KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The Great Lakes GeoSymposium 2026 will kick off each day with an exciting keynote designed to inspire and energize our attendees! Our opening session will set the stage with fresh ideas and forward-looking insights into how geospatial technology is driving innovation and impact across communities.
Wednesday, June 3rd
Public Participation GIS can Put Citizens in Charge of Redistricting in Ohio
Abstract: Fair elections and redistricting advocates are planning for the next attempt at a voter referendum in Ohio. But unless the GIS community steps up and makes the case for public participation using GIS, whatever is put to the citizens to vote on will again fail to take the process away from politicians and allow the public to have the final say. This presentation describes how the politicians have served their own interests in drawing their districts and how past efforts at fair redistricting reform in Ohio have misunderstood what that concept means. I will show how letting citizens decide what is important using GIS technology is already readily available, relatively easy to use, and has demonstrated desirable results. The public’s interest in the issue is at an all-time high, and before the good-intentioned reformers go down the wrong path again, we GIS professionals must show them the way.
Bio: Mark Salling is a Research Fellow at the Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Though semi-retired, Dr. Salling continues an active career in applied urban geography and demography. He has more than 40 years of experience in data management and analysis and has conducted studies in urban migration, poverty, housing, voting rights and redistricting, and economic development.
Salling has a Master's degree in Geography from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in Geography from Kent State University.
Dr. Salling has been active in the Geospatial Professional Network (formerly known as URISA) since 1982, is a past board member, was the editor of the Conference Proceedings from 1986 to 2004, is a past member of the Core Committee of GPN’s GISCorps, and received the organization’s 1988 and 2000 Service Awards. Salling was also a member of the test question review team of the Geographic Information Systems Professional Certification Institute (GISCI) - https://www.gisci.org/. He served on the Council of the Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP), representing higher education.
Dr. Salling has published papers on demography, redistricting and voting rights, GIS methods, public participation GIS, residential mobility, computer applications in planning, poverty, environmental equity, urban economic development, and social, neighborhood, and health indicators. He has taught courses on GIS, urban geography, research methods, and demography. Salling authored URISA’s “Redistricting: A Guide for the GIS Community” in 2021, has eight publications in professional venues on fair redistricting, and has had five opinion articles on the subject in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
Wednesday, June 3rd
The Designer Within
Abstract: In this talk, I'll muse about what I think it means to be a designer. So often, we think of design as "making things look polished"; a task for specialists. But I believe that everyone is innately a designer, and that recognizing this capacity can give us the confidence to try new things, and to help us do better work (whether that's maps, in my case, or whatever else you create).
I'll also ponder what this means for our relationship with the tools we use to do our work. They empower us, but they can also tempt us to surrender our design responsibilities to them, which can lead to work that feels uncanny or alienating.
Bio: I am a freelance cartographer operating out of Madison, Wisconsin, USA. For me, cartography is a vocation, a bulwark against depression and anxiety, and an opportunity to write love songs to places I've never been. It's also roughly the only creative pursuit that I have been good at, which leads me to obsessively spend many hours on passion projects once the day's freelance work is done. Most of those projects are about exploring, and deepening, the bond that I share with the Great Lakes region, and articulating the beauty and geography of that place to others.
I delight in the culture of sharing that permeates the cartographic community, where we are all both teachers and learners. My tutorials, videos, and conference presentations are usually geared toward demystifying not only the technical processes of cartography, but also its less-often-discussed emotional processes. You can find more of my work at somethingaboutmaps.com.
Thursday, June 4th
ArcGIS + AI: Where to find new capabilities and how to use them
Abstract: Today, you can find AI capabilities across ArcGIS that support a variety of workflows. From AI Assistants powered by large language models to computer vision and deep learning workflows, this hands-on workshop will provide insight into how ArcGIS is a geospatial AI platform and how organizations can adapt it for their use. We'll provide an overview of Esri's approach to AI, the products and capabilities available today, and how users of all types (GIS professionals, executives, and the public) can interact with and benefit from these tools.
Bio: Ryan Sellman is a Manager, state and local government, at Esri, where he works closely with organizations to design, implement, and optimize GIS solutions that solve real-world problems. With a strong technical background and a consultative approach, Ryan specializes in translating complex requirements into practical, scalable workflows using Esri’s platform. He is known for his ability to clearly explain advanced concepts, collaborate across teams, and help customers unlock the full value of their geospatial data.
Abstract: Today, you can find AI capabilities across ArcGIS that support a variety of workflows. From AI Assistants powered by large language models to computer vision and deep learning workflows, this hands-on workshop will provide insight into how ArcGIS is a geospatial AI platform and how organizations can adapt it for their use. We'll provide an overview of Esri's approach to AI, the products and capabilities available today, and how users of all types (GIS professionals, executives, and the public) can interact with and benefit from these tools.
Bio: Ryan Sellman is a Manager, state and local government, at Esri, where he works closely with organizations to design, implement, and optimize GIS solutions that solve real-world problems. With a strong technical background and a consultative approach, Ryan specializes in translating complex requirements into practical, scalable workflows using Esri’s platform. He is known for his ability to clearly explain advanced concepts, collaborate across teams, and help customers unlock the full value of their geospatial data.
These keynote sessions will bring together big ideas, real-world experience, and fresh ways of thinking about the work we do. From thoughtful storytelling to practical insights you can actually use, each presentation is designed to spark conversation and set the tone for the rest of the event. We hope you’ll join us for two engaging keynotes that promise to be informative, inspiring, and a great way to kick off each day of the conference.
