Laura Davila just completed the course requirements to earn her UNT Geography and the Environment MS degree (professional track), and she has already lined up a leadership role bridging the worlds of business and GIS. Laura is a graduate of our Professional Master's program who worked with Dr. Lu Liang.

Laura's new position is GIS Director for Vaquero Ventures, a decade-old commercial real estate (CRE) firm based in Fort Worth that has a portfolio spanning 28 states. Vaquero had never implemented GIS in-house, but research done by the company's management team convinced them that they needed to get on board now. After checking with local CRE contacts familiar with GIS technology, it also became clear where they needed to go to hire a great GIS director: UNT Geography and the Environment.

Laura's role with Vaquero will focus on creative problem solving and innovation. She will create a GIS department for the company from the ground up, including establishing data acquisition, analysis, and data warehousing processes and solutions to efficiently serve Vaquero's corporate clientele, including the likes of 7 Eleven, Starbucks, Dollar General, and Whataburger.

UNT Geography and the Environment wishes Laura great success in this opportunity. Are you interested in career paths like Laura's? Contact the department for more information on our location intelligence and business GIS course offerings as well as our GIS Certificate.