Gretchen Esbensen

Professional Experience

Senior Consultant, GIS Applications

Dynamo Technologies | USDA, Forest Service | Vienna, VA | Oct 2024 – Present

Stepped in as Project Manager to turn around a stalled $MM federal software project, leading it to early launch by improving trust with friendly and proactive communication with the customer, while unifying a fragmented multi-contract team of remote developers.
Drove business requirement discovery across stakeholders to prioritize user needs and accelerate delivery.
Advocated for and implemented spatial analysis automation, reducing manual effort and increasing adoption.
Led team transition to Microsoft Projects; previously managed Scrum workflow using JIRA.

Test Engineer

Digital Global Systems | Tysons, VA | Mar 2024 – Oct 2024

Contributed to AI-enhanced RF situational awareness platform with real-time edge analytics.
Supported test automation development using Python, FastAPI, GitLab, and Zephyr.
Created technical documentation for user interfaces and system workflows.

Founder & CEO

AF LLC | Annapolis, MD | 2020 – 2024

Founded and scaled a consumer packaged goods company from concept to revenue.
Built investor presentations, secured funding, and negotiated high-value B2B distribution contracts.
Managed end-to-end product strategy, supply chain, brand development, and market launch.
Produced financial forecasts, P&Ls, and personnel scaling models to support growth scenarios.

GIS Supervisor

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service | Annapolis, MD | 2016 – 2020

Led GIS strategy, training, and tool development across state-level NRCS operations.
Delivered an award-winning GIS automation app saving 8+ hours per use; scaled to all partner staff.
Transitioned 33-server environment to cloud services; architected ESRI Enterprise Portal data infrastructure.
Built and led stakeholder engagement for programmatic permitting with federal and state partners.

Sea Ice Physical Scientist

U.S. Navy, National Ice Center | Suitland, MD | 2011 – 2016

Provided mission-critical sea imagery analysis for submarine navigation and arctic ICEX operations.
Supported DOD-NASA Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD); recognized for cross-agency leadership.
Advised early academic research in AI-based sea ice classification at the University of Delaware.
Developed time-saving task automation scripts to reduce daily analyst workload.
Served as the Training Coordinator and held watch as a Command Duty Officer.
Maintained an DoD Top Secret SCI Clearence

GIS Specialist

IMSG LLC | NOAA, Office of Coastal Management | Charleston, SC | 2010 – 2011

Managed ESRI Enterprise geospatial data for marine spatial planning initiatives.
Awarded for innovation for guiding multibeam bathymetry integration for ESRI Marine Basemap
Translated offshore engineering requirements and leasing constraints into accessible spatial tools.

Regional Analyst

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) | Springfield, VA | 2009

Conducted classified GEOINT using multi-source intelligence; practiced photogrammetry and urban feature extraction.
Maintained an IC TS/SCI Clearence.