2026 WA GIS Conference: Full Schedule

1:30pm PDT

Wednesday May 20, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT

This panel discussion brings together experienced GIS professionals and hiring managers to explore practical strategies for launching and advancing a career in Geographic Information Systems. Designed for recent graduates and early-career GIS analysts, the session will address the evolving landscape of the geospatial industry, including in-demand technical skills, emerging tools and technologies, and the growing intersection of GIS with fields such as data science, urban planning, environmental management, and public utilities. Panelists will offer firsthand perspectives on navigating the job market, building a compelling professional portfolio, and understanding what hiring managers are actively seeking in today's competitive geospatial workforce.

Speakers

Shaun O'Neil

GIS Supervisor, King County Wastewater Treatment – WTD

Shaun O’Neil supervises the GIS group for the King County Wastewater Treatment Division. In his 28 years at King County, Shaun has supported planning and asset management issues with a particular focus on sewer conveyance assets, Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI), and climate... Read More →

David Kreinheder

GIS Data Architect & Interim GIS Manager, King County IT GIS Center

David is an architect at King County and is the interim leader of the King County GIS Center. David focuses on data modernization and cloud migration for King County. His work on King County's AI-GIS SEPA response system earned the 2025 ESIG Award from the Geospatial Professional... Read More →

Nat Henry

Director of Henry Spatial Analysis, Henry Spatial Analysis

Nat's work focuses on applied spatial statistics and spatial software development to address health, mobility, and urban sustainability issues for primarily nonprofit clients. He maintains Close, a nationwide multimodal travel time database; and OpenPOIs, a unified open dataset for... Read More →

Catherine Crook

Director of Spatial Analytics, Quanta Services

Catherine is a Director of Spatial Analytics at Quanta Services with over 20 years of experience in GIS across the government and commercial sectors. My work focuses on geospatial analytics for telecom and infrastructure planning, including the development of the QuantiFi market analysis... Read More →

Katie Heim

Enterprise Data and Technology Manager, City of Arlington

Katie’s responsibilities cover the City’s GIS and asset management programs, which inventory and track maintenance on all Public Works assets, including utilities and transportation. In addition, her group provides a variety of services to all City departments, including data... Read More →

Wednesday May 20, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
407-408

Career & Leadership, Career

3:00pm PDT

GIS vs. IT—or GIS with IT? Defining the Future of Enterprise GIS

Wednesday May 20, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

407-408

As GIS evolves into a core enterprise capability, its alignment with IT is critical to organizational success. This panel brings together leaders from government and the private sector to explore how high-performing GIS programs are structured, governed, and sustained. Panelists will examine the tension between supporting line-of-business needs and advancing enterprise platforms, and how emerging technologies are reshaping that balance. Attendees will gain practical insights on positioning GIS strategically, strengthening GIS–IT partnerships, and making the organizational and technology decisions that enable long-term success.

Speakers

Fernando Llamas Jr

Administrative Services Director, City of Burien

Fernando Llamas Jr. is the Administrative Services Director for the City of Burien, Washington, where he leads four divisions: City Clerk, Communications, Human Resources, and Information Systems. He has served the City since 2007, rising through every level of its technology and... Read More →

Tamara Davis

Chief Technology Officer, King County

As CTO at King County, I’ve spent my career serving the county across multiple agencies, leading teams through complex application migrations, building enterprise GIS capabilities, and keeping mission-critical infrastructure running while modernizing it at the same time. I care... Read More →

Zinta Smidchens

Manager, GIS CADD Programs and Initiatives, City of Seattle IT GIS

Working in private and public sectors, large and small organizations, the field and the office has offered so many opportunities to see geography’s role in solving problems.

After earning a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, Zinta Smidchens began at the Indiana Geological Survey, mapping Lake Michigan’s post-glacial shoreline history and much older deposits exposed on the rock faces in Indiana’s limestone quarries. On the west coast, Zinta joined... Read More →

Sabra Schneider

Chief Information Officer, City of Bellevue

Sabra Schneider, named one of the top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers in 2024 from Government Technology Magazine, currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for the City of Bellevue, Washington. Bellevue consistently ranks in the top five digital cities in the country.
... Read More →

Jill Oliver

Geospatial Science Leader, Anchor QEA

Jill Oliver is the Geospatial Science Lead at Anchor QEA an environmental and engineering consulting firm. She has over 25 years of experience specializing in GIS and GIS systems architecture from Esri’s ArcIMS platform to ArcGIS Enterprise and designed what Anchor QEA works with... Read More →

Wednesday May 20, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
407-408

Career & Leadership, Leadership