Bethesda, Md., April 23, 2014 — On Thursday, April 17, 2014, in Tampa, Florida, the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) announced Roberta “Bobbi” Lenczowski as the recipient of the USGIF Arthur C. Lundahl–Thomas C. Finnie Lifetime Achievement Award. She received her award during the GEOINT 2013* Symposium general session. Lenczowski is the 10th and first female recipient of the award.
“Any lifetime achievement award evokes reflections, and there are many upfront and background facilitators to thank for their support,” said Lenczowski. “Such an important award could simply be a memorable way to conclude decades of endeavor. However, for me, this award is a reminder that we must continue to pay it forward as mentors and advocates, following the example of both Art Lundahl and Tom Finnie.”
Lenczowski is an independent geospatial information-intelligence consultant who spent 28 years in the public sector. She retired in 2005 from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), where she finished her NGA career as executive director of NGA Campus West in St. Louis. During her tenure in Washington, D.C., Lenczowski served three years as NGA’s technical executive, and was also director of operations with the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) for more than five years. She also served as president of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Currently, Lenczowski is serving her second appointment representing NGA on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing. Previously, she represented NGA on the Department of the Interior’s National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive Advisory Committee, and the Security Affairs Support Association.
Lenczowski also had an influential career as an integral part of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Executive Board. During the recent ASPRS 2014 Annual Conference, Lenczowski completed her term as Immediate Past President, ending four years as an officer of the Society. During her 2012-13 year as President, she led a task force working on the branding of ASPRS as well as providing direction in innumerable other areas.
Lenczowski has been especially supportive of the Society’s Sustaining Members Council, Student Advisory Council and Young Professionals Council; always seeking ways to meet the demands of these bodies, which represent the constituencies that undergird the future of the Society.
Lenczowski, along with her husband Jerry Lenczowski, has been heavily involved, for many years, in the ASPRS St. Louis Region, culminating in the expediting of the merger of this region with its neighbor, Central Region, to form a new, vibrant Society entity in the mid-west. Lenczowski has been a mainstay of ASPRS for a generation and the Officers, Board of Directors and members have been especially grateful for her expertise, eloquence and calm as the Society has weathered a turbulent 2013 and moves ahead with initiatives to grow.
The Lundahl-Finnie award recipient is nominated and voted on by the USGIF Board of Directors. Board members chose Lenczowski for inspiring the Global Geospatial Integrated Data Environment concept, which ultimately led to the standup of the Global Geospatial Integrated Product Team and creation of NIMA Production Cells—the first use of commercial-off-the-shelf workstations for the GEOINT mission. This accomplishment led to the Integrated Exploitation Capability. USGIF’s Board of Directors said Lenczowski continues to show dedication to the GEOINT Community and the furtherance of research and development around geospatial data management.
About USGIF
USGIF’s purpose is to promote the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and to develop a stronger community of interest between government, industry, academia, professional organizations and individuals who share a mission focused around the development and application of geospatial intelligence to address national security objectives.
About ASPRS
Founded in 1934, ASPRS is an international professional organization of geospatial data professionals. ASPRS is devoted to advancing knowledge and improving understanding of the mapping sciences to promote responsible application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems and supporting technologies. For additional information about ASPRS, visit our web site at www.asprs.org.