S4 · E2
September 3 · 50 min
GW
Geographers without Borders
Women in GIS
Women in GIS presents "Geographers without Borders". This interview-style podcast brings you guests from around the world to share about their niche in geography. From GIS to Urban Planning to Marine Biology, scientists and professionals around the world use the science of geography to solve problems critical to humanity every day.
With Host, Shannon Foxx-Day, and Producer, Caitlin Hagar-Kuhn.
- 20 episodes
- Avg 42 min
- English
- GWS1 · E1August 6 · 34 min
S04 EP01: State of Women in GIS with President Courtney Dobbertin
In this episode Shannon speaks with Women in GIS incoming President Elect, Courtney Dobbertin for our annual season kickoff and State of Women in GIS. We discuss what WiGIS has accomplished last year and the big plans we have for this year, as well as all the benefits of being a member of WiGIS. Check out the episode to find out what you can get for joining!
- GWJuly 13 · 59 min
S3 Bonus: GIS Mentorship with Mentor Brandi Rank and Mentee Tarah Rhine
Mentor Brandi Rank and Mentee Tarah Rhine discuss their experience with the Women in GIS Mentorship Program. Applications open now until July 18th at Womeningis.org! Brandi Rank, PMP, is a geospatial technology leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering GIS solutions that align with business objectives and create measurable organizational value. As a Principal Product Engineer at Esri, she helps organizations leverage location intelligence to improve decision-making, efficiency, and strategic outcomes.Her leadership experience includes serving as GIS Manager for the City of Thornton and Business Solutions Manager for Adams County, where she drove process improvements that significantly reduced timelines and enhanced transparency. A certified PMP and Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Brandi is passionateabout helping organizations position GIS as a strategic asset that drives innovation, reduces risk, and enables lasting change. Tarah Rhine is a GIS professional with 15 years of experience and currently is in the role of GIS Coordinator at Mendocino County. She leads the development of the County’s enterprise GIS architecture, facilitates modernization of GIS foundations, and shapes the long‑term strategy for geographic information systems across departments. With an academic foundation in environmental studies, Tarah approaches her work through a multidisciplinary lens. She uses spatial technologies to improve workflows, support organizationalchange, and strengthen collaboration. Her career experience spans transportation development, cannabis licensing, and land management—where she has consistently helped emerging governance environments build structure andcome together through the effective use of GIS.
- GWS3 · E12July 2 · 49 min
S3 EP12: Volcanology with Shannon Kobs Nawotniak
Shannon earned her BS in Geology from Michigan Technological University and her PhD from the University at Buffalo, with a focus in physical volcanology. She’s a professor and department chair in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University, where she likes to claim that her research is like professional grade “the floor is lava” thanks to her work on volcanic analogs. She brags that career highlights include riding a horse, up a volcano, through the rainforest, with a machete, and serving as a faux astronaut for a simulated mission to Mars run by NASA. One of her favoriteclasses to teach is Programming for GIS, where she helps students with no coding background learn how to step up their game in geospatial analyses.
- GWJune 4 · 24 min
Special Episode Graduate Scholarship Awardee Pratikshya Regmi
Pratikshya is originally from Jaljala, a remote village in Nepal. Her journey in geospatial science began with an undergraduate degree in Geomatics Engineering from Kathmandu University, followed by a master’s degree in Geospatial Systems Engineering from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. She is currently a PhD candidate in Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on the geomorphic impacts of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, where I use LiDAR, UAV imagery, satellite data, and geospatial modeling to understand terrain change, debris movement, and altered drainage patterns after extreme events. Through her work, she aims to develop geospatial methods and decision-support tools that can help communities, scientists, and emergency managers better prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.
- GWS3 · E11May 7 · 32 min
S3 EP11: GIS for Public Health with Michelle Eichinger
Michelle combines passion and experience in public health, climate change, community development, food systems, and policy. her niche is in quantitative methods and urban data science, including GIS and machine learning/Artificial Intelligence applications. Her research interests are in health and the built environment, food systems, applied epidemiology for public policy, climate resiliency, community development and health disparities. Michelle aims to apply my work toward equitable people-based and place-based policies and interventions. Michelle holds a BS, MS, and MPA from the University of Delaware, and a PhD in Planning, Design, and Built Environment from Clemson University.
