United States Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center Training Specialist, 1999-2001
  • Course Leader for six Division of Education and Outreach courses.
  • Completed the needs analyses and the instructional analysis & design for six courses. Researched, wrote, edited, produced, implemented, and evaluated six training programs for natural resource professionals in the US government, foreign governments, NGOs, and the private sector. Including: 1) Public Outreach and Environmental Education: Overview and Program Planning, 2) Basics of Environmental Outreach, 3) Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities, 4) Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 5) Basics of Working with the News Media, and 6) Suitcase for Survival: Wildlife Trade Training Program.
  • Developed and delivered a comprehensive collaborative training program, Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities, in partnership with the Sonoran Institute, Woodstock Foundation, The Conservation Fund, & the U.S. National Park Service.
  • Coordinated and collaborated in the design of the Suitcase for Survival: Wildlife Trade training program, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and TRAFFIC North America.  The course focused on the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and illegal wildlife trade issues.
  • Negotiated all contracts, facilities, and requirements; planned, coordinated, and organized meetings & workshops.
  • Provided technical assistance and consultation internally within the USFWS.
  • Acted as the USFWS’s consultant to Coastal America’s National Education & Outreach Workgroup. Developed and reviewed outreach materials and marketing strategies, communicated and regularly consulted the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers.
  • Course Leader for six Division of Education and Outreach courses.
  • Completed the needs analyses and the instructional analysis & design for six courses. Researched, wrote, edited, produced, implemented, and evaluated six training programs for natural resource professionals in the US government, foreign governments, NGOs, and the private sector. Including: 1) Public Outreach and Environmental Education: Overview and Program Planning, 2) Basics of Environmental Outreach, 3) Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities, 4) Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 5) Basics of Working with the News Media, and 6) Suitcase for Survival: Wildlife Trade Training Program.
  • Developed and delivered a comprehensive collaborative training program, Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities, in partnership with the Sonoran Institute, Woodstock Foundation, The Conservation Fund, & the U.S. National Park Service.
  • Coordinated and collaborated in the design of the Suitcase for Survival: Wildlife Trade training program, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and TRAFFIC North America.  The course focused on the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and illegal wildlife trade issues.
  • Negotiated all contracts, facilities, and requirements; planned, coordinated, and organized meetings & workshops.
  • Provided technical assistance and consultation internally within the USFWS.
  • Acted as the USFWS’s consultant to Coastal America’s National Education & Outreach Workgroup. Developed and reviewed outreach materials and marketing strategies, communicated and regularly consulted the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers.
Detail Assignment, Conflict Analysis/Assessment: March – May 2001 Juneau Field Office U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Juneau, Alaska
  • At the request of the Juneau, Alaska Office of the USFWS completed a detail assignment and conducted a conflict analysis/assessment of the Alaska Working Group on Cooperative Forestry Fisheries Issues.
  • Designed the conflict assessment survey/interview instruments.
  • Examined in depth the organisational problems associated with the conflict by developing a formal set of interview questions and completed a stakeholder perception analysis.
  • Conducted semi-structured interviews with all stakeholders that consisted of federal and state resource management agencies, native village and regional corporations, fishing and timber companies, and environmental interest groups.
  • Analysed stakeholder information through the design and development of a conflict analysis matrix to assist with the determination of the major thematic areas associated with the conflict and organisational problems.
  • Provided strategic planning recommendations.
  • Wrote and edited a final report for the Juneau Office and the stakeholders.  The report included the: 1) the history of the organisation; 2) the objectives associated with my task/assignment; 3) the method used to collect relevant data and information associated with the organisation’s conflict; 4) a matrix with relevant interview information, categorised and hyper-linked to each individual interview via CD-Rom; and 5) a series of strategic recommendations on a collaborative process toward the group’s reorganization.
  • At the request of the Juneau, Alaska Office of the USFWS completed a detail assignment and conducted a conflict analysis/assessment of the Alaska Working Group on Cooperative Forestry Fisheries Issues.
  • Designed the conflict assessment survey/interview instruments.
