The St. Louis Area Working Group, devoted to cultivating commercial GEOINT expertise in the St. Louis region, hosted a panel of experts at the GEOINT 2018 Symposium in Tampa, Florida, April 24.

Lisa Williams of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Office of Corporate Communications represented NGA’s Partners in Education program and discussed the agency’s K-12 education outreach efforts.

“The momentum of GEOINT in the St. Louis region is fantastic at the moment,” said Williams. “NGA got the ball rolling by deciding to keep [NGA] in the city and strengthening community outreach efforts like PIE.”

Williams along with panel members representing St. Louis-region businesses, academia and government have been working together on the SLAWG for over a year.

The SLAWG brings together partners to foster and sustain the skills needed to qualify for GEOINT careers. NGA’s PIE participation in the group aims to share information with industry and community stakeholders interested in strengthening the GEOINT commitment of youth in the region.

“Partners are recognizing the transformational impact of [the agency’s] decisions and are joining the movement toward St. Louis as a GEOINT hub,” said Williams. “The working group is just one effort toward supporting that goal.”

Public and private entities are coming together in an unprecedented effort to support NGA’s mission and expand the Geospatial Industries in the St. Louis region, said Julie Murphy, who represented the Missouri Military Advocate in St. Louis.

“[Missouri] is excited to work with NGA and other working group partners to build up the St. Louis region’s existing geospatial talent and educational infrastructure,” she said. 

For more information on PIE opportunities, contact Lisa Williams at 314-676-0209 or Emily O’Brien at 314-676-6035.