UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Cindy Brewer has been named associate dean for faculty affairs in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), effective Aug. 1. She has served as a faculty member in the Department of Geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) since 1994, earning the rank of professor in 2007.
In this role, Brewer will advise college leaders and faculty on a broad range of issues; support faculty career advancement and new faculty mentoring; and promote faculty accomplishment in all areas of education, research and service. Her position includes a joint appointment as professor of geography and information sciences and technology.
“Cindy has proven her leadership as an educator, researcher and administrator,” said Andrea Tapia, dean of the College of IST. “Her comprehensive knowledge of University policies and best practices for faculty engagement, combined with her unique perspective and commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, will better position our faculty to enhance their own impact and strengthen our college’s standing.”
Since joining the College of EMS, Brewer has held various administrative and leadership roles. She served as head of the geography department from 2014 to 2021 and was the director of the Peter R. Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach. She was the E. Willard Miller and Ruby S. Miller Professor of Geography and an administrative fellow in Penn State’s Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
“My in-depth experience running an academic department and serving on faculty-related University committees gives me a broad range of experiences to draw on,” Brewer said. “I’m excited to get to know IST faculty and help them advance in their careers. With several new faces among the college’s leadership, it’s a wonderful opportunity to identify the best ways to support these scholars, Dean Tapia and IST’s strategic initiatives.”
Brewer’s research interests include cartographic communication and visualization, map design, color theory, atlas production, multi-scale mapping and topographic map series. She is especially well known for her ColorBrewer online tool for selecting map color schemes.
She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and 60 additional publications and cartographic design resources. She also authored four books, including the popular “Designing Better Maps,” with the third edition in production for fall 2024 publication. Her contributions to cartography have been recognized with the 2023 Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal from the International Cartographic Association, the 2019 O. M. Miller Cartographic Medal from the American Geographical Society, and the 2013 Henry Gannett Award for Exceptional Contributions to Topographic Mapping from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Prior to joining Penn State, Brewer was an assistant professor of geography at San Diego State University and a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Santa Barbara while she was a doctoral student. She earned her doctorate in geography with an emphasis in cartography from Michigan State University in 1991, supervised by Judy M. Olson.