Tag: Leadership

Marc J. Stern, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, was recently honored with the William C. Everhart Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of sustained achievements that provide creative insights and that foster an appreciation of our natural and cultural heritage.

The Institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. The awards are named for visionary leaders who make significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical and cultural heritage.

In addition to his role as professor, Stern is a senior fellow of the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, scholar of the Institute for Parks, and serves as co-editor in chief for the Journal of Interpretation Research and associate editor for Society and Natural Resources. He is a prolific researcher and author whose contributions have impacted environmental initiatives, relationships between protected areas and local communities, natural resource planning processes, climate adaptation efforts and other elements of environmental governance.

“Marc has dedicated his career to research that improves human processes and equips leaders with the information and skills they need to manage and maintain protected areas,” said Bob Powell, director of Clemson University’s Institute for Parks. “His extensive research has led to notable changes in environmental education, interpretation and training across local and national agencies – and our lands are better for it.”

His research was the basis for a major revision to the U.S. Forest Service’s approach to training for planning processes associated with the National Environmental Policy and for revisions to the National Park Service’s approach to environmental education and interpretation.

Stern’s teaching and scholarship focus broadly on the human dimensions of natural resource management, environmental education and sustainability. He teaches courses in environmental education and interpretation at the undergraduate level and social science research methods and sustainability at the graduate level.

His recent book, Social Science Theory for Environmental Sustainability: A Practical Guide, published by Oxford University Press, translates decades of advancements in social science theory for everyday practitioners working in the environmental field.  His work on trust development and other theoretical advancements have been well-recognized in the field and were recently the focus of a keynote presentation for the International Association for Society and Natural Resources.

His current work focuses on improving environmental education and interpretation for diverse audiences, advancing collaborative processes associated with climate adaptation and enhancing planning processes for interpretation across the National Park Service.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and its recipients.

Linda Lanterman, State Parks Director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, was recently honored with the Fran P. Mainella Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of her long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion in our nation’s parks.

The institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. Specific awards were named after visionary leaders that Hartzog respected and admired. Award recipients are following in Hartzog’s footsteps by making significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical, and cultural heritage.

The Fran P. Mainella Award is named in appreciation of the dynamic career of Fran Mainella, the first female director of the National Park Service. The award recognizes sustained and innovative achievement by a woman in the management of America’s natural, historic and cultural heritage.

Lanterman serves as the current president of the National Association of State Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers (NASORLO) and former president of the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD), both organizations in which Director Mainella held leadership positions.

“Linda was a natural choice for this award as her passion and charismatic leadership are reminiscent of Director Mainella,” said Bob Powell, director of Clemson University’s Institute for Parks. “She is devoted to making our nation’s parks a place of beauty, refuge and solace to everyone who wishes to visit.”

Lanterman has long been a champion for the re-authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and was active in the Great American Outdoors Act efforts, as well.  She spent time in Washington, DC, educating Congress on the importance of the re-authorization and was one of the point persons for America’s State Parks in the successful negotiations.

As President of the NASPD, she provided leadership for the organization and was instrumental in establishing NASPD’s partnership with Clemson University for the implementation of a webinar series for State Park professionals around the nation. Lanterman is a strong believer in education and training opportunities and has served at the State Park Leadership School for two terms.

In 2006, Lanterman was assistant director of Kansas State Parks when they hosted the NASPD conference that Director Mainella attended. During the event, Lanterman and Mainella spent time together, and Lanterman credits that experience for having a lasting impact on her life and career trajectory.

“Director Mainella made an impact on a young lady who never thought she could be a park director,” Lanterman said. “After that, I went on to become not only a park director, but also president of the NASPD.”

Linda is still in awe of Fran to this day, as she has made an impact on all parks and the people she has inspired.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and this year’s recipients.

Joel Berger, world-renowned conservationist, author and wildlife conservation chair in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, was recently honored with the Benton H. Box Award by the Clemson University Institute for Parks in recognition of his academic and instructional leadership in the environmental field.

The Institute presents the annual awards program, which is named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service, to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. Specific awards were named after visionary leaders that Hartzog respected and admired. Award recipients are following in Hartzog’s footsteps by making significant contributions to the management of parks and preservation of our natural, historical and cultural heritage.

The Benton H. Box Award recognizes academic professionals that exemplify Dr. Box’s distinguished career as an educator and administrator. Berger earned this year’s award for outstanding leadership in conservation and the pursuit of knowledge that has taken him all over the world.

The breadth and depth of Joel’s contributions to the field of conservation are remarkable,” said Jeff Hallo, Interim Chair of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University. “His research crosses cultures, pushes boundaries and strives to preserve and protect our planet. He is an invaluable leader in conservation.”

