URISA Announces 2018-2019 Vanguard Cabinet of Young Professionals

URISA is pleased to announce the newest members of its Vanguard Cabinet. The Vanguard Cabinet (VC) is a URISA initiative (which debuted in 2011) to engage young GIS practitioners, increase their numbers in the organization, and better understand the concerns facing these future leaders of the GIS community. The VC is an advisory board who represent the young membership of the organization. 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 ambitious young professionals who are committed to improving URISA and the geospatial profession via innovation, collaboration, networking, and professional development.

2018-2019 URISA Vanguard Cabinet Members:

• Carly Bradshaw, GIS Technician, Avineon, Inc., St. Petersburg, Florida: “I am privileged to be a newly selected member of the Vanguard Cabinet. I look forward to networking with other young GIS professionals, near and far, and working with them to share ideas, knowledge and fun! It is an honor to be considered a NextGen GIS leader, and to have the opportunity to spark enthusiasm in my fellow young “GIS-ers”! I am eager to take part in the initiative to interest more young people in GIS and to help propel the field in a positive direction, as a result.”

• Christina Brunsvold, Research Program Specialist I (GIS), California Energy Commission, Sacramento, California: "I am honored and excited to be a part of the URISA Vanguard Cabinet and share my passion and experience with GIS! I look forward to building the GIS community and young GIS professionals through networking and collaboration."

• Alex Lopez-Rogina, Associate Engineer, Madison Utilities, Madison, Alabama: "I am excited to be part of an awesome group of young people that are just as enthusiastic about GIS as I am! My bachelor's degree is in civil engineering, but if I had known more about what GIS is when I was in school I would have changed my major in a heartbeat. I look forward to promoting URISA and the GIS profession so that more young people have an opportunity to discover it!"

• Caitlin Meyer, Project Manager, GeoDecisions, a division of Gannett Fleming, Raleigh, North Carolina: "I am very much looking forward to this great opportunity to get more involved in URISA. I am excited to help expand professional development opportunities, particularly in support of a diverse workforce."

• Scott Mortensen, GIS Technician, WRA, Inc., San Rafael, California: "I am excited and grateful to be chosen as a member of URISA's Vanguard Cabinet. I see the opportunity before me primarily as a way of giving back. I've been fortunate to receive assistance during my young career and look forward to doing the same for others, hopefully in several capacities. Being at the table helping to formulate goals and policies for an important and influential organization is also a growth opportunity for me and I look forward to meeting and working with the URISA team to identify where I can lend the most assistance. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer I am especially eager to apply my efforts toward the GISCorps initiative. Thank you for this opportunity, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to chat."