  • Examined in depth the organisational problems associated with the conflict by developing a formal set of interview questions and completed a stakeholder perception analysis.
  • Conducted semi-structured interviews with all stakeholders that consisted of federal and state resource management agencies, native village and regional corporations, fishing and timber companies, and environmental interest groups.
  • Analysed stakeholder information through the design and development of a conflict analysis matrix to assist with the determination of the major thematic areas associated with the conflict and organisational problems.
  • Provided strategic planning recommendations.
  • Wrote and edited a final report for the Juneau Office and the stakeholders.  The report included the: 1) the history of the organisation; 2) the objectives associated with my task/assignment; 3) the method used to collect relevant data and information associated with the organisation’s conflict; 4) a matrix with relevant interview information, categorised and hyper-linked to each individual interview via CD-Rom; and 5) a series of strategic recommendations on a collaborative process toward the group’s reorganisation.
Detail Assignment: Public & Congressional and Legislative Affairs: Office of the Assistant Deputy Director of External Affairs U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C.
  • Prepared Congressional briefing materials for Acting and Assistant Director of International Affairs and acted as staff support during the CITES Congressional Hearings.
  • Attended public affairs meetings and consulted on issues relevant to the Endangered Species Act and the designation of critical habitat.
  • Wrote press releases on CITES committee meetings and Endangered Species Act (ESA) critical habitat issues that were at the forefront of the USFWS and distributed them to the national press.
  • Completed research on CITES and ESA critical habitat issues for the Assistant Deputy Director of External Affairs.
Conservation Training Specialist · Oct 1999 to Oct 2001 ·Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Successfully collaborated with partner institutions such as the Sonoran Institute, the Woodstock Foundation, The Conservation Fund, the U.S. National Park Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the AZA, and WWF. Provided technical assistance and consultation internally within the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Acted as the USFWS liaison to Coastal America’s National Education & Outreach Working Group. Consulted with the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers.
  • Office of the Assistant Deputy Director of External Affairs
    Aug 2001 to Oct 2001
    US Fish and Wildlife Service: Completed research on and consulted on CITES and the designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and prepared congressional briefing materials for the Assistant Director of International Affairs and the Assistant Deputy Director of External Affairs. Served as staff support for CITES committee meetings and wrote press releases related to ESA critical habitat issues.
  • Instructional Analysis and Design and Training Specialist
    Oct 20, 1999 to Oct 21, 2001
    Researched, designed, wrote, implemented, and evaluated six training programs for natural resourceprofessionals in the US government, foreign governments, NGOs, and the private sector. Including: 1)Public Outreach and Environmental Education: Overview and Program Planning, 2) Basics of Environmental Outreach, 3) Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities, 4) HumanDimensions of Wildlife, 5) Basics of Working with the News Media, and 6) Suitcase for Survival: WildlifeTrade Training Program.
  • Conflict Analysis Forestry Fisheries Juneau, Alaska
    Mar 2001 to May 2001
    Conducted an analysis of the conflict within the Alaska Working Group on Cooperative Forestry/Fisheries Research at the request of the Juneau, Alaska, Office of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Designed the conflict analysis to include a historical assessment of the group’s organizational problems and a complete assessment of stakeholder perceptions. Provided strategic recommendations on a collaborative process toward the group’s reorganisation. Engaged with all of the stakeholders in the conflict, including federal and state resource management agencies, native village and regional corporations, fishing and timber companies, and environmental interest groups.
  • Liaison to Coastal America’s National Education and Outreach Working Group
    1999 to 2001
    Acted as the USFWS liaison to Coastal America’s National Education & Outreach Working Group.Developed and reviewed outreach materials and marketing strategies, communicated and regularly consulted the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers.
  • Systems Thinking and Ecological Literacy,
    On Feb 29, 2000
    Systems Thinking and Ecological Literacy, Guest Lecturer by invitation from Shepherd University’s Institute for Environmental Studies (Special Topics: Communication Strategies for Environmental Studies) February 29, 2000.