Kari Chael Named URISA Young Professional of the Year

URISA is pleased to announce that Kari Chael has been named URISA's Young Professional of the Year in recognition of her outstanding contributions as part of URISA's Vanguard Cabinet. 

Kari is a GIS Specialist with CDM Smith in Chicago. She notes, "Serving on the Vanguard Cabinet has been a truly rewarding experience. I feel fortunate to have collaborated with other motivated GIS professionals while we worked towards building a better future for URISA and the geospatial community."

Kari also serves on the planning committee for GIS-Pro, URISA’s annual conference and is active locally in the URISA Chicagoland Chapter.

The Vanguard Cabinet (VC) is a URISA initiative which debuted in 2011 to engage young GIS practitioners (35 and under), increase their numbers in the organization, and better understand the concerns facing these future leaders of the GIS community.  The Cabinet’s mission is to collaborate with URISA’s Board of Directors and Committees in creating and promoting programs and policies of benefit to young professionals. Comprised entirely of passionate young members selected from different geospatial disciplines, the Cabinet aims to position URISA as the center of opportunities for creative young professionals who are committed to improving URISA and the geospatial profession via innovation, collaboration, networking, and professional development.