Central Regional

Conservationist Tom Christensen

welcomed participants to the first

NRCS Joint Diversity Conference

themed, “Partners Retooling for

the Future to Accomplish Unity

and Diversity.” Mr. Christensen

said that this conference offers

attendees exceptional

opportunities for networking with

state conservationists and others

from across the nation and NHQ.

Missouri and Kansas state

conservationists both helped set

the stage for the conference by

showing informational videos

about their respective states.

Missouri highlighted its diverse

agriculture while Kansas

highlighted its diverse

workforce.

NRCS Chief Dave

White told of Hugh

Hammond Bennett’s

love for the soil and his

patient efforts to promote

the importance of soil. He

quoted Bennett, “If we take care

of the land, the land will take

care of us.”

The Presidents of the

NOPBNRCSE, NOPHNRCSE,

APIO and Roylene Rides at the

Door, STC in Washington state

representative the AIANEA gave

opening remarks that mirrored

one another. From commenting

on the historic milestone of this

J O I N T O P E N I N G C E R E M O N Y By Mary Shaffer, PAS, Kansas

Training Conference Newsletter

W A L K I N G T H E T A L K P . 2

R E O R G A N I Z A T I O N F U T U R E D I R E C T I O N S P . 3

C A R E E R F A I R P . 4

U P D A T E S P . 4

H O S P I T A L I T Y

U P D A T E S P . 4

Daily Schedule

Vendor/Exhibit Area Open 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Joint General Session

8:00 - 10:00 AM Concurrent Workshops

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Prof. Organization

Luncheons 12:15 - 2:00 PM

Concurrent Workshops 2:15 - 3:45 PM

Concurrent Workshops 4:00 - 5:15 PM

Joint Auction Social 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Networking - Hospitality Suites 9:00 - 11:00 PM

(Please check your program

agenda for locations.)

Take a Look Inside

conference, to the beneficial

training ahead, each speaker

gave his or her support for this

momentous endeavor.

Other speakers included

Joseph Hairston, Director of

Office of Civil Rights, NRCS and

Michael Watts, Director, Office

of Compliance, Policy and

Training. Both speakers

emphasized the importance of

diversity within USDA.

J O I N T L U N C H E O N O V E R V I E W By Lori Valedez, PAS, Texas

Dr. Alma Hobbs, USDA deputy assistant secretary for

administration, spoke at the Joint

Training Conference luncheon on

Tuesday, March 16, 2010,

bringing Secretary of Agriculture

Tom Vilsack’s vision for USDA -

touching lives of people every

day in every way. Hobbs spoke

on behalf of Pearlie Reed, USDA

assistant secretary for

administration.

Hobbs said it is the responsibility of every USDA

employee to ensure that all

USDA programs and

services meet the needs of

our customers. “Take

personal responsibility to be

the change you want to see at

USDA,” Hobbs said. “Unity

and diversity lead to

inclusion.”

Hobbs outlined major efforts at USDA that are under

the responsibility of Assistant

Secretary Reed. The top

Native America Presentation of Colors.

Dr. Alma Hobbs, USDA Deputy Assis-tant Secretary for Administration

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

(Continued on page 2)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) is an equal opportunity provider

and employer.

that same door. It will be changed forever.”

The task force reviewed

employee satisfaction surveys

and five top issues consistently

emerged: Leadership,

Employee Development, Talent

Management, Recruitment and

Retention, and Community

Outreach.

Another effort of the task

force is a nationwide training

component. The task force is

also looking to agencies to

develop process improvement

initiatives. Each agency will be

asked to develop one idea for

improvement and present that

to the Secretary on March 31.

priority was to reorganize the department’s administrative

functions under four new areas:

Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Civil Rights;

Office of the Chief Information

Officer; Chief Financial Officer,

and the new Office of

Advocacy and Outreach.

The Secretary has

developed a cultural

transformation task force, a

diverse group of agency

leaders to help create the

change he wants to see at

USDA. “By transformation, we

mean irreversible change,” Hobbs said. “Once you go out

a door, you cannot go back in

If we reach our cultural transformational goals, Hobbs

said USDA will be an inclusive

department, providing

equitable opportunity and

empowerment to all

employees. She said we will

also modernize our

technology to improve our

services, improve our past

and future records on civil

rights, establish a system of

accountability, and increase

diversity in the workplace.

