Each year, URISA recognizes an outstanding chapter that has sponsored particularly effective activities or has otherwise excelled in serving its membership. Outstanding Chapter Award criteria include innovation, outreach, education and community impact.

Nine chapters submitted 2015 Outstanding Chapter of the Year applications and all were very worthy candidates. URISA's Georgia Chapter has been named the 2015 winner. 

"Georgia was selected as the chapter of the year because they are the renaissance chapter that all of us can look up to. They offer networking opportunities and workshops for seasoned GIS veterans and students,” says Christina Boggs, chair of URISA's Chapter Advisory Board.  “They’re mentoring kids through the Esri ConnectED Initiative GeoMentor Program to K-12 schools in Georgia. The shining star for them this year has been outreach. They participated in the Georgia Environmental Conference to encourage a totally different segment of the business community to engage in GIS, breaking out of the traditional ‘GIS Conference’ model and reaching into a specific market with heavy GIS adoption."

The winner was announced during the GIS-Pro & NWGIS 2015 Conference Awards Breakfast in Spokane, Wash. Xavier Davis, GISP, GIS specialist and FOG program coordinator for the  Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority, is the chapter president. He accepted the award on the chapter's behalf.

This year is the chapter's 25th anniversary and is the third time the chapter has been awarded Outstanding Chapter of the Year. Check out the Georgia URISA website for information about chapter.