AFWA's Management Assistance Team is Looking for a Professional Development Programs Manager

The Professional Development Programs Manager is a key member of AFWA's Management Assistance Team (MAT) located in Shepherdstown, WV on the campus of the National Conservation Training Center. MAT is the Association’s professional development (PD) unit, which supports state fish and wildlife agency management, leadership and other programmatic needs.






The Programs Manager is responsible for research, planning, design, development and evaluation of PD programs, as well as the facilitation of those programs, including instruction.






If you would like to learn more about this career opportunity, go to www.matteam.org/announcement-position-opening/. The application period is open through June 5 or until filled.

National Conservation Leadership Institute: Cohort 9 Fellows Complete Their 1st Residency

The 36 Fellows of NCLI Cohort 9 completed their first residency on October 15 at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV. In addition to the tremendous courage, dedication and hard work demonstrated by the Fellows themselves, their success was made possible by the efforts of the NCLI Board, faculty, staff and peer coaches.

The NCLI’s first residency format is engaging, experiential and challenging to existing held assumptions. Cohort 9 met these challenges head on with intense inquiry, strength of purpose, resolute courage and a willingness to adopt new approaches.

The cohort’s development process will continue as they work within their peer groups over the next seven months towards a greater understanding of how to help their organizations thrive in the complex environment they face. They, like previous cohorts, are committed to learning this new approach to leadership to enhance their organizations problem solving capacity.

Cohort 9’s journey will continue throughout the year and will culminate in May 2015 with a four-day second residency at the National Park Service’s Albright Training Center, near the rim of the Grand Canyon.


For more information about the NCLI, go to www.conservationleadership.org. 

Gina Main Promoted to Director of Professional Development at the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and Executive Director of the National Conservation Leadership Institute

WASHINGTON, DC - The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) is pleased to announce that Gina Main has been selected as our new Professional Development Director and will serve as the Executive Director of the National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI).

Main’s promotion is a newly re-defined position within the Association to oversee AFWA’s Management Assistance Team (MAT) and direct world-class-quality professional development programs in support of state fish and wildlife agency management, leadership and other programmatic needs. She will also be responsible for providing senior leadership guidance and continuous improvement to the NCLI to prepare the next generations of extraordinary leaders in natural resource conservation.

“I am truly delighted that Gina is moving into this senior leadership position,” said Ron Regan, Executive Director of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. “I have complete confidence that Gina will serve the Association, the Management Assistance Team and our state members with great energy and professionalism.”

Main has been with the NCLI and MAT for more than nine years, and has served as NCLI Director of Operations and as a MAT Project Leader for three years. Her dedication to the NCLI has been an integral part of the success of the Institute since its inception.       

“The NCLI Board is excited about our continued professional relationship with Gina in her new position,” said Steve Williams, NCLI Board Chair and President of the Wildlife Management Institute. “I know Gina will bring her program knowledge and people skills to enhance the excellent reputation of the NCLI program as its new Executive Director.”

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve the Association and the National Conservation Leadership Institute in this new capacity,” said Main. “I believe the work of the Management Assistance Team and the NCLI is playing an instrumental part in developing leadership within our conservation community, and will continue to do so in the future. I look forward to contributing to their continued growth and success.”  

Main holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Arts and Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University.

> Learn more about becoming an NCLI Fellow.

> Follow the NCLI on Facebook/TheNCLIpage and on Twitter @_NCLI. 

> Follow the MAT team on Facebook/TheMATteam and on Twitter @TheMATteam.

 The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—the organization that represents North America's fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound management and conservation, and speaks with a collective voice on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org.
 

The Management Assistance Team (MAT) (www.matteam.org) is a small, high-performing team within the Association that is charged with developing and delivering professional development training opportunities to AFWA members. MAT products and services concentrate on the agency administration or the “people part” of the conservation equation, specifically in the areas of leadership and organizational development. MAT is responsible for program development and administration of the National Conservation Leadership Institute. 