“We are working hard to

transform USDA to

accomplish unity and diversity,” Hobbs said. “We

are going to put in place a

J O I N T L U N C H E O N ( C O N T I N U E D )

Source/Submitted by: Lori Valedez, PAS, Texas

H E L P I N G P E O P L E H E L P T H E L A N D

Motivational speaker, Michael Aronin

to him for a while. I wish I had the energy that he has.

We all complain everyday

about work, life, family,

friends, the traffic and the list

goes on and on. Michael

was born with cerebral palsy

and he has had to overcome

challenges. Instead of

complaining, he chooses to

be cheerful, happy and

energetic. We all could

learn from him – ‘no matter

how hard the situation, it can

be overcome, with help and

dedication.’

W A L K I N G T H E T A L K

Source/Submitted by: Astrid Martinez

D I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y Page 2

Michael Aronin’s presentation was heartwarming

and humorous. He engaged

the audience with such energy

and laughter with life

experiences on how to

overcome his own obstacles

with humor not with anger or

frustration. Through his life, his

hardest obstacle to overcome

was the way people perceived

him. He advised us not to judge

people by their appearance, but

to give the person the

opportunity for him or her to

show you what they are capable

of doing and achieving.

During his game of a one brain person he demonstrated

that we need to work together

to achieve a common goal and

how working together is always

a win/win situation.

One of the questions asked by

the audience was do we offer

help to a handicap person or

should we wait for him or her to

ask us? Michael stated that

you can ask if he/she needs

help. It’s good for persons with

disabilities to know that you

care.

I personally met Michael

and had the opportunity to talk

system that stands the test of

time.”

Alma Hobbs with Terry Cosby , above and Kalven Trice, below.

“What will we look like in the next 75 years?” Chief White asked the attendees at the Diversity Conference during the Tuesday afternoon Joint session. “We will be well educated and more diverse. We will need people with new ideas and broad perspectives. Our customers will be more diverse.” The Chief acknowledged the need to revamp recruitment and training but warned of the challenges caused by the enormous budget deficit that Congress will have to address. Broadening our customer base by bringing in new kinds of producers, small scale farmers, organic growers, as well as

serving our traditional base is how NRCS can continue to grow and innovate despite potential budget challenges.

“The partnership between NRCS and the National Association of Conservation Districts is the envy of the world,” said NACD representative Steve Robinson during the Voices from our Partners panel. According to Mark Clark, President of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies, one of the best places for learning about on-the-ground conservation success stories is the NASCA network. Composed of scientists, educators,

practitioners, and farmers, the Soil and Water Conservation Society promotes the science behind conservation. It aims to help members with professional development through its journals, conferences, trainings and local state chapters, according to SWCS Executive Director Jim Gulliford. Connie Richmeier, President of the National Conservation District Employees Association, remarked how the NCDEA is considering how to integrate diversity into all aspects of its programs and services.

Jessie Dyer, NOPHNRCSE

recipient, is currently a NRCS

soil conservationist in Rhode

Island. She heard about NRCS

while participating in the

Envirothon and researched

scholarships through NRCS on

her own. “The NOPHNRCSE

scholarship helped me at a

time that I needed financial

assistance the most with my

books and fees. It also

introduced me to a network of

people that have helped me

solidify my commitment to stay

with the agency.”

Kevin Farmer, NOPBNRCSE

recipient, is currently the State

Conservation Engineer in

Warwick, Rhode Island. He

Talk is cheap, right? Not today.

While talk may be cheap for

many, it may prove to be one of

the most beneficial resources for

raising money at the Joint Auction

Social. On Wednesday, the

APIO, NOPBNRCSE and the

NOPHNRCSE will host an

auction to raise funds for

scholarships to deserving college

students to cover costs for tuition,

books, meals or other necessary

costs.

As the cost of tuition rises,

college scholarships are needed

more than ever. Three recipients,

one from each of the three

professional organizations, talked

about the importance of their

scholarship award.

has benefited

tremendously

from a

scholarship from

NOPBNRCSE as

a student at

Florida A&M University.