- GW#5April 2 · 27 min
Special Episode Women in GIS Undergraduate Scholarship Awardees Caroline Petersen and Gabrielle Capone
Gabrielle Capone is a senior a the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying Geography and GIS, with minors in Computer and Political Science. She channels her passion for global issues into action by leading Illinois YouthMappers and the Geographical Honors Society. Caroline Petersen is a student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville pursuing a major in Geospatial Information Science and a minor in Data Science. She is a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual, passionate about the intersection of geospatial information science and environmental science.
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S3 · E10March 5 · 44 minS3 EP10: Practical AI and GIS with Dr. Nadine Alameh
Dr. Alameh is an award-winning industry-recognized geospatial leader and visionary withproven business building and scaling experience in industry and nonprofits. She focuses in bridging technology and policy at a national and global scale. She has an extensive global network across industry, government, academia, and non profit sectors, spanning geospatial, earth observations, data science, AI, and climate. Dr. Alameh is a seasoned board member, startup advisor, and young professional mentor. She has an PhD in Geographic Information Systems from MID, a Masters of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a Master in City Planning.
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February 27 · 29 minSpecial Episode Women in GIS Service Award Recipient Danielle Bram
Danielle is the Director at the Center for GeospatialScience and Technology at California State University- Northridge, and the founder of Women in GIS. Danielle is GIS leader and professional with more than 25 years experience in the field. Early in her career Danielle noticed that there weren’t much resources for women in the field, and found herself at a conference with a group of women who were interested in joining forces for good, or just for coffee. Danielle has a Bachelors Degree in Nature and Cultureform the University of California, Davis, and a Masters in Geography from California State University, Northridge.
- GWFebruary 6 · 38 min
Special Episode Distinguished Contribution Awardee Devika Jain
In our third episode of the Award Series, I speak with Devika Jain, the recipient of the Distinguished Contributions Award from Women in GIS for 2025. Devika tells me about why she came to GIS and how her interest in systems to address real world problems drove her pursuit of knowledge in the geospatial realm. We also discuss her work applying Machine Learning to millions of tweets and what the data showed her team about sentiments in different locations. Listen to hear her concerns about big data, when not to scale up, and how to approach big data biases. If you're interested in learning more about grant and scholarship opportunities from Women in GIS, check us out always at womeningis.org.
- GWS3 · E9February 5 · 48 min
S03 EP09: Pivoting to GIS with Kris Manske
Kris Manske is an emerging GIS Professional, with extensive experience in data management and communications. She discusses with us the challenges faced when laid off from a job, how jiu jitsu has helped her job hunt, and what advice she has for those who might be interested in changing their career trajectory.
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January 30 · 47 minSpecial Episode Young Professionals Awardees Hannah Permaul Flores and Dolphine Mogina
In our second episode of the Award Series, I speak with Dolphine Mogina and Hannah Permaul Flores, who were both selected for the Young Professionals Award from Women in GIS in 2025. Together we discuss Hannah's lifelong fascination with maps and how Dolphine's grandmother affected her decision to pursue GIS as a tool. We also talk about tools they use to share their results, the impact of their continuing work, and what their plans are next! Listen to hear how Dolphine is planning to bring 100% electrification to all of Africa and Hannah's thoughts on Nature as healthcare. If you're interested in learning more about grant and scholarship opportunities from Women in GIS, check us out always at womeningis.org. Hannah Permaul Flores is a published researcher and environmentalist whose work bridges geography, resilience, and the arts. She is currently pursuing her MSc in Geography at the University of Toronto, where she explores environmental determinants of health through a spatial lens. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the U of T with a double major in Biology and Forest Conservation Science, and was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25. Hannah has worked for leading organizations, including National Geographic and The Nature Conservancy, on climate-focused projects, and presented her undergraduate thesis on mapping wildfire smoke and cardiorespiratory health outcomes in the Amazon at the 2024 Esri User Conference. Her work combines field studies, spatial analysis, and storytelling to deepen our understanding of human–environment interactions and climate justice. She also serves on the University of Toronto President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability, where she creates opportunities for students to become leaders in sustainability. Hannah will travel to the Amazon in 2026 to conduct her master's thesis fieldwork on the spatial patterns of access to clean drinking water in Peru. Beyond her academic accolades, she is a celebrated spoken word poet and TEDx speaker who has collaborated with global brands such as NIKE, the Toronto Raptors, and FIFA, using her artistry to champion equity, inclusivity, and environmental awareness. As a proud Black and Latina scholar and artist, Hannah’s practice is grounded in amplifying underrepresented voices and creating barrier-free opportunities for communities to connect with the land, and each other.Dolphine Mongina is a Geospatial Data Scientist at VIDA, a company focused on accelerating electrification across Africa while assessing climate risks to critical infrastructure. In her current role, she provides high-quality geospatial data and analysis that underpin VIDA’s impact-driven work in energy access and climate resilience. Previously, Dolphine worked at Dalberg Research on a Climate Action Project aimed at advancing a climate-positive growth agenda in Africa. She led and supported key workstreams, including assessing renewable energy and green hydrogen potential across the continent, as well as strategies for decarbonizing the steel and aluminum sectors. Insights from this work were featured at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. Dolphine is particularly interested in leveraging cutting-edge geospatial technologies, machine learning, and primary research to mitigate the impacts of climate change in developing countries. She recently led a project focused on boosting economic growth and shaping livelihoods in the agricultural sector using machine learning in Kenya and Malawi, which was presented at the 2023 ESOMAR Annual Congress in Amsterdam. Her contributions to renewable energy research have also earned her recognition as a Global 30 Under 30 honorees by Significant Insights. Outside of work, Dolphine enjoys watching and participating in theatre productions and finds listening to poetry a simple and relaxing way to unwind.
