Linda Stevens: From the Digitizing Table to a Global Stage

Linda Stevens never planned on becoming one of the most influential voices in the world of geographic information systems (GIS). In fact, she laughs when she says her life changed the moment she accidentally took a geography class.

“I just fell in love with it,” she recalls. “I don’t even know how people could not just dive into geography. It’s just the best.”

That serendipitous decision launched a decades-long career that began at a digitizing table in Redlands, California, and ultimately helped shape the modern landscape of geospatial technology. Along the way, Linda combined three passions—geography, technology, and communication—into a singular mission: help people understand the power of spatial thinking to solve real-world problems.

“I’ve been in marketing as long as I’ve been in GIS,” she says. “But I don’t think of myself as a marketer. Marketing is a tool—just like programming is a tool—to communicate something that can really make a difference in the world.”

At Esri, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer for nearly 30 years, Linda applied those tools to help people see what GIS could do. One early project stood out.

Environmentalists, loggers, and local communities were at odds over tree trimming in the Pacific Northwest. “The minute we created a map… they could sit around a table and go, ‘Oh.’” Visualizing the land’s interconnected layers helped them collaborate instead of clash.

But as the technology matured, Linda began to question its broader direction. “GIS has the power for such greatness—and also for such division,” she warns. “Too much power is not good. You always need compromise, competition, balance.”

That internal reckoning echoed through her career. Being a woman in a male-dominated tech world meant constantly creating her own space.

“I had to force my way to be a director,” she says. “They offered me the title but told me I wouldn’t attend director meetings. I said no. Because I couldn’t do my job without being at the table.”

Today, Linda is channeling that same spirit into something new. She’s advising startups through her company, U Spatial Spirits, and co-leading Geospatial Innovations, a LinkedIn-based think tank where boundary-pushers can bring bold ideas to the community.

“We’re at an inflection point,” she says. “The old tools were built for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. So what’s next?”

Linda believes the next revolution won’t just be technological. It will be personal, even spiritual. She sees a deeper connection between location, well-being, and our collective consciousness.

“If you want to change the world,” she says, “you have to understand the world. That includes understanding people.”

She’s also clear-eyed about what’s still broken, especially around inclusion. “Women have roles in tech, but the culture still assigns them to documentation and testing. Not leadership.” Her advice? Start with the subtle stuff. “Notice how you describe a woman who’s driven—versus a man. That’s where it begins.”

For all the industry has accomplished, Linda isn’t coasting. She’s still looking for her next digitizing table.

“I want to be at the front end of the next revolution. I want to work with companies that are changing the status quo.”