Fifteen conservation district managers, as well as representatives from the conservation partnership, attended the New Manager Boot Camp Training in State College, PA, June 18-20, 2019. Topics included the Conservation District Law, partner programs, finances, building board relationships, and managing staff.

Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller said, “This training was a great opportunity to bring new conservation district managers together and build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills for their position. Perhaps the most valuable part was the networking and sharing that took place among the attendees.”

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

Registration is now open for Building for Tomorrow 2019 New Manager Bootcamp training, June 18–20 at Toftrees Resort in State College. The program will include sessions on conservation district history and law, applicable laws and policies, program partners, fiscal management, integrated planning, board relations, and personnel and office management.

This event is designed to deliver information crucial to new conservation district managers and registration is limited to managers that have been in the role for less than five years.

Click here for more information and to register. Please make your room reservations at Toftrees by May 17 (direct 814-234-8000).

There are two dates for conservation districts to save for upcoming leadership development training.

1. The 2019 New Manager Bootcamp Training will be held June 18-20 at Toftrees Golf Resort in State College, PA.
2. The Building for Tomorrow 2019 Management Summit will be held September 4-5 at the Wyndham Garden in Boalsburg, PA.

More information will be distributed as it becomes available. Contact Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org with questions.

The series of Building for Tomorrow Regional Director Trainings on Sexual Harassment and Respect in the Workplace concluded in Ephrata, PA, on March 21. Five trainings were held across the state. Fifty-six people attended the trainings.

Overall, attendees found the trainings useful and had this to say:

“The content was thorough and timely. The facilitator covered the material well without being overbearing.”

“We needed to put this topic in our policy. This workshop was very helpful.”

“Very useful! Would recommend for all district boards and managers.”

The Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development program offered sessions on this topic to manager, staff, and director audiences in 2018-19, and is planning to present this topic again in the future. In the meantime, new managers are encouraged to attend the New Manager Training Bootcamp June 18-20, 2019, and all managers are encouraged to attend the Management Summit on September 4-5, 2019.

Contact Matt Miller with questions about the Leadership Development Program at mmiller@pacd.org.

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

The 2019 Building for Tomorrow Regional Director Trainings on Sexual Harassment and Respect in the Workplace kicked-off in Wilkes-Barre on March 5, 2019 and State College on March 6, 2019.

This interactive workshop program on sexual harassment was presented by Mary Kay Williams of MindShift Consulting.

There are three workshops remaining:

• Wednesday, March 13 – Cross Creek Resort, Titusville
• Thursday, March 14 – West Meeting Center, West Elizabeth
• Thursday, March 21 – Woodcrest Retreat Center, Ephrata

Click here for more information or contact Matt Miller at 717-238-7223 x107.

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

The 2019 Building for Tomorrow Staff Conference was held February 27–28 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport. The theme was “Culture & Communication.” The conference aimed to provide inspiration as well as valuable information on values, mission, and culture to Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.

Ninety-seven people representing 32 conservation districts attended the two-day event.

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

The 2018 Management Summit was held September 5 and 6 at the Ramada Conference Center in State College. 

Sixty-three district managers, assistant managers, and team leaders attended this free event, which included presentations on “Financial Oversight and Segregation of Duties” from Greg Hall of Smith Elliott Kearns, LLC, and “Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Era of #metoo” from Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick, LLC.  Mary Kay Williams from Mindshift Consulting presented two sessions including “Time Management Strategies” and “Managing Respectful Workplaces.”

In addition to these speakers, representatives from the PA Department of Environmental Protection presented information on revenue account codes, ePermitting, and the Chesapeake Bay WIP process. The Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development program discussed topics including strategic planning grants, web-based training and professional development resources, and topic requests for leadership development programming for 2019 and beyond.

Conservation district managers please save the date for the 2018 Management Summit, scheduled for Wednesday, September 5, and Thursday, September 6, at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in State College.

Registration information and an agenda are coming soon. Contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org with questions about this event.

I would like to introduce myself as PACD’s Leadership Development Coordinator. I am very excited to join the PACD team and to support the vital work of the dedicated district directors and staff throughout the state. Prior to coming to PACD, I worked for a statewide association representing not-for-profit senior service providers where I coordinated educational and leadership development programming as well as corporate sponsorship, conference and event planning, and member outreach.

I look forward to exploring ways that the association can improve education delivery and increase engagement with the districts and the communities they serve. With that in mind, I plan to reach out to many of you in the coming days and weeks as part of an informal needs assessment of the “Building for Tomorrow” program. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the meantime if I can be of any assistance to you or your district.

My contact information is: Matthew Miller, 717-238-7223 x11, mmiller@pacd.org.