NASCA Press Release: Jacob Loomis Announced as 2026 20 Under 40 Award Winner
For Immediate Release
May 14, 2026
Contact: Elizabeth Whitehouse, Executive Director, executivedirector@nasca.org
NASCA Press Release: Jacob Loomis Announced as 2026 20 Under 40 Award Winner
Little Rock, AR — The National Association of State Chief Administrators is proud to announce Jacob Loomis, State Geographic Information Systems Analyst at the Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services Geographic Information Systems Office, as a 2026 NASCA 20 Under 40 Award recipient.
The NASCA 20 Under 40 Award recognizes 20 exceptional young leaders from across the country who are making significant contributions to state government. Our 2026 honorees represent the very best of public service – exemplifying innovation, collaboration, and a dedication to improving the lives of those they serve every single day.
In his role as State Geographic Information Systems Analyst, Loomis supports several counties in Arkansas that are working toward transitioning to Next Generation 9-1-1. The foundation of this system is GIS data of addresses, roads, and emergency service boundaries. Jacob is responsible for maintaining the emergency service boundary aspect of this initiative for the entire state.
Loomis has played an instrumental role in Governor Sanders' Arkansas Forward Project, which evaluates where state employees work, if facilities are accessible to members of the public seeking service, and if each location’s size and location aligns with the needs of government agencies. Loomis used his GIS skill to map and locate all state buildings in the state capitol region and married this data to detailed real estate information maintained by the Department’s Division of Building Authority. After designing a series of online maps with a tab for each department and which buildings they owned or leased, the application included a display of the ratio of square footage to employees at that location. This allows officials to quickly visualize where utilization is optimized and identify where space could be better utilized.
Upon nominating Loomis, Leslie Fisken, Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services, commended his innovative leadership during the Arkansas Forward Project.
“The work Jacob has done on this effort has led officials to dive deeper into ways the state might improve the use of its real estate portfolio. For these reasons Jacob is an outstanding nominee for this award.”
Loomis’ ability to translate complex data into clear, accessible visualizations represents the innovation celebrated by the NASCA 40 Under 40 Award. NASCA celebrates his selection as a 20 Under 40 recipient, and we look forward to his continued work advancing excellence in state government operations.
Founded in 1976, NASCA is the nation’s only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving chief administrative officers or CAOs. NASCA provides a forum for state chief administrative officers to exchange information and learn new ideas from each other and private sector partners. NASCA engages states in transforming government operations through shared knowledge, operational excellence, and thought leadership.
For more information on NASCA, please visit NASCA.org.
