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Maptivists
Map Chats!

Our team at American Geographical Society collaborates with professionals in the world of geography and geospatial to bring you and your students an interactive guest from the geo-world! These Maptivists come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from academia to non-profits, to the private sector and beyond. This series aims to demonstrate different applications for open-mapping skills and to provide a space where you can interface and engage with inspiring geo-leaders who represent a wide range of perspectives and career paths within the realms of geography and geospatial. Take a look below to see this month's speakers and access any past recorded sessions here in our Maptivists Library!

Up Next! - Julia Cardwell

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Julia Cardwell is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is deeply committed to Open Science and focuses on training students to value and practice principles like reproducibility, transparency, ethical data use, and open data sharing. Her research examines the function of rural road networks under disruptive events (such as road closures due to extreme weather events).

Join our zoom and hear Julia speak on Wednesday, April 30th at 3:30 PM EDT!

Want a question answered?

Worried you cant make the latest Map Chat? Well worry no more! You can use the link below to submit your burning questions for our guest speakers. If you have a more general question, we'll take those too - and be sure to bring them up if we find the right source.

Submit your questions here.

Maptivists Speakers Bank

Esperanza Ortega-Tapia

January 9th at 3:00 PM EST

Esperanza Ortega-Tapia (she/her) is a 26-year-old geographer with a Master of Science in Geography and a certificate in GIS from George Washington University. She currently serves as the NASA Lifelines Communications Fellow and is completing a service year with the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps, where she works with OurSpace, a Black-owned agricultural organization focused on food justice and sovereignty. Across both roles, Esperanza leverages their GIS and geography expertise to advance humanitarian efforts and support marginalized communities.

Kat Anderson

January 17th at 3:00 PM EST

Kaitlyn (Kat) Anderson (she/her) is a second-year Geography Master’s student at the University of Florida. Her research interests lie in geospatial analysis, socio-environmental systems, road ecology, conservation, and ethnography. Her research spans diverse global contexts, from the forests of Appalachia to the Peruvian Amazon, blending fieldwork with digital methodologies. She is committed to creating work that is applicable and digestible to all people, regardless of academic background.

Clinton Johnson

January 23rd at 5:00 PM EST

Clinton Johnson (he/him) is an accomplished professional who's passionate about advancing social justice through GIS mapping technology. In addition to serving as an AGS council member, he also works as the Racial Equity and Social Justice Lead at ESRI, and is the founder of NorthStar GIS. NorthStar is a nonprofit committed to creating a more racially just world through GIS, Geography, and STEM fields. Through this organization, he has leveraged his expertise to champion important causes and make meaningful contributions towards building a better future.

Faiyad Rishal

January 31st at 4:00 PM EST

Faiyad Rishal (he/him) is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University. His research interests include the intersection of the physical and human dimensions of climate and disaster risk, urban sustainability, GIS, and remote sensing. For his Master's thesis he is exploring how land use land cover changes influence the urban heat island effect in South Asia. The overall goal of this research is to connect these findings with policy interventions to reduce social inequality and help policy makers and communities better adapt to climate challenges.

Muskaan Khemani

February 6th at 5:00 PM EST

Muskaan Khemani is a geospatial justice facilitator at trubel&co. Her passion for GIS was sparked during an undergraduate course in earth observations, and it was very empowering in her professional development. It allowed her to make links between environmental science and histories of colonialism. She works as a research data analyst at the Center for Climate & Health at Boston University School of Public Health, supporting research on the public health impacts of climate change. She is particularly passionate about climate impacts and building climate resilience for islands in the Caribbean, as her upbringing in Curaçao motivated her to pursue a career in climate justice.

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Frank Romo

February 12th at 4:30 PM EST

Frank Romo is the Founder and CEO of RomoGIS. Frank is a community activist, educator and social good focused entrepreneur. Frank focuses on using technology, activism and education to empower people & organizations to make lasting change in their communities. His background in community organizing helps him empower community stakeholders by training individuals and organizations how to manage their technology for long-term growth and success.

Angelique B. Willis

February 21st at 4:00 PM EST

Angelique B. Willis is strongly committed to leveraging her expertise in Geography, Public Health, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and GIS to enhance drinking water quality and safeguard human health. Her work focuses on the unique drinking water challenges faced by low-income communities and communities of color, where systemic inequities often exacerbate these issues. Through rigorous research and informed policy advocacy, she aims to uncover and address these disparities, driving transformative changes. Angelique’s approach involves mapping drinking water quality issues and conducting studies to assess health impacts. Ultimately, she strives to create sustainable solutions that resonate locally and nationally, advancing environmental justice and improving public health outcomes.

Christian Mey Boudong

February 26th at 4:30 PM EST

Christian Mey Boudoug is a conservation scientist from Cameroon, has ten years of experience as a government conservation ranger in the Department of Wildlife and Protected Areas. He advanced from forestry technician to engineer, using tools like GIS for sustainable forestry and conservation governance. He holds an associate degree in forestry, a bachelor’s in GIS, and two master’s degrees in landscape conservation and forest governance. Currently, he is completing a Master of GIS at the University of Redlands through an Esri Conservation Scholarship. Christian plans to pursue a PhD, focusing on the environmental potential of Africa’s humid, fragmented forests for conservation governance and climate change.

Jazzy Smith

March 12th at 5:00 PM EST

Jazzy Smith is a Geospatial professional with 9+ years of experience in strategic program and project management, data analytics, and program budgeting. Currently, she works as Chief of Staff at BetaNYC, a civic organization dedicated to helping New Yorkers access information and use technology. In 2023 and 2024 she was featured at OSM US conferences to discuss her work mapping to advance equity and community. Most recently, she was elected onto the 2025 - 2026 OpenStreetMap US Board of Directors!

Celeste Reynolds

March 27th at 5:00 PM EST

We are pleased to welcome fellow TeenMaptivists Chapter Advisor, Celeste Reynolds! Celeste, who currently works as an APHG Teacher at Mashpee High School, is a co-founder of the TeenMaptivists Initiative. Additionally, She's a member of the AGS Teacher Advisory Board, which helps to guide AGS on the resources we design and curate, and help identify new opportunities to develop supplemental content relevant to the curriculum. For the past four years, she's also assisted College Board by serving as an APHG Teacher Consultant.

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Shayna
Solis

April 9th at
5:00 PM EST

Shayna Solis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Navteca, which is a woman and minority-owned technology services company. Shayna has over 20 years of experience in communication and design, with a focus on web design, corporate identity, and bilingualism. After earning their Bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from Towson University, Shayna also studied abroad in Spanish and Iberian Studies at the University of Seville, Spain and in English at the University of North London.

Julia Cardwell.png

Julia
Cardwell

April 30th at
3:30 PM EST

Julia Cardwell is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is deeply committed to Open Science and focuses on training students to value and practice principles like reproducibility, transparency, ethical data use, and open data sharing. Her research examines the function of rural road networks under disruptive events (such as road closures due to extreme weather events).

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