Speaker Series: Bonnie Bogle on Career Advancement for Women in GIS

In honor of GIS Day, Cesium COO Bonnie Bogle spoke on a career advancement panel hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of Women in GIS (WiGIS).

She joined five other women leaders to offer advice on building a career in GIS and geospatial. In addition to Bonnie, the panel featured Fran Curtis, Apex Companies, LLC; Lauri Dafner, Esri
; Marlen Kokaz-Roy, Chester County
; and Mary Lennon, Fannie Mae.

The panel covered topics from finding a mentor and battling imposter syndrome to the best way to ask for a raise.

“Ask what the process is for a promotion, even if you’re new in your position,” said Bonnie. “It not only shows that you’re eager, it can net you tangible advice and metrics you can use to measure your progress.”

Bonnie has a wealth of experience in the geospatial industry and technology startups. Before joining Cesium, she was cofounder and former VP of Operations at Mapbox. Under her leadership, the company grew to more than 225 employees, raised more than $60M in venture funding, and expanded to offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Peru, Germany, and India.

Prior to that role, she built the operational foundation at Development Seed, an open data consultancy, and currently serves on its Board of Directors.

At the end of the discussion, the panel offered their parting words of advice.

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” Bonnie said. “There’s always going to be people with more experience. Talk up your accomplishments—you’re amazing!”