UCGIS Chooses Aaron Addison as Executive Director

The University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) is pleased to announce Aaron Addison as its next Executive Director. Addison has worked as a GIS professional for over twenty years, spending much of that time at Washington University in St. Louis as Director of Data Services in the library and as Coordinator of GIS, where he and his team worked to establish a university-wide geospatial program for research and teaching. He has particular expertise in the acquisition and use of research data and is a founding member of the Research Data Alliance, though it is his acumen in business development, operations management, and collaborative team building that will be the most important factors in his UCGIS activities. Addison holds an MS in Geographic Information Science from Northwest Missouri State University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

“Aaron has just the right combination of experience in business management and GIS within the context of higher education to serve as UCGIS Executive Director. The Board of Directors is excited to work with Aaron as our new Executive Director and confident that under his guidance UCGIS will continue to thrive,” says UCGIS President Jeremy Mennis, of Temple University. Addison has worked previously with UCGIS, serving as both a delegate from Washington University and Chair of the External Relations Committee from 2017 to 2019.

As Executive Director, Addison will work closely with the Board and committees to ensure the organization continues with its signature programs and initiatives, such as its annual Symposium, GIS&T Body of Knowledge project, and ongoing research, education, and policy initiatives, as well develop new strategic initiatives and partnerships with our member institutions and other academic, industry, and government organizations.

Addison begins his new position on July 1. He will succeed Diana Sinton as Executive Director, who has served in the leadership position since 2013. Sinton will continue to hold an affiliation with UCGIS as a Senior Research Fellow.