Sandra Flores-Castillo is a geospatial professional based in Minnesota whose career began at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) during her senior year of high school through the Phoenix Internship Program. 

Over the years, she has advanced to her current role as a Photogrammetric Technician – Transportation Generalist Senior, specializing in LiDAR processing, photogrammetric compilation, and GIS mapping projects. 

Sandra updates and maintains MnDOT’s PLAN and DTM mapping databases, utilizing tools such as Summit Evolution, Stereo 3D, TopoDOT, and OpenRoads Designer CE to extract and process data from aerial imagery for transportation infrastructure mapping.

As a first-generation college graduate and Hispanic woman in STEM, she is passionate about inspiring the next generation of geospatial professionals. Sandra actively promotes geospatial careers to youth and serves as a Brand Ambassador for the Get Kids Into Survey initiative. She is also the recipient of the 2025 Emerging Professional Award from the GIS/LIS Consortium Conference, recognizing her excellence in geospatial innovation and leadership.