071 w Jude Leonard - Internship, Mapping, AI, Leadership

Jude Leonard on Local Government, GIS, and Learning to Lead Well Brandon Holland sits down with Jude Leonard, a 21-year-old GIS graduate student who interned with the City of Newton, to talk about what local government looks like behind the scenes. The conversation covers how public processes really work, why communication matters in government and in school, and how technology and AI are changing the way people do map-based work.Jude also shares practical encouragement for students and a leadership lesson about using good questions to help others think differently and grow. Key Topics How Jude’s internship with the City of Newton changed his perspective on local government and community issues What happens during a rezoning process, from application to final decision Why citizens need to report infrastructure problems in their communities The importance of clear, confident communication in planning and public-facing work How updated GIS software can make local government workflows faster and more efficient The differences between ArcMap and ArcGIS How machine learning tools can assist with address-point creation Where useful AI support ends and overuse begins Why human judgment and visual hierarchy still matter in design Encouragement for students and professionals facing difficult seasons How leaders can use thoughtful questions to help others grow Why it is never too late to pursue a new interest or career path Timestamps00:00 Welcome to the Lead Well Podcast and introduction to Jude Leonard 01:16 Jude’s background in geography and GIS graduate study 02:02 How the internship changed Jude’s view of local government 04:01 The importance of communication in planning and public-facing work 06:25 How updated GIS software speeds up local government workflows 07:54 Machine learning tools for address-point creation 09:38 Jude’s perspective on when AI use goes too far 12:54 Visual hierarchy and why AI can miss design fundamentals 14:21 Encouragement for students under pressure 16:46 Leadership lessons from leading classroom discussions 19:18 Why it is never too late to start learning maps or try something new Notable Quotes “Everything’s a process.” “People aren’t dumb. They can tell when a response is AI.” “There’s always tomorrow.” “As a leader, it can be your job to insert that seed into people’s minds to get them thinking, to change, to grow.” About Jude Leonard Jude Leonard is a geography graduate and current master’s student in geographic information science and technology at NC State. After completing an internship with the City of Newton, Jude is continuing to build his career in GIS, mapping, and local government.Listeners interested in maps, GIS, and Jude’s work can search for Jude Leonard on LinkedIn . Resources Mentioned Shackerford Leadership Institute HyperX ArcMap ArcGIS QGIS GRASS GIS