Panel Discussion
Thursday, November 19, 2026
6:00-7:00
Introduction
Panel Discussion Moderated by Sarah Elwood
Professor and Chair, Department of Geography
Audience Questions Facilitated by Gretchen Sneegas
Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Geography
7:00-7:30
Small Group Discussions
Meet Our Panelists
Derek Huling | Program Analyst, FEMA
Derek is a program analyst at FEMA, where he leads a dedicated team of data scientists specializing in predictive modeling, program evaluation, reporting, and data visualization. He and his team focus on individual and household recovery programs using Python, R, ArcGIS, PowerBI, and SQL.
A Seattle native, Derek graduated from University of Washington in 2011 with a B.A. in Geography and a concentration in GIS. He then contracted with Google in the Geo division to help build out the early versions of Google Maps and Google Earth. He then earned an M.S. in Geography from Western Washington University, where he researched disaster recovery processes related to housing and sheltering. In 2017, Derek moved to Washington, D.C. to work for FEMA as a field analytics specialist, deploying to disasters to provide situational awareness and analytics products for emergency managers. He has held various roles during his tenure with FEMA, including in the areas of performance metrics, strategy and innovation, and strategic operations.
He currently lives in the Shenandoah Valley in northwestern Virginia, and when not at work he tries to learn various instruments, watches horror movies, and travels internationally with his wife.
Krystle Jumarawan | Geospatial Specialist II, Woven by Toyota
Krystle is a Geospatial Specialist II at Woven by Toyota, where she works on the maps that make automated driving possible. Krystle oversees map production end to end — from the initial map request through to customer hand-off — and has facilitated launching a number of large mapping projects along the way. Much of Krystle’s work happens at the seams between teams, coordinating across groups to keep map production running smoothly.
Krystle’s path to autonomous-vehicle mapping wound through a lot of geography career paths. She eventually got her start at a startup company building maps for autonomous vehicle companies, which sparked her interest in AV mapping. Before that, she created and maintained geodatabases for water, wastewater, and sewer systems for cities and counties across Washington State for Gray & Osborne, a civil engineering firm, and produced maps for city and county planning. Krystle also worked on the terrain database behind Honeywell Aerospace’s Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System, created maps for a birding book published by the Seattle Audubon Society, and supported NPACT air-pollution study with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington.
Krystle holds a B.A. in Geography and a Master’s in GIS, both from the University of Washington, and is a Certified GIS Professional (GISP).
Helen Elizabeth Olsen | Deputy Director, The Gates Foundation
Helen Olsen is Deputy Director for Special Initiatives in the Global Development Office of the President at the Gates Foundation, where she leads cross-foundation work on key global health & development priorities, including the foundation’s Fragile Contexts Learning Agenda. She previously served as interim Deputy Director for Strategy, Planning & Management in both the Global Development Office of the President and the Nutrition Program Strategy Team.
Before moving into these leadership roles, Helen spent two and a half years with the Institute for Disease Modeling, where she led a research-focused strategy and program management team, supported IDM’s strategy development and integration into the foundation, and helped build its work on gender, vulnerability, and health equity.
Helen is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and holds an M.A. in Geography from Rutgers University, as well as a B.A. in Geography from the University of Washington.
A health geographer and mixed-methods researcher by training, Helen conducted her graduate research in Tanzania and has held roles across the global health ecosystem, including at UW’s Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation, Medic, and the Community Health Impact Coalition. Across these roles, her work has focused on connecting mixed-methods research, program strategy, and partners to better understand drivers of complex global health challenges.
A Seattle native, Helen enjoys Pilates, cooking, reading, and making art with her partner, Shane, and her two dogs.