Dr. Dawn Wright
Oregon State University
and
Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri)**

Dawn Wright is Chief Scientist of the Environmental Systems Research Institute
(aka Esri), a world-leading geographic information system (GIS) software and
data science company. Core to Esri's mission is to inspire and enable people
to positively impact their future by connecting them with the geoanalytic
knowledge needed to make the critical decisions shaping the planet. Hence,
Esri believes that geography is at the heart of a more resilient and
sustainable future. She was appointed to this post in October 2011 after 17
years as a professor of geography and oceanography at Oregon State University
(OrSt). As Esri Chief Scientist, Dawn reports directly to the Esri CEO with a
mission to strengthen the scientific foundation for Esri software and
services, while representing Esri to the national and international scientific
community. She maintains an affiliated faculty appointment as Professor of
Geography and Oceanography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric
Sciences at OrSt.

Dawn's research interests include spatial data science; seafloor mapping,
coastal/ocean informatics, and environmental education. She has authored or
co-authored more than 180 articles and ten books on marine geographic
information systems, hydrothermal activity and tectonics of mid-ocean ridges,
and coastal/ocean informatics. Dawn has participated in over 20 oceanographic
research expeditions worldwide, including 10 legs of the Ocean Drilling
Program, three dives in the deep submergence vehicle Alvin and twice in the
Pisces V. Her fieldwork has taken her to some of the most geologically active
regions of the planet, including the East Pacific Rise, the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the Tonga Trench, and volcanoes under the Japan
Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Dawn's recent advisory board service includes the NOAA Science Advisory Board, 
the Science Advisory Board of Conservation International, the US National Academy 
of Sciences Ocean Studies Board, the Board of COMPASS Science Communication Inc., 
the Ocean Discovery XPRIZE Science Advisory Board, the Science Advisory Council 
of Conservation International, and many journal editorial boards.  
She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 
The Oceanography Society, the Geological Society of America, the American 
Association of Geographers, the California Academy of Sciences, and 
Stanford’s Leopold Leadership Program, as well as a former Oregon Professor of the 
Year. She holds an Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Physical Geography and 
Marine Geology from UC-Santa Barbara, an M.S. in Oceanography from Texas A&M, 
and a B.S. cum laude in Geology from Wheaton College (Illinois). 

Other interests include road cycling, 18th-century pirates, apricot green tea 
gummy bears, her golden retriever puppy Riley, and Spongebob Squarepants. 
Follow her on most social media platforms via @deepseadawn.

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** "Esri is the world's sixth largest privately-owned technology company, and the
world's leader in GIS software, research and development. Esri software is
used in more than 650,000 organizations worldwide, including each of the 200
largest cities in the US, most of the world's governments, more than
two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 11,000 colleges and
universities. Esri applications, which run on more than 1 million desktops and
thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's
mapping and spatial analysis."

Mission statement: "Esri inspires and enables people to positively impact their 
future through a deeper understanding of the changing world around them.
Governments, industry leaders, academics, and nongovernmental organizations
trust us to connect them with the analytic knowledge they need to make the 
critical decisions that shape the planet. Since 1969, Esri has 
cultivated collaborative relationships with partners who share our
commitment to solving Earth's most pressing challenges with geographic
expertise and rational resolve. Today, we believe that geography is at the heart 
of a more resilient and sustainable future. Creating responsible products and 
solutions drives our passion for improving quality of life everywhere."