On March 12, 2025, twenty-eight conservation district staff gathered in State College, PA, for the “Inspiring Action with Public Speaking” workshop. Participants learned the essential principles and techniques for planning and delivering confident and compelling speeches, presentations, and pitches. The exercises used examples from situations the conservation districts face, including speaking in front of commissions, legislators, and local news.

 

March Board Development Video: Strategic Planning

New for 2025, Leadership Development will post a monthly series of short videos to share information, promote programming, and encourage discussion on board development topics. It’s never too early to start thinking about strategic planning, and the March installment of the series includes a brief overview of the importance of strategic planning for districts, preparation, and the planning process, and support available through the Strategic Planning Grants Program.

Employment Law Seminar Reference

Written reference materials from the February Employment Law Seminars are now posted for your convenience at Building for Tomorrow.

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.

Over 75 conservation district personnel and partner staff attended the three Employment Law for Conservation Districts seminars on February 18, 19, and 20. Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC presented the seminars on best practices for hiring and managing employees, wage and hour laws, leave rights, policy review and updates, discriminatory harassment, and employment law trends for 2025 and beyond.

A seminar reference book is posted at Building for Tomorrow, and a follow-up webinar to address detailed employment law and policy questions is scheduled for March 18.

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 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards presentation was held on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Clips from nine 2024 district video entries were screened, and awards were presented to the top-scoring videos, including:

• Special Recognition Award: Watermarks, submitted by Indiana County Conservation District
• 1st Place: Streambank Stabilization Resources for Homeowners – Part 1, submitted by Westmoreland Conservation District
• 1st Runner-up: No-Till Drill Instructional Video, submitted by Montgomery County Conservation District
• 2nd Runner-up: Flushing Friday, submitted by Schuylkill Conservation District

Links to all 2024 Video Awards entries and the awards presentation are posted at Building for Tomorrow: https://www.paleadership.org/cdva2024.

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.

All district personnel are encouraged to attend the Inspiring Action with Public Speaking workshop on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Ramada Conference Center State College. The workshop, presented by Cindi Johnson and Stacey Piper of Piper Strategies, will provide an overview of audience-driven approaches to messaging and delivery that will supercharge your presentations and speaking engagements. Attendees will also have the opportunity to practice and get feedback on their own presentations.

Registration is required. The cost is $30 per attendee and includes lunch, refreshments, and workshop materials. Space is limited for this valuable training opportunity; registration closes when the workshop is filled.

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.

Mastering public speaking is a critical skill in today’s world and can greatly enhance your ability to communicate effectively and influence others. Communicating the impact of district programs to different stakeholders is a critical skill to boost participation among landowners, collaboration with partners, and decision-maker influence among local or state representatives.

In this half-day in-person training workshop, participants will learn essential principles and techniques for planning and delivering confident and compelling speeches, presentations, and pitches. The workshop will be held at the Ramada Conference Center State College on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Registration is required. The cost is $30 per attendee, and includes lunch, refreshments, and workshop materials.

The workshop will be facilitated by Stacey Piper & Cindi Johnson of Piper Strategies. All district staff are encouraged to attend, but space is limited, so don’t miss out on this valuable training. 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.

There’s still time to register for a 2025 Employment Law Seminar, presented by Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. Seminars will take place on Tuesday, February 18, in Cranberry Township; Wednesday, February 19, in State College; and Thursday, February 20, in Allentown. This year’s seminar will review the basics of legally compliant employee policy, cover important updates on wage rules and leave policies, and look ahead to changes we might see in the near future. All interested district personnel and partners are welcome to attend. Seminar registration is $35 per attendee. Lunch and refreshments are provided, and all attendees will receive a bound reference document summarizing the presentation and policy recommendations. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and 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 2025 Winter Staff Training Initiative kicks off this week with a Wednesday webinar presenting an overview of the PA Agricultural Ombudsman Program on January 29. Other upcoming programming includes a PACD webinar on Understanding the Legislative Process, the 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards presentation, and a pair of virtual roundtable meetings focusing on administration and budgeting resources.

This year’s initiative also includes the Inspiring Action with Public Speaking workshop on March 12 in State College, PA. The workshop will provide attendees with an audience-driven approach to crafting and delivering compelling messages, and an opportunity for practice and feedback to help overcome speaking anxiety and build confidence as a presenter. Programs are open to all interested district personnel and partners. Visit Building for Tomorrow for registration information.

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.

Every year, we recognize and celebrate the hard work of talented conservation staff from across the state who produce and share video content for their districts. The 2024 video entries are in, and our judges are hard at work scoring them to determine the winners of the 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards. This year’s awards presentation will feature clips from ten different video submissions, and we will also hear from some of the content creators as they compete for the fabulous and coveted CONDIVA trophy for the highest-scoring video. Who will bring home the trophy (and bragging rights) for their district this year? Register and tune in on Thursday, February 13, from Noon – 1:00 p.m. to find out!

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.

January Board Development Video: Policy Audits & Employment Law

New for 2025, Leadership Development will post a monthly series of short videos to share information, promote programming, and encourage discussion on board development topics. The January installment of this series includes an overview of the importance of employee policy audits, review reminders about our online sample policy catalog and some of the focus topics for the upcoming Employment Law Seminars scheduled for February.

Register Now for 2025 Staff Training Initiative

All district personnel are encouraged to register for the upcoming 2025 Staff Training Initiative, which runs online and in-person from January through March. This year’s program features a variety of topics, with a focus on communications and admin roles. Webinar topics include the PA Agricultural Ombudsman Program and Understanding PA’s Legislative Process, and interactive roundtables for sharing admin and budgeting tips and best practices. An in-person training workshop on public speaking will present an audience-driven approach to super-charging any district presentation. It will provide a valuable opportunity for practice and confidence-building for all staff members in public-facing communications roles. Lastly, don’t forget the 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards, where we will award the coveted CONDIVA trophy to the highest-scoring district video entry from 2024. Visit Building for Tomorrow for information & registration links.

Fall Leadership Webinar Series Videos Available

The 2024 Fall Leadership Video Series is posted at Building for Tomorrow, along with references and other supporting documents. The series focused on “Back to Basics” topics appropriate for all new district personnel, but particularly for new directors and managers, including an overview of Act 217, Other Applicable Laws for Districts, and a 2-part presentation on Board Function and Engagement.

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.