Meredith Gibson

Media/GIS Director

“I love to write and am thrilled that I get to use this skill to bring awareness of substance abuse issues to prevent harms that can affect my community. I am also most passionate about analyzing and visualizing data in maps to inform decision-makers.”

Meredith Gibson is the media director in IPS’s San Diego office and also works on IPS’ Los Angeles projects as a geographic information systems (GIS) specialist. She has been with IPS since 2017, providing strategic direction on media advocacy and GIS efforts to promote systems and policy changes that contribute to healthy, safe, vibrant, and equitable communities. She writes news releases, collaborates on opinion editorials and pitches ideas and spokespersons to news outlets, amassing media coverage at the local and national levels. In 2018, she launched the SpeakWell program at IPS, a series of training workshops that give residents tools on how to advocate for their communities through media advocacy. Through GIS, Meredith creates story maps, data dashboards, and interactive web maps to engage the community through impactful visualizations.

Meredith is also an adjunct professor at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City, NJ, where she teaches courses in Culture, Diversity, and Healthcare and Principles of Public Health. As a featured contributor for GovLoop, an online platform that curates resources to inspire innovation and problem-solving in government, Meredith shares her insights about media advocacy and GIS, as well as through webinars and at community coalition meetings. She also presents at conferences such as the American Public Health Association, Alcohol Policy-19, and the County of San Diego’s Live Well Advance.