Nathan Lojewski is a Forest Manager for Chugachmiut, a non-profit organization that represents the Chugachmiut tribe and provides technical assistance to Alaskan Tribal Councils, Village, and Regional Corporations. Nathan joined the Peace Corps after graduating college and did volunteer work for remote villagers in The Gambia. On the show, Nathan discusses his Peace Corps experience, how he builds trust as an outsider, and what makes a person really thrive in a leadership role.
Key Takeaways:
[:45] A quick intro about Nathan’s background.
[2:15] How did Nathan first get started in forestry?
[5:35] What was it like volunteering for the Peace Corps?
[7:20] How did Nathan learn the language while in The Gambia?
[8:35] Nathan discusses what his time was like in The Gambia and how he helped improve the villager’s lives.
[13:50] How did Nathan build trust as a foreigner and a stranger in this village?
[17:30] Nathan discusses another fun project he did for this village where he taught a woman how to write.
[22:00] Did Nathan have culture shock when he came back to the U.S.?
[23:55] What does Nathan do for Chugachmiut?
[31:10] What has Nathan learned along the way about leadership?
[35:15] What’s the difference between being an informal leader vs. a formal leader?
[41:05] What advice does Nathan have for young professionals?
[44:05] When Nathan first joined the profession and SAF, he did not understand how valuable networking was for him.
[48:40] Nathan highly recommends you watch Only the Brave.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Laurie Raskin is a 2013 Graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry, where she earned a B.S. in Forest Management and Forest Resources Management. Laurie has since worked for the U.S. Forest Service, Finch Paper, and Wagner Hardwoods before going on her own path and opening her own consulting business. On this week’s show, Laurie explains why she loves being a consultant and the rewarding work she does as a forester.
Key Takeaways:
[1:10] A quick intro about Laurie’s background.
[3:00] How did Laurie first get started in forestry?
[6:45] What was Laurie’s first forestry job like after college?
[7:40] What kinds of things did Laurie learn as an intern?
[13:55] Even though Laurie had a great job at the time, she really, really wanted to get in procurement forestry.
[19:30] When Laurie found herself moving back to her hometown, she decided it was time to start her own business.
[20:55] Laurie is in the very early stages of her business; what’s it been like so far?
[21:45] Even though Laurie is still doing a lot of things she used to do while at her previous jobs, she still finds herself second-guessing herself because it’s still all so new.
[24:00] What kinds of role models has Laurie had?
[29:40] What can the profession do better to attract younger talent?
[36:10] Laurie recommends the book The Servant, by James C. Hunter.
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership Book, by James C. Hunter
Jenny Knoth is the Director of Environmental Affairs at Green Crow Corporation in Washington. She splits her time between fieldwork and forest policy committee meetings. Green Crow is a family-owned timber production investment enterprise with over 50,000 acres of land holdings. On the show, Jenny discusses why we can’t all be generalists in this field, the important mentors she’s had in her life, and why she decided to get her Ph.D. in Forest Resources.
Key Takeaways:
[1:05] A quick intro about Jenny’s background.
[2:45] How did Jenny first get started in forestry?
[5:05] What was Jenny’s work experience like in the very beginning?
[8:30] Jenny shares her views on choosing a specificity for the forestry industry.
[9:50] What kind of work does Green Crow do?
[11:45] What has been the most fun part of Jenny’s career so far?
[14:05] What kind of leadership lessons has Jenny picked up along the way? Jenny is fortunate that she’s been around a lot of good leaders!
[15:55] What kinds of mentors has Jenny had in her life?
[21:10] When Jenny was getting her Ph.D. program, she had the mindset that this program was a job for her and every day she was one step closer to achieving her goal.
[25:35] You learn a lot by doing work you didn’t expect to do.
[27:35] What can the profession as a whole do to attract more young professionals into the field?
[30:55] In Jenny’s line of work, she used a couple of drones to help her with her research. What did she learn from that experience?
[32:40] What’s the fire situation like out there in Washington?
[35:30] Adaptation works in nature, so it should also work in leadership as well!
[37:15] Jenny really likes the movie Hidden Figures and the leadership lessons in that show.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Peter Dieser is the Public Lands Coordinator for American Bird Conservancy and is currently stationed in Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in Rochert, Minnesota. Peter switched his careers while in school a couple of times before landing as a forester. He studied everything from literature, astrophysics, and even archaeology. He believes if you bust your butt, work hard, even if you’re just studying, it’s going to change your life for the better. You might not always love what you’re studying, but you can always learn from it.
Key Takeaways:
[1:05] A quick intro about Peter’s background.
[2:45] How did Peter first get started in forestry?
[8:05] Peter had an illness throughout high school and college that was misdiagnosed as cancer and it had him reevaluate his life and his goals.
[11:15] Although it might sound weird, Peter wouldn’t change his past because those early experiences and medical scares really made him the person he is today.
[14:55] What lessons did Peter learn while he was trying to discover his true call and passion in life?
[18:25] What kinds of mentors did Peter have while growing up?
[21:45] Since we serve so many diverse people, it’s important that our skillsets and perspectives are diverse, too.
[22:10] What do young professionals want in a career?
[26:50] What’s the most fun part of Peter’s job?
[29:15] What’s been difficult about working on the people side of forestry?
[36:30] Peter offers some advice for those young professionals out there getting started.
[39:10] What does the forestry profession need to improve upon?
[41:40] How can the profession attract and retain more of the younger generation?
[45:40] Peter shares some of his favorite books!
[51:25] Tom’s Leadership Tip of the Week!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman
Tim Ackerman is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Forest Ecosystems Management. Tim is now a Service Forester for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry in Erie County. On today’s show, Tim discusses how he was introduced to forestry and some of the leadership lessons he learned while he was in the Marines. Tim also gives advice to young aspiring foresters on how to get an internship and both the soft and hard skills needed to thrive in this industry.
Key Takeaways:
[:40] A quick intro about Tim’s background.
[2:00] How did Tim first get started in forestry?
[4:30] How did Tim get his first internship?
[7:30] When Tim was in the Marines, what kind of leadership lessons did he learn?
[11:10] Tom believes military personnel make for some of the best employees!
[11:20] What was Tim’s experience as a student leader like?
[15:30] Forestry is a small community and everyone really wants to help each other succeed.
[18:55] What kind of soft skills do aspiring forestry professionals need to learn before they start applying for positions?
[22:20] What kinds of surprises did Tim experience first-hand when he entered into the forestry profession?
[24:45] Tim has helped mentor a couple of forestry professionals in the past and explains what that experience was like.
[31:55] Tim does have to regularly explain to people that he’s not a forest ranger and that the profession is much more diverse than that!
[33:10] Tim offers some final words of advice to the young foresters out there.
[37:35] Tim recommends reading The Wilderness Warrior! It is a biography about
Theodore Roosevelt.
[43:20] Tom’s Leadership Tip of the Week!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, by Douglas Brinkley