In light of the ongoing restrictions on event size, Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development has scheduled a Fall 2020 webinar series that includes programming for both district staff and boards.

Wednesday October 14, 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.

PA Environmental Rights Amendment & Responsibility for Natural Resources

Presented by Margaret Murphy, DEP Counsel for Special Projects

Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, also known as the PA Environmental Rights Amendment, states, “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment.” This presentation will examine the background of the Environmental Rights Amendment and its significance to the work of Pennsylvania’s conservation districts and is open to all conservation district staff, board members, and partners.

Click Here to Register for 10/14 webinar. 

Tuesdays October 20, October 27, and November 17, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.

Adaptive Strategies & Contingency Planning for Conservation Districts

Presented by Deb Thompson, Strategy Solutions

Ongoing disruptions have demonstrated that contingency planning is more important now than ever before. This workshop series will examine the lessons learned and potential opportunities for the future. We will identify issues, challenge assumptions, and develop an action plan to engage boards in scenario planning.

Session 1: Adaptive Strategies & Scenario Planning for Managers will define the parameters of contingency planning related to technology, staff support, program operations, stakeholder advocacy, and fundraising. Managers will discuss the challenges and hazards they have faced during the pandemic and beyond, as well as lessons learned and challenges yet to come. They will collectively develop an action list to increase awareness with their boards.

Session 2: Adaptive Strategies & Scenario Planning for Board Members will introduce the concept of scenario planning and will examine the role of the board in helping staff work through a contingency planning exercise based on the discussion from Session 1.

Session 3: Finalizing Scenario Plans: Identifying “Must Do” Strategies for Conservation Districts will allow managers and directors to work together in groups to identify top-priority strategies and share ideas and best practices for implementation.

Click Here to Register for the 10/20 Manager Session. 

Click Here to Register for the 10/27 Director Session

All registrants will receive an invitation to Session 3 on 11/17.

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.

 

Session 3 of the Employment Law for Conservation Districts webinar series was held on August 5.  Videos of all three presentations, along with a reference guide, are posted at Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development.  

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 open for the Management Summit 2020 Webinar Series, scheduled on Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. from September 2 through September 30. This year’s program features a variety of topics including Managing Remote Teams, Negotiation Skills, and Volunteer Engagement, as well as a follow-up session from the Summer Employment Law webinar series. The Summit Series program will be bookended by the Manager Forum meetings on Wednesday, August 26, and October 7, allowing Managers to discuss resilient leadership and team cohesion in times of uncertainty.

Agenda and registration for the Summit Series can be found at the Building for Tomorrow website. 

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.

Managers and Directors – there’s still time to register for the Summer Employment Law for Conservation Districts session. Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC will present a webinar series on Employment Law for Conservation Districts, scheduled for Wednesdays June 3, July 8, and August 5 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., with a follow-up session on September 23.

The first session on June 3 will feature topics that are crucial to effectively and lawfully managing the conservation district workforce during times of disruption: furloughs, layoffs, and work-from-home policies. This presentation will also cover key hiring considerations for employers as well as leave and other important workplace and employment policies. Topics for the July and August webinars will include harassment training and policy, managing employee absences, wage and employee classification, and best management practices for employee communication, confidentiality, conduct, and performance concerns.

All conservation district managers and directors are encouraged to participate in these sessions. Click here for more information and to register. 

Adam Long practices in the Labor and Employment Law Practice Group at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. He represents employers in single-plaintiff and class-based employment litigation matters and provides advice and counseling to employers on a wide range of labor and employment law issues. Adam has worked with Building for Tomorrow to present on employment law and management topics for conservation districts for over ten years.

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 Building for Tomorrow 2020 Management Summit scheduled for September has moved to an online format for this year in light of COVID-19 restrictions. The Management Summit webinar series will be scheduled for Wednesdays in September, with sessions starting at 1:00 p.m. The agenda includes topics that address challenges during times of disruption, including managing effective remote teams, negotiation skills for dealing with difficult people, volunteer engagement in the age of social distancing, and more. Stay tuned for more information and a registration announcement in June.

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.

Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC will present a webinar series on Employment Management & Law for Conservation Districts, scheduled for Wednesdays June 3, July 8, and August 5 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. An in-person follow-up session is scheduled for Thursday, September 3, at the 2020 Management Summit.

The program agenda for the first session on June 3 will feature topics that are crucial to effectively and lawfully managing the conservation district workforce during times of disruption: furloughs, layoffs, and work-from-home policies. This presentation will also cover key hiring considerations for employers, leave, and other important workplace and employment policies.

Topics for the July and August webinars will include harassment training and policy, managing employee absences, wage and employee classification, and best management practices for employee communication, confidentiality, conduct, and performance concerns.

All conservation district managers and directors are encouraged to participate in these sessions. Click here for more information and to register.

Adam Long practices in the Labor and Employment Law Practice Group at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, where he represents employers in single-plaintiff and class-based employment litigation matters and provides advice and counseling to employers on a wide range of labor and employment law issues. Adam has worked with Building for Tomorrow to present on employment law and management topics for conservation districts for over ten years.

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.

March 31 Records Retention Webinar postponed, Staff Conference session video available for viewing

The Records Retention for Conservation Districts webinar scheduled for March 31, 2020, has been postponed. Stay tuned for an announcement on rescheduling for April. In the meantime, videos for the Records Retention and Prevailing Wage sessions at the 2020 Staff Conference are now available for viewing at the Building for Tomorrow website. 

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.

On March 31, Tyler Stump from PA State Archives will present a follow-up webinar to his recent Records Retention for Conservation Districts session at the 2020 Staff Conference. Tyler will share best practices and compliance for basic records management and rules for electronic document retention.

The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday March 31, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Click here to register. 

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 2020 Building for Tomorrow Staff Conference was held on February 12-13 at the Wyndham Garden State College. There were 130 attendees from 45 counties. Keynote sessions were held on productive conflict and emotional intelligence and getting things done through time management.

Presentations from the conference will be posted at https://www.paleadership.org/events-programming/staff-conference/.

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 Building for Tomorrow 2020 Back to Basics Regional Director Training workshop scheduled for March 10 at Berks County Conservation District has been canceled. But there’s still time to register for the March 11 workshop at Cumberland County – please click here for more information. 

For those unable to attend a regional workshop, remember to visit the Director Training page at the Building for Tomorrow website for learning resources and updates on upcoming programming.

In the meantime, mark your calendars for the July 23 Director’s Breakfast at the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference, where Janet McNally of Team Development Services will present on The Five Practices of Effective Boards.  Janet recently gave this presentation at a meeting of the PACD Executive Board, and everyone who participated agreed that it would be a valuable session for all Directors.  Stay tuned for more information coming in spring.

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.