Jack Dangermond to Give Keynote Address

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Jeremiah Erickson, Kim Meinert, Tony J. Van Der Wielen

It is a great honor to announce that Jack Dangermond, Founder and President of Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), is going to be our Thursday keynote speaker at WLIA’s 33rd Annual Conference in vibrant Middleton, WI.

Jack is a visionary, a leader and a philanthropist. He is the keystone of the digital mapping industry and his continued contributions have led to a ‘Geospatial Revolution”! Many of our careers trace back to Jack and his ability to think spatially to solve problems and achieve efficiencies that were never thought possible.

A landscape architect by training, Jack Dangermond founded Esri in 1969 with a vision that computer mapping and analysis could help us design a better future. Under Dangermond’s leadership, that vision has continued to guide Esri in creating cutting-edge GIS and Geodesign technologies used in every industry to make a difference worldwide.

Dangermond fostered the growth of Esri from a small research group to an organization recognized as the world leader in GIS software development, employing more than 4,000 people worldwide. Many who shared his passion for GIS in the early days are still with the company and remain dedicated to helping their users be successful.

He is also well known for his charitable contributions. In 2017, he and his wife made the largest private donation to The Nature Conservancy ever, allowing for the purchase and protection of 24,000 acres of undeveloped California coastline.

I hope that you will join us in Middleton, the good neighbor city, to welcome Jack back to Wisconsin. I truly believe you will not want to miss this opportunity to hear him speak.