From a young age, Terese Flores dreamed of moving to New York City. Raised in Silver City and Las Cruces, she hoped her dream would one day become a reality. Twenty years after graduating from New Mexico State University with a bachelor’s degree in geography, she is now the Regional Park Manager for Manhattan in the New York City Parks Department.
Since starting her position, she has helped the city battle a pandemic, started an agency initiative for women in her field called Women in Leadership and has mentored many young interns in the world of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software.
GIS is a system that connects data to maps by integrating geographical information to descriptive information. The data from these systems is crucial in city planning, communicating and decision making. Flores’ interest in GIS mapping and geography started during her time at NMSU.
“I graduated after so many years taking different classes within the college of Arts and Sciences,” Flores said. “I ended up taking so many classes in geography that I really loved that I ended up pursuing it. I was even able to take graduate courses in landscape ecology. That’s what I loved about NMSU; it really gave me a chance to explore my interests.”
GIS technology was not always available to everyone in the field. Because of her degree and access to the software, Flores was able to teach young interns about GIS through a program she created called the Park Management Internship.
“The internship has been my biggest accomplishment so far because nothing like it existed before in my department,” Flores said. “I’ve created a way to network with young individuals who have a passion for the environment, New York City and GIS.”
The Park Management Internship made her role critical during the pandemic, as her ability to teach GIS technology to more people helped create safe outdoor spaces for the most populated city in the country.
“It feels rewarding,” Flores said. “I had two young kids who needed access to outdoor space through the pandemic. Being part of the creation of safe access to those spaces tells me that, even in a post-pandemic world, I’m doing really important stuff for the people and the city I care about.”
Besides the internship, another one of her accomplishments was starting Women in Leadership in 2019. She and a small group of other women started the initiative to serve as a forum for leaders throughout New York City government to directly contribute to the development of other leaders in a field primarily dominated by men. Ultimately, their goal was to create an inclusive environment for all leaders and to level the playing field to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities and preparation.
Recently, Flores has worked to address the excessive flooding in New York City. With assistance from her interns, she has been carefully pulling together data from maps acquired from plumbers and the capital division to pinpoint the issues.
Flores returned to Las Cruces earlier this year and reflected on her time at NMSU.
“NMSU made it possible for me to evolve with the career I was pursuing,” Flores said. “The access to learning, research, tools and different ideas is really huge. I’m grateful to everything I was exposed to, because it prepared me for where I’m at now.”
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CUTLINE 1: From left: Jordan Paglione, Luisa Gonzalez, Terese Flores and Leo Reuter-Harcourt at a construction meeting at Pier 42 in Manhattan. Paglione, Gonzalez and Reuter-Harcourt are all part of the Park Management Internship, an opportunity created by Flores for young, passionate individuals. (Courtesy photo)
CUTLINE 2: Last December, Women in Leadership hosted an event for leaders of all backgrounds. Flores and a small group of other women started the Women in Leadership initiative in 2019 to serve as a forum for leadership development in a field primarily dominated by men. (Courtesy photo)