. If the drawings are created manually, line by line, this process can be very slow. However, this program can programmatically make a survey drawing based on feature codes entered during field data collection. With lots of trial and error, I was able to properly set up the codes and CAD processes to programmatically create most of the survey drawing on the backend. This cut the average time to create a survey drawing from one hour to about 10 minutes.

What else do you want others to know about you?

I'm pretty good at working on old tractors and trucks.

LeadAR is a program designed to help Arkansans broaden their understanding of issues and opportunities facing our state and strengthen their ability to make a difference. For more information about LeadAR, visit the website or contact Julie Robinson, jrobinson@uada.edu, or Lisa Davis, ldavis@uada.edu.