Growing up in Northern California’s Humboldt County, Kaitlin Yarnall, CCAS MA ’08, was captivated by the world around her. Coming from a family of biology majors, Yarnall was raised with a deep love for science, nature, and exploration. Today, as senior vice president of media innovation at the National Geographic Society, Yarnall still relies on those early influences as she finds, funds, and promotes innovative storytellers from all corners of the globe.
Yarnall’s career at National Geographic began with a cartography internship at the magazine. As an undergraduate student, she’d “stumbled into a human geography course, and loved it.” After finishing her studies and spending time abroad in Ecuador, Yarnall arrived at National Geographic in 2005, and was soon hired full-time.
An enthusiastic student, Yarnall always knew that graduate school was in her future, but she didn’t have a specific plan. Given that GW was just down the street, Yarnall reached out to the geography department and met with her future mentor, Dr. Marie Price.
“I knew I wanted to do something on migration studies, tying together my Latin American interests with my work in mapping and spatial analysis,” Yarnall says. “Marie is one of the best migration scholars in the world, and I didn’t even know that at the time!”
Meanwhile, National Geographic supported Yarnall’s return to school by offering her steady contract work while she earned her degree.
“As a master’s student, I loved being involved in the research,” she explains. “I also taught the physical geography lab and worked in the spatial analysis lab. I do a lot of public speaking now, and a lot of that teaching was really formative for me…it was a truly special opportunity.”
Yarnall also accompanied Dr. Price on field research in Bolivia, where, she says, Price treated her “as a team member.” According to Yarnall, the geography department excelled in creating a sense of community and offering one-of-a-kind experiences for its graduate students.
“One of the reasons I’m so happy that I’ve ended up staying in D.C. is that I still feel I have a connection to GW,” Yarnall says. “My life is busier than I ever thought it could be, but if I had more hours in the day, I would spend more hours in the [geography] department. It still feels like home.”
Part of that business comes from a career that’s spanned numerous positions on both sides of National Geographic – publishing and non-profit. After graduating from GW, Yarnall returned as a cartographer for the magazine, and quickly became the director of editorial and research in the maps department. She then became the deputy creative director, working across visuals and managing the maps, graphics, and design teams.
She was the executive editor for the magazine and director of cartography, when, in January 2016, the president and CEO of National Geographic Society (NGS) invited her to switch gears and join the non-profit side. A few months ago, Yarnall was promoted to her current position in media innovation; she and her team “help people to tell stories that the world needs to hear.”
Yarnall’s team provides grants, programs, training, and projects for photographers, filmmakers, writers, and “data visualizers” everywhere. They also run the Photo Camp program, which teaches photography to underserved youth all over the world. The grant program – open to all – accepts applications on a rolling basis, with funding decisions made several times a year. Most of Yarnall’s attention centers on sourcing and recruiting underrepresented groups.
“Diversity and inclusion [is a key focus] – making sure that our stable of storytellers looks like the people we’re telling stories about,” she explains. “It’s such a big possibility – there’s so much untapped talent.”
Yarnall currently spends about a third of her time on the road for conferences, speaking appearances, portfolio reviews, and partner engagements. In the last year she’s been to Nigeria, Uruguay, Norway, and India, to name a few. As a result, she and her team will be able to shine a light on new and unique voices.
“I think it’s impossible to do this without boots on the ground outreach, and talking to individual cultures and asking ‘What resources would help you?’” she says. “Storytelling is a currency that connects us across cultures…and I am so excited about the possibility of stories and content reaching so many more people.”
For Yarnall, an organization like National Geographic has been a key component to success, as she’s been able to “change and morph and develop new careers.” But her foundation in geography has been equally as important.
“Geography clarified my thinking,” she explains. “I love it because you can go very physical, or you can study earth sciences, or you can go very human. But it’s also an applied science. Some of our best photographers [at NGS] started out as biologists, but they are now unstoppable at communicating the natural world, because they have figured out how to tell that story. We know that we live in a world awash with data, but we also know that storytelling is what makes us human – if you connect the two things, it can be a superpower.”
-Melissa Nyman, CCAS BA ‘04
