GGI People
Every member of our staff, board and advisors contributes to GGI’s mission of educating students.GGI Staff
Fran Harvey
Founder and Executive Director
Fran Harvey is a Louisiana native with a background in Environmental Studies and Political Science from UC Santa Barbara and an advanced GIS certificate from the University of Denver. After beginning her career at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, she applied GIS technology in disaster recovery efforts for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, as well as the BP oil spill.
In 2012, she founded Global Geospatial Solutions LLC to bring GIS tools to the private sector. Two years later, she launched the nonprofit Global Geospatial Institute to expand GIS and remote sensing education in K–12 schools. Harvey is an alumna of ESRI’s T3G Institute and has led outreach programs such as Maps & Apps, GIS Day, and Mighty Map Institute.
She currently serves on the Louisiana Governor’s Climate Initiatives Task Force, the Louisiana Geographic Information System Council, and the board of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation. [ More ]
Vibriyogn Epuri
GIS Lead Instructor
Vibriyogn serves as the GIS Lead Instructor at the Global Geospatial Institute, where he plays a key role in developing and delivering workforce-aligned geospatial education for students across Louisiana. With a background in mathematics and scientific computing from Southeastern Louisiana University, Vibriyogn brings a strong foundation in spatial analysis, data visualization and software development. His work spans from building real-time GIS solutions for water utilities, municipalities and environmental organizations to leading initiatives such as Life of Litter and Map It Clean!, which use GIS technology to engage youth in environmental awareness.
Rejina Adhikari
GIS Instructor
Rejina holds a master’s degree in plant, environmental and soil sciences with a concentration in geographic information systems and remote sensing from Louisiana State University. She currently serves as a GIS Instructor at the Global Geospatial Institute, where she empowers high school students through hands-on geospatial education. Rejina also leads the development and instruction of the Drone to Smart Maps course, an innovative program that integrates UAV technology with GIS to prepare students for real-world applications in agriculture, environmental monitoring and urban planning.
Board & Advisors
Board
Terrie R. Johnson, board president
IBM
Frank L. Sparks, Jr., board secretary
East Baton Rouge Parish Schools (retired)
Debby Anselmo, board treasurer
The Anselmo Group
Darius Bonton
Bonton Associates
Marvin Borgmeyer
Exxon (retired)
Advisors
Chantilly Benitez
GNO Inc / New Orleans / Southeast LA
Maggi Bienvenu
One Acadiana / Lafayette/Acadiana
Kathryn Fenstermaker
C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates / Acadiana
Andrew Fitzgerald
Baton Rouge Area Chamber / Baton Rouge Capital Area
Steve Flynn
Riverland Surveying / River Parishes
Melissa Grand
Baker Donelson / State of Louisiana
Carissa Graves
Baton Rouge Area Foundation / Baton Rouge Capital Area
Paul Hansen
Marathon Petroleum / St. John the Baptist
Laurie Ilgenfritz
Barksdale Air Force Base / Shreveport / Bossier City
David Kozan
Owen and White Inc. / State of Louisiana
Matthew LaBorde
Capitol Funding / Central Louisiana
Hampton Peele
LSU Geological Survey / Capital Area
Kim Hunter Reed
Board of Regents / State of Louisiana
Brandon Smith
Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance / Capital Area
Troy West
Cleco / Central Louisiana
Troy Williams
Southeastern Louisiana University / Northshore
Dr. Esra Tekdal Yilmaz
Nicholls State University / Coastal Louisiana