The National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI)(www.conservationleadership.org) is conservation’s premier world-class experience for developing tomorrow’s natural resource management leaders. Internationally acclaimed instructors from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and other renowned leadership experts help deliver the incomparable program during each cohort’s two residencies.

Dr. Sally Guynn Receives Prestigious Paul C. Weikel Award

Dr. Sally Guynn, Project Leader for the Management Assistance Team and Executive Director of the National Conservation Leadership Institute, was presented with the prestigious Paul C. Weikel Award by the Organization of Wildlife Planners (OWP) on September 27, 2010.

The Paul C. Weikel Award recognizes individuals for their outstanding or distinctive contributions to improved agency management, on a national or international level. It was established in 1992 in memory of Paul C. Weikel, whose personal history of innovative management, and desire to improve agency performance, inspired the creation of the award.

Coincidentally, on the same day that she was presented with the Weikel Award, Guynn received one of the Association’s Special Recognition Awards at AFWA’s Annual Awards ceremony.

The Organization of Wildlife Planners is a professional organization concerned with the management and future of government agencies that manage fish and wildlife populations and habitat. It is an Affiliate member of the Association.

Congratulations Sally!

photo (r-l): Dr. Sally Guynn and Verdie Abel, OWP President

National Conservation Leadership Institute Completes Fourth Successful Year!

The National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI) has just graduated its fourth yearly class — a cohort of 36 Fellows. This group of Fellows included 25 state fish and wildlife leaders, six from federal agencies such as USGS, USFWS, and NPS and four from NGOs (NWTF, NFWS, and RMEF) as well as one tribal leader from the Navajo nation.

The culminating event for this fourth cohort was held at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri and Fellows made presentations regarding their individual leadership projects. These presentations focused on what leadership learning from the NCLI the Fellows applied and what practical lessons were gleaned from applying leadership concepts from the Institute. It was a very informative three-day event with time out for an evening steak fry and graduation ceremony.

The journey to Big Cedar Lodge marked the completion of the NCLI seven-month program during which Fellows completed pre-work online learning sessions from last September; then a 10-day residency in October where classroom and experiential learning about leadership was the focus; followed by a six-month effort where each Fellow worked on his/her individual leadership project and received coaching from peers. Graduation from the NCLI has been described by many Fellows as “life-changing!”

The NCLI is staffed by the AFWA Management Assistance Team and is governed by a board with representatives from the USFWS, AFWA, NFWF, WMI, TCF, Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Patagonia’s Freedom to Roam, Resource Management Services LLC, Greener Options Inc., Watershed Results LLC and Boone and Crockett Club.

The NCLI is now accepting online applications for cohort five which will begin in September 2010. Applications are due by May 15, 2010. To apply go to: conservationleadership.org

Registration Opens for 2009 Winter Term of MAT Online Leadership Course

Registration is now open for the Winter Term of The Management Assistance Team’s (MAT) online leadership development courses through December 19, 2008. The courses are designed by fish and wildlife agency professionals for fish and wildlife agency professionals using a state-of-the-art, instructor-led approach.

MAT is offering six courses that will begin on January 12, 2009. If you have not taken a MAT online course before, there is a short Student Online Tutorial that will be available on January 5, 2009.

Online courses offered during the 2009 Winter Term:

> Creative and Critical Thinking
> Going from Good to Great
> Secrets of Agency Assessment and Development
> Power
> Visionary Leadership
> The Adaptive Leader

The courses require that participants have reliable Internet access and basic computer skills to visit websites, create MS Word documents and use email. The courses are challenging and require about five (5) hours of work each week and are either four or six-week courses. The cost is $48 plus materials for four-week offerings and $60 plus materials for six-week offerings. Note, the last day to drop a course without being charged is January 16, 2009.

Courses are available to employees of state fish and wildlife agencies or the US Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as other AFWA member organizations, when space is available. Registration is limited to 15 participants per course and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. All participants receive a Course Certificate upon successful completion of the course (a certificate can also be sent for your personnel file on request).

To review course offerings and course descriptions and to register go to www.matteam.org.

The Management Assistance Team is a program of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.