Dr. david A. padgett

David A. Padgett is an Associate Professor of Geography, and Director of the Geographic Information Sciences (GISc) Laboratory at Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Tennessee. He has served as the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Partner and Trainer for TSU since 2001.​

​

He has previously developed and taught geography and geographic information systems (GIS)-related courses at Austin Peay State University (Tennessee) and Oberlin College (Ohio).  Since establishing the GISc Lab in the summer of 2000, Padgett has supervised several undergraduate research assistants on a variety of service learning projects the topics of which include: community-based global positioning systems (GPS) mapping to improve public transit accessibility, GIS-supported homeless population mapping, and GIS mapping of Nashville’s Red Cross emergency shelters.  The GISc Lab has developed working relationships with a variety of grassroots groups, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.  Many of the students Padgett has taught over the past 20 years have graduated and are now gainfully employed in environmental science and GIS-related occupations.​

​

Since 2022, Padgett has been the Co-Founder of The HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative (HEJTC) . Since 1992 Padgett has been the Owner and Chief Consultant of GEO-Mental, a multi-faceted environmental consulting firm. His current and recent clients include, Air Alliance Houston, Nashville-Davidson County Metropolitan Government, Black Enterprise Magazine, Catalyst Miami, and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

 

In April 2019, Padgett was awarded the American Association of Geographers Presidential Achievement Award for “significant contributions in advancing geography, GIS, and STEM education within the Historically Black College and University,”​In September 2019, Padgett was named an EthicalGEO Fellow by the American Geographical Society in support of his project “Democratizing Geospatial Technology: A Model for Providing Technical Assistance in Community Based Participatory Mapping to Environmental Justice Stakeholder Communities. ”In February 2020, Padgett was named the 2020 Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES), Inc., Youth Environmental Science (YES) Medalist, accompanied by a $10,000 “re-grant” to organizations that involve youth in environmental science.​

 

Padgett, 60, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and the University of Florida at Gainesville