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MSU Geography Alumna earns American Association of Geographers Diversity and Inclusion Award

January 22, 2025 - Diane Huhn

Jieun-Lee-300x300.jpgThe Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University is proud to announce that Alumna Dr. Jieun Lee has received the 2025 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Diversity and Inclusion Award in recognition of her deep and sustained commitment to increasing diversity and equity in geography at the departmental, institutional, and national levels. Dr. Lee earned her Ph.D. in Urban and Economic Geography from MSU in 2014 and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Geography, GIS, and Sustainability at the University of Northern Colorado. The AAG is explicitly recognizing Dr. Lee for empowering foreign-born women working in U.S. academic institutions in geography and the geospatial sciences. Dr. Lee played a leadership role in creating the Golden Compass program, which provides a safe and supportive environment for international women scholars to share their experiences, build networks, and receive mentoring. Building on the early success of an inaugural workshop, she secured grant funding from the National Science Foundation, in partnership with the Association of American Geographers and the University of Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), to expand the reach and impact of the program over the next four years. Her visionary initiative is putting inclusive excellence into practice and opening new leadership opportunities for diverse scholars in the discipline. 

Besides her work on the Golden Compass program, Dr. Lee researches the intersections of geography, equity, and education, contributing to broader discussions on fostering more inclusive academic environments. She has also demonstrated leadership in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at her home institution as a Faculty Senator on the faculty welfare committee and as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellow. 

AAG Honors are offered annually to recognize outstanding accomplishments by members in research and scholarship, teaching, education, service to the discipline, public service outside academe, and for lifetime achievement. In particular, the AAG Diversity and Inclusion Award honors those geographers who have pioneered efforts toward or actively participated in efforts toward encouraging a more diverse discipline over the course of several years.  

"We are proud to honor these scholars and practitioners for their contributions to the interdisciplinary, creative, and scientific practice of our discipline," said Dr. Gary Langham, Executive Director of the AAG. "Their work enhances the scholarship, teaching, knowledge, and activism that advance our field." 

For more than 100 years, AAG has contributed to the advancement of geography. Our members from nearly 100 countries share interests in the theory, methods, and practice of geography, which they cultivate through the AAG's Annual Meeting, scholarly journals (Annals of the American Association of Geographers, The Professional Geographer, the AAG Review of Books and GeoHumanities), and the online AAG Newsletter. The AAG is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1904. 

Dr. Lee will be presented with this award at the 2025 AAG Annual Meeting scheduled to take place in Detroit from March 24-28, 2025.  

Congratulations, Dr. Lee!