Leslie was an early and consistent member of the Christians in GIS group since the mid-2000s. She had a deep passion for serving God and sharing the Gospel. She also had an extensive career in GIS. This included stints with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) working on their 4k project and as a staff member with Global Mapping International where she worked on the Global Ministry Mapping System. Her career was marked by continuous learning and it was apparent she always wanted to further her GIS skills. This career growth path included participating in the online GIS program at Penn State University, where she finished with a Master’s degree. She maintained a Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) certification and was a member of the GISCI GISP review committee. She was also Past-President of the Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals.
Leslie Zolman with GISCorps Ebola volunteers and Jack Dangermond at the Esri User Conference in 2015. She is the radiant one to the right of Jack.
Following her heart of using GIS in the medical field, she had volunteered with the GISCorps since 2009. One example of this service was her time in Accra, Ghana, where she was the GIS Officer for the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). In 2015 she took a trip to west Africa where she was one of four GIS Corps volunteers that provided GIS support and coordination to the World Health Organization (WHO) during the Ebola response effort. Later she used her GIS skills with the WHO Polio Division in the Horn of Africa.
In her last few years, Leslie worked for the Montana department of commerce. Her last career stop was as the GIS Coordinator at American Leprosy Mission, the oldest and largest Christian organization in the United States dedicated to curing and caring for people affected by leprosy and related diseases.
We appreciated her heart in utilizing GIS to further the Gospel and how she helped and served others wherever she was needed. “Leslie was an energetic and thoughtful follower of Jesus, and used her GIS skills to serve and share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others,“ said Mark Cygan who worked with Leslie in both the Christians in GIS group and Esri for 20 years. No matter who she was trying to help or what she was working on, Leslie’s faith, humanity, and generosity have always shone through.
You can hear more about Leslie’s work in her 2020 webinar for Christians in GIS.