This paper discusses the Geography Faculty Development Alliance (GFDA), a five-year project begun in 2002 with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to improve professional development opportunities for early-career geography faculty members in U.S. colleges and universities, and to improve the learning and teaching of geography in higher education by focusing on helping faculty members who are just beginning their academic career. At a deeper level, the project's aim is to promote change in the culture of higher education by focusing on the important role professional development can play in strengthening geography and diversifying the professoriate.