The ROI of Us: Giving as a Strategic Career Catalyst

​Our panel features geospatial professionals who embody the spirit of #GiveToGain. From mentors who lift others as they rise, to open‑source contributors who share their hard‑won insights, to community organizers who create spaces for connection and growth—each speaker brings a story of generosity that sparked unexpected returns.

Panelists:

Raquel Perez is the founder and manager of Esri Young Professionals Network and works as the Senior Industry Marketing Manager and GIS Day Lead for Esri. She has established 10 regional chapters across the US to engage emerging professionals with in-person networking and professional development opportunities.

Ayushi Goyal is a Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, where she works at the intersection of aerospace, geospatial, and AI to help organisations unlock the power of cloud and location intelligence. With a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southampton, she is an active member of both the Aerospace and Geospatial Technical Field Communities at AWS, through which she has organised and spoken at numerous geospatial AI industry initiatives. She is a passionate advocate for women in STEM and an active contributor to the Women+ in Geospatial community.

Karolina Lehotska is a GIS Sales Engineer in the Earth Observation industry who has been working remotely since 2012. She has been a volunteer and mentor at Women+ in Geospatial. She curates geospatial jobs and shares tips on career strategy, remote work, portfolio building, and networking for GIS professionals on LinkedIn and Substack.