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January 23 · 40 minSpecial Episode with Siqin Wang and Rakhat Zhanuzakova Grant Recipients
In this special episode I am speaking with Rakhat Zhanuzakova and Siqin 'Sisi' Wang, recipients of grants for their geospatial work from Women in GIS in 2025. Rakhats work focuses on using GIS to help rural communities make decisions and to measure the effectiveness of projects and their implementation. Sisi's work focuses on leveraging AI in rural communities in Tanzania to teach GIS to students, comparing success rates between human teachers and computer teachers. Listen to see which is better at teaching students, how their work will be supported by the Grants awarded from Women in GIS and where their projects are at now.
- GWS3 · E8January 1 · 58 min
S03 EP08: Demystifying GIS with Veronica Nixon, GISP
Veronica Nixon, GISP, is a GIS professional in Phoenix, Arizona, whose work sits at the intersection of Geographic InformationScience, citizen science, and human-centered tech innovation. She holds a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Iowa, where she focused on qualitative spatio-temporal reasoning. As a grad student craving practical applications, she once described her GIScience research as pure “GIS sci-fi”. Happily, that topic resurfaced in many unexpected ways throughout her 15-year GIS career and she has developed a strong appreciation for qualitative reasoning in many domains and for the ways in which GIS software has begun to support time and change. Veronica began her professional GIS journey in the research department of a major botanical garden, where she and a team of volunteers and interns built a small geographic information system to support daily garden operations, botanical research, conservation work, and plant-collecting expeditions across the Southwest. Most recently, Veronica spent nearly five years supporting enterprise GIS infrastructure for Arizona’s water-resourcescommunity. She recently stepped back from the traditional 9–5 to take a GIS Sabbatical, update her technical skills, and explore wide-ranging geospatial interests before choosing her next professional chapter. Outside of her formal career, Veronica organizes PHXGeo, an highly inclusive and dynamic GIS meetup community for thePhoenix Valley. PHXGeo welcomes anyone—from seasoned GIS practitioners to curious students—and has hosted everything from saguaro surveys to drone best-practice sessions, GIS trivia nights, insider industry tours, GIS softwareshowdowns, and orienteering adventures in the Sonoran Desert. Veronica and her PHXGeo collaborators aim to provide a space where over 500 past and present members can kick back and enjoy sharing their highly diverse geospatialinterests with each other. Beyond GIS, Veronica describes herself as a “language hobbyist”, with a particular interest in French language and culture. With her European heritage, love of travel, and a degree in international studies, Veronica tentatively hopes to have the opportunity at some point in her career to merge her GIS expertise with her international interests. And inthe meantime, she is thoroughly enjoying using her GIS Sabbatical time to pursue these interests - including coming on the Geography Without Borders Podcast.
- GWDec 4, 2025 · 48 min
S3 EP07: From Academia to AI with Golnaz Badr
Dr. Golnaz Badr is a GIS & Data Systems Specialist withover 15 years of experience spanning geospatial analytics, smart mobility, environmental modeling, and enterprise data solutions. She currently supports statewide geospatial systems and data modernization efforts at the WashingtonState Department of Transportation (WSDOT), where she applies her expertise in GIS, remote sensing, and data analytics to improve asset management, and right-of-way workflows. Previously, Dr. Badr served as an Analytics Product Ownerb and Senior Geospatial Data Scientist at Ford Motor Company, leading smart mobility analytics products and delivering data-driven insights for AutonomousVehicles analytics and fleet intelligence. Her work has bridged research, industry, and public-sector applications, with prior roles including Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell University, Research Intern at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center, and Visiting Assistant Professor in environmentalscience. She holds a PhD in Systems Engineering from Washington State University and master’s degrees in both Agricultural Engineering and Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation. Dr. Badr has published in geospatial and environmental domains, led multiple cross-functionalcollaborations, and serves as a volunteer on Mentorship Committee for Women in GIS (WiGIS). Her work is driven by a passion for using spatial data,advanced analytics, and thoughtful system design to solve complex real-world challenges across transportation, mobility, and environmental systems.
