The National Governors Association (NGA) honored Esri with its annual Public-Private Partnership Award today during the opening session of the 2014 NGA Winter Meeting. The award, in its eighth year, recognizes NGA Corporate Fellow companies that have partnered with a governor’s office to implement a program or project that positively affects the state’s citizens.
Esri, one of the world’s largest suppliers of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, was recognized for their work with New Hampshire aimed at improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. The partnership allowed students in every public and private school in the state unprecedented access to Esri’s state-of-the-art GIS tools for education and research.
The partnership has now expanded beyond the Department of Education. The agreement has enabled the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game to expand its ability to support teachers to use GIS to gather, display, analyze and share data about the state’s natural resources.
“I am thrilled to honor Esri for its innovative public-private partnership in our state,” said New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan. “To keep New Hampshire’s economy moving forward and fill good jobs at growing businesses, we must build a strong workforce and ensure that we are encouraging more of our young people to pursue education in the STEM fields. Efforts such as those by Esri are critical to building a stronger, more innovative New Hampshire.”
“To have our work supporting education across the country and the world recognized by the National Governors Association is truly humbling,” said Jack Dangermond, president of Esri. “We thank Gov. Hassan for the nomination and are proud to encourage greater participation in STEM education among students. The network of teachers in New Hampshire are a model for all. They are unquenchable in their thirst for GIS skills, passionate and tireless in sharing these with kids and other educators, and exceptional in their collaborative spirit. It’s a pleasure to watch kids work on amazing projects with GIS where they merge science with maps through technology and solve problems.”
The Corporate Fellows Program, established in 1988, promotes the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the private sector and governors on public policy issues affecting business and states.
For more information about the NGA Corporate Fellows Program, visit www.nga.org/cf.