Berger grew up in Los Angeles, California, where his love for surfing and desert and mountain explorations sparked a passion for science. He realized at an early age the importance of understanding biological interactions – and in an effort to conserve the diverse natural resources of our planet, began his important work of studying endangered and lesser-known animal species, climate and environmental change and migration and connectivity. Most recently, his research has been focused on how society’s burgeoning passion for play and travel affect species on a local scale.

From studying muskoxen in the Russian and Alaskan Artic and wild yaks in the Himalayas to black rhinos in the Namib Desert of southern Africa, Berger’s work has taken him to the farthest reaches of the world and back again. He has published six books – one of which is “Extreme Conservation – Life at the Edges of the World” – and has garnered support from the Guggenheim Foundation, Smithsonian, National Geographic and the National Science Foundation. His work has also resulted in the only federally protected migration corridor, Path of the Pronghorn, in the United States.

“I know in my soul that the issue is not how many peer-reviewed publications we’ve scripted, but rather how we can reach and inform policymakers at levels that incite change,” said Berger. “We have to do more than just ‘science’ to advocate for our brilliant planet.”

Berger is currently the Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University and a senior scientist for the Bronx-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

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The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and this year’s recipients.

When Ron Walker was first offered the job of National Park Service (NPS) Director in 1973, he turned it down.

A former chief advance man to President Nixon, Walker had traveled across the country and around the globe, making sure everything was in place before a presidential visit. He had no experience with national parks and wasn’t sure why he was offered the role.

He was told to sleep on it before making a final decision. As he talked the opportunity over with his family, he recalled his time in the military, which taught him that you don’t say “no” to the President of the United States.

He accepted the job the next morning.

Over the next two years, Walker guided the NPS through a tumultuous time that saw 14 new park areas added to its mandate, including the first two national preserves.

According to Phil Gaines, professor of practice at Clemson University and retired director of South Carolina’s state parks, Walker is a legend in the parks and conservation field for several reasons.

“Ron Walker is one of the best examples of leading under fire that you can find,” Gaines said. “He’s also known for identifying and then developing staff from throughout the NPS system that had the potential to become great leaders.”

The Ron Walker Leadership Development program at Clemson University is designed in a similar way. The program brings together new and emerging leaders from state and national parks to strengthen their critical-thinking and decision-making skills. Participants spend four days at Clemson University, working as a group to discuss challenging park management issues and how to use research to inform their decision-making process.

Clemson faculty at the Institute for Parks developed the program to build transformative and effective leaders that are ready to fill leadership roles that are becoming vacant at unprecedented rates in parks systems across the country due to an aging workforce.

The United States Office of Personnel Management’s strategic plan estimates that 30 percent of the federal workforce reached retirement age in 2018. The Department of the Interior (which houses the National Park Service) is planning for 33.6 percent of their staff to reach retirement age by 2023.

Many of those starting to look towards retirement are in leadership positions, creating a possible leadership vacuum for the National Park Service.

The leadership development program is intended to fill those gaps, says Bob Powell, director of the Institute for Parks.

“Parks are facing increasingly complex challenges, and up-and-coming leaders need a wide range of skills to develop sustainable solutions,” Powell said. “When a participant leaves this program, we want them to return to their host park ready to apply approaches they’ve learned to challenges they’re currently facing and prepare for issues they are likely to face in the future.”

The first group of park leaders completed the leadership development program in October and are already seeing an impact on how they approach key issues on the job.

Priscilla Geigis, deputy commissioner for conservation and resource stewardship at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, says that the program discussions have helped her look at issues a different way.

“I now want to find opportunities to use technology more regularly to gather information to help make informed decisions,” Geigis said. “I also want to collaborate with universities to not only see issues with a different lens but to also back up decisions with credible research.”

Matt Whitlow, an Outdoor Recreation Planner with the National Park Service, said that he found the discussions with researchers and practitioners in the parks field beneficial.

“Being immersed in multiple days of conversations with researchers and practitioners representing multiple levels of government agencies and learning how research is being conducted in different parks and park settings was one of the greatest benefits of the program,” Whitlow said.

Since completing the program, Whitlow has been reviewing and interpreting the laws, regulations and policies associated with his core responsibilities to ensure the work he does is rooted in both fidelity to the law and serves the long-term public interest.

Planning is currently underway for the second class of park leaders, who will attend the program at Clemson University in October 2020.

Geigis says one of the most valuable lessons she took away from the week was the need for park leaders to navigate change in a way that ensures parks can stay relevant while maintaining the park system’s core values.

“Being part of a rich legacy of park professionals is an honor, privilege and responsibility,” Geigis said. “I was impressed to meet with key leaders in the profession and hear them share their stories and offer advice about both navigating challenges and recognizing and seizing opportunities.”