Widely acknowledged as the leading visionary in the field of geographic information system (GIS) technology, Jack Dangermond and his wife, Laura, launched the Environmental Systems Research Institute in 1969 with a shared vision that system thinking along with computer mapping and spatial analysis could help people design a better future. For more than 50 years, their vision has guided Esri's GIS mapping and analytic technologies worldwide.

Their lifelong involvement in conservation dates to the early years of Esri when they began designing parks and planting trees in their community. In the decades since, they have donated thousands of trees to area schools, parks, and the community to support the local urban forest. More recently, they purchased and donated 25,000 acres of grassland, chaparral, oak woodland, and forest along the Central California coast to The Nature Conservancy to protect a biodiverse landscape known as the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve.

Jack's life work has brought many honors, including the Planet and Humanity Medal from the International Geographical Union, the Champions of Earth Award from the United Nations, and the Alexander Graham Bell Medal from the National Geographic Society. Jack and Laura live in their hometown of Redlands, CA, where Esri is based.