24 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2024

Company: City of San Luis Obispo
Current position: Systems application specialist – GIS
Age: 25
Education: BS, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

McGhee is a geospatial advocate leading the growth of the GIS Industry by creating innovative solutions at the local government level and engaging young professionals across the country. As a systems application specialist for the City of San Luis Obispo, he is responsible for the implementation of geospatial solutions across the entire organization.

As a WebGIS enthusiast, McGhee actively works to create efficient workflows and implement new strategies to assist other departments improve their effectiveness. He pioneers new GIS-centric solutions as a way to benefit the whole organization, whether it be at the field or leadership level. In 2023, McGhee was selected to the URISA Vanguard Cabinet, an advisory board of passionate young professionals focused on engaging with young geospatial professionals.

During his first year of the three-year term, he took a leadership role in overseeing the URISA Mentoring Network, facilitating mentorship connections for GIS professionals across the world. Newly appointed to the vice-chair role within the cabinet, he will now spend the next two years leading the team by overseeing subcommittee operations and ensuring that the entire team collectively reaches the largest possible audience and effectively advocates for young professionals across URISA.

In 2023, McGhee was selected as the City of San Luis Obispo’s employee of the year for his contributions to service and acting as a team player in several large-scale projects. He continues to provide exceptional service to his organization and plans on starting a master’s program within the coming months.