Ghermay Araya is the Founder and CEO of New Light Technologies, Inc. (NLT), a Washington, DC-based company with over 23 years of experience delivering mission-critical geospatial and data solutions to public and private clients. Ghermay holds a BS and MS in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences at George Mason University. He has attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program to enhance his Disruptive Innovation architecture for NLT. With deep roots in the early implementation of the DC GIS Program, he has been instrumental in shaping the region’s geospatial landscape, supporting numerous organizations across the DC and Maryland geospatial community.

As a mission-oriented IT executive with extensive experience in enterprise information technology, Ghermay has successfully transformed NLT into a leading GIS, IT, and Data Science service provider. He has worked across various sectors, including space, defense, academia, and civil engineering, as a consultant, data analyst, software developer, and instructor. In his leadership role, Ghermay leverages a unique blend of business development and technical expertise to guide NLT’s diverse clientele, which includes Federal, State, and Local Governments, as well as academic and non-profit organizations. He holds certifications such as GISP from GISCI and CSM from the Scrum Alliance. He has also led initiatives like GIS workforce development, address standardization, and implementing reliable GIS infrastructure—earning the NACIO Best of the Web award alongside his colleagues.

Ghermay has also been deeply involved in education and organizing geospatial community events. He also serves as a lecturer at the University of Maryland’s MS GIS program, where he taught Spatial Databases. He continues to lead teams across various technology projects, fostering sustainable solutions through lean business development and innovation strategies and ensuring that NLT remains a prominent force in the geospatial and IT sectors.