ORGANIZER: Pat Lederle, NorthCentral Section of the Wildlife Society, lederlep@michigan.gov
AGENDA & PRESENTERS:
- 8:30 – 9:00 AM | Registration
- 9:00 – 9:15 AM | Introductions (NCS-TWS President, TWS Past-President, and Workshop Moderator)
- 9:15 – 9:30 AM | Influence of Leadership on Trust and Fulfillment of Public Trust Responsibilities (Pat Lederle, Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
- 9:30 – 10:30 AM | Wildlife Governance Principles and Adaptive Leadership (Ann Forstchen, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
- 10:30 – 10:45 AM | Break
- 10:45 – 12:00 | Factors that Build or Erode Trust in a Public Agency (Pat Lederle, Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
- 12:00 – 12:45 PM | Lunch (Provided)
- 12:45 – 1:30 PM | Facing Complex Challenges (Bettina Fiery, Management Assistance Team/National Conservation Leadership Institute)
- 1:30 – 1:45 PM | Break
- 1:45 – 3:45 PM | Building Trust with a Focus on Leadership (Bettina Fiery, Management Assistance Team/ National Conservation Leadership Institute)
- 3:45 – 4:00 PM | Summary and wrap up; evaluations
OVERVIEW: Objective: Provide leadership training opportunities for all natural resource students and professionals. Recognizing that everyone is a leader within different organizational levels, this annual workshop series will emphasize developing leadership skills, tools, and experiences that are practical and applicable.
Benefits: Students and professionals will enhance leadership skills, expand leadership contacts, and explore areas for professional growth. Agencies will increase leadership capacity and NCS-TWS will engage new leaders and increase professional relevancy. An additional benefit will be an emerging cadre of conservation leadership speakers sharing their knowledge and experience in additional venues.
Background: There are several existing leadership training opportunities for fish and wildlife professionals; e.g., the National Conservation Leadership Institute and TWS Leadership Institute. These opportunities have limited enrollment compared to the extensive need. Expanded opportunities are important as agencies face retirements, vacancy management, and declines in institutional memory. NCS-TWS recognizes these needs and feel annual leadership workshops can provide tangible benefits to all professionals in the Midwestern states. This need is being met through a collaborative partnership between NCS-TWS and MAFWA and an annual Leadership Series has been developed to be held in connection with the annual Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference. Given our broad definition of leadership, instructors will provide perspectives on issues such as:
- Collaborative governance and decision making,
- Time management in an era of shifting priorities and paradigms
- Decision making and problem solving within the context of complicated issues
- Leadership scales; leaders at home, the office, community, and the profession
- learners, mentors, and leaders and changing responsibilities as your career evolves
The first half of the workshop will focus on the past, present and future of conservation and some of the serious leadership challenges that have been met and resolved and some of the challenges yet to come. The second half will focus on governance structures and how effective leadership can positively impact the policies, rules, regulations, and philosophies of work that result in agency structures and decision making processes that allow agencies and their partners to meet their public trust responsibilities. The workshop will be interactive and participatory, giving workshop attendees the opportunity to interact directly with their peers and discuss and formulate potential solutions and outcomes, given the serious natural resource challenges faced by leaders today.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: All levels of attendees
FEES: $50.00 for NCS-TWS members; $80.00 for non-members. Lunch is included; sign up on the registration form.