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S3 · E6Nov 6, 2025 · 37 minS3 EP06: Wildland Fire GIS with Olivia Morris
Olivia (Hughes) Morris, GISP, is a GIS Developer and GISS at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She specializes in environmental GIS and volunteers as a responder to wildland fire emergencies with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. Olivia has a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a Chemistry minor from Washington College, and a Certificate of Data Science and Visualization from UC Berkeley.
- GWS3 · E5Oct 2, 2025 · 44 min
S3 EP05: Equity in Geospatial with Aisha Jenkins
Aisha Jenkins, PMP, CTT is a tech equity consultant, specializing in GIS & Digital Strategy, Academic and Workforce development, podcasting, and more. Aisha is guided by a need to be part of the solution, rather than stay comfortable or silent. GIS has been her tool for truth-telling, innovation, and equity. Aisha believes when we center Black and marginalized voices, we open the door for true diversity.Aisha has a Bachelor of Science in Biology/ Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
- GWS3 · E4Sep 4, 2025 · 44 min
S3 EP04: Cartography and GIS with Mamata Akella Head of Cartography at Felt
Mamata is Head of Cartography at Felt. With over 15 yearsin the geosciences, Mamata has experience in cartographic systems, design, developing cartographic tools and products, and started her career in basemaps, and transitioned into thematic cartography and building cartographic thinking into tools. You may have seen her work if you’ve used ESRI’s dark basemaps or are familiar with the web maps produced for the National Park Service. Mamatahas a BA in Geography from UC Santa Barbara and an MS in Geography from Penn State. Mamata was also named as one of the 40 under 40 of remarkable geospatial professionals in 2017.
- GWS3 · E3Aug 7, 2025 · 37 min
S3 EP3: Philanthropy and GIS with Catherine DuBreck
Catherine DuBreck, GISP, is an experienced change designer, facilitator, manager, and guru. She has a passion for GIS and it’s more people-y as a board member, teacher, volunteer, author, and consultant. Catherine is especially devoted to connecting with young people through teaching, presenting at conferences, and sharing her story. As a GIS change manager for TRC Companies, Catherine helps clients navigate their business needs as they modernize and update their systems and processes. Catherine also volunteers her skills and capabilities as a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State GIS Association. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from SUNY Geneseo, a Master’s Degree in Geography from Western University, and an array of GIS certificates and microcredentials. Catherine is also one of Geospatial World’s 50 Rising Stars for 2025.
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S3 · E2Jul 3, 2025 · 49 minS3 EP02: 10 Years of YPN with Raquel Perez
Raquel’s unique blend of strategic marketing, community engagement, and commitment to servant leadership makes her a standout in the GIS and geospatial field with a passion for elevating the next generation in GIS. Raquel Pérez is a marketing leader with over 13 years at Esri, where she currently serves as Senior Industry Marketing Manager for the National Government - developing high-impact marketing strategies. A staunch advocate for servant leadership and community engagement, Raquel founded and continues to lead the Esri Young Professionals Network (YPN), a global initiative aimed at empowering early-career GIS professionals through networking, mentoring, and career development. She’s also the driving force behind Esri’s annual GIS Day celebrations; serves on the Women in GIS Mentor Committee; is a proud member of Latinas in Tech, and LatinaGeeks. Raquel holds an M.A. in Management from the University of Redlands and a certificate in Crime & Intelligence Analysis from UC Riverside—credentials that reflect her early work as a crime analyst and her enduring interest in data-driven solutions. Her impact is recognized both internally and across the geospatial community. Colleagues applaud her dedication and recently Jack Dangermond, owner and CEO of Esri personally acknowledged her on the 10th anniversary of YPN and making it a success! Outside of work, Raquel channels her creativity into gardening, event planning, home décor, and spending time with her kiddos. She’s an avid traveler—particularly drawn to Iceland, Peru, and Switzerland—and finds balance in exploring cultures and landscapes.