I work at the intersection of storytelling, mapping, and community engagement. Drawing inspiration from the place-based insights of anthropology, I seek to empower communities to map their worlds, knitting together the threads of citizen engagement, ethnography, and open data. I am motivated by the premise that activating citizens at the intersection of traditional knowledge and new technologies enables civil society to better face the challenges of a globalized and changing world. In so doing, I hope to help foster a public culture of compassion, reason, and grit.