“Although I received the

Arkansas chapter

scholarship several years

ago, I have not forgotten their

kindness or generosity

throughout my NRCS

career.”

Phuong Ly, APIO recipient, is

a soil conservationist in

Petaluma, California. She

first learned about NRCS and

the APIO scholarship from a

R E O R G A N I Z A T I O N W / C H I E F & P A R T N E R S

Source/Submitted by: Yuri Plowden, Pennsylvania

B R I N G Y O U R $ $ $ T O T H E J O I N T A U C T I O N S O C I A L

By Dastina Johnson, PAS, Delaware

Page 3

Scholarship Recipients: Jessie Dyer, Kevin Farmer, and Phuong Ly

Joint Session with Partners

J O I N T C O N F E R E N C E N E W S L E T T E R

"PARTNERS RETOOLING FOR THE FUTURE TO ACCOMPLISH UNITY AND DIVERSITY."

soils professor while in college.

“This scholarship is great outreach

for NRCS. The scholarship

compelled me to look into NRCS

and helped me see if this was

somewhere I wanted to work.”

These are only a handful of recipients that have benefited from the scholarships. So, come out tonight and put your money where your mouth is—in an effort to continue raising dollars for the scholarship funds.

Looking for a job in Hawaii? How about promotion

opportunities in Florida or

developmental pathways in

Montana? Visit Count Basie

Ballroom (CC1) on the second

floor and see the career fair for

more details about job

opportunities in the agency.

Here’s a brief look inside:

Montana is looking for an area

biologist, hydrologic technician,

public affairs specialist, soil

conservationist, and a soil

scientist.

Delaware has an open vacancy announcement for a

soil scientist.

Florida is advertising for an

archeologist, RC&D

coordinator, and a soil

conservationist.

The Pacific Islands Area is

hiring a management analyst,

soil conservationist and an

office assistant.

Kansas has vacancy

announcements for civil

engineering technicians, office

assistant, soil conservation

C A R E E R F A I R Submitted by: Jolene Lau, PAS, Pacific Islands Area

U P D A T E S

Registration:

If you have registered on-site and did not receive a conference bag, please check at t he registration desk on Wednesday.

If you have not received a program, extra copies are located at the registration desk.

Twenty states, as well as NHQ, centers and NEDC exhibited.

D I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y Page 4

H O S P I T A L I T Y R O O M U P D A T E S

please review the 10 “Clean House” Rules for better enjoyment of these activities. (The entire list of rules can be found at the registration desk.) If

somebody still needs to pay the $20 fee, please visit hospitality room 2122 to “Get Stamped.” The schedule is Monday through

Thursday 9 to 11pm.

Important Clean House Rules

We encourage our members to continue visiting our three Hospitality Rooms for more inter-organization networking. The Hospitality Rooms are 1856 (in the

Muehlebach Tower), 930 and 2122 (in Marriott Tower).

Monday night was a great

night, but due to excessive noise one room was asked to close early. For this reason we ask guests to

USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER AND EMPLOYER.

technician, and an RC&D coordinator.

Utah is looking for a

biologist, public affairs

specialist, and civil

engineer.

Alaska is hiring student

trainees.

Minnesota is advertising for a

district conservationist, soil

scientist, office assistant, and

an area resource

conservationist.

1. Get Stamped!!! All amenities have a cost. We will not serve food or beverage if you are not

identified with the paid stamp.

2. Keep it CLEAN!!!! Look for the nearest garbage can.

3. Noise, Keep it down!!!

4. Keep it inside!!! Keep networking in Hospitality Room areas, not hallways.

5. Rooms will open at 9:00 pm Monday thru Thursday. They will be closing at 11:30

pm sharp.

6. Help the Hospitality Room Representative in any way

you can. Remember that the success of this depends on your cooperation.

Please stop by the registration table to find out more information about the Hospitality Suites.

Currently, there are 689 individuals registered for this conference.

Room Changes (3/17):

10:00 am- 5:30 pm Investing in your future, Yardbird B

10:00 am-5:30 pm - NASS: What does the Census Say, Lido

Group Photos: March 17th, 5:30-7:00 pm - (by sign up only @ the registration desk), 3rd Floor floyer in the main Marriott Tower