2024 PNW LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Fostering a Vibrant Forest Community

February 1-2, at the Wilsonville Conference Center in Wilsonville, Oregon

Hosted by Oregon SAF and Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society

Whether you are a student, technician, manager, researcher, educator, or an engaged retiree, developing and strengthening your leadership abilities is as important as staying abreast of the latest research. Workplace dynamics are always changing; Collaboration is being prioritized, and good leaders must remain flexible and adaptive.

The 2024 PNW Leadership Conference features a program that will cover a range of situations natural resources employees may find themselves in throughout their career: from the transition as an early professional, learning how to navigate conflict, developing productive collaborations, to strengthening leadership abilities. Engaging group discussions will highlight how to advocate for yourself when seeking more responsibilities and promotions, and how to gracefully exit when it’s time to seek opportunities elsewhere. The program will also include several networking sessions and opportunities for students and early-career members to connect and engage with professionals.

Thank you to the generous support of the Wildlife Society and OSAF for offsetting the student costs.

Agenda will be updated as speakers are confirmed.

• Program Materials
• Registration
• February 1 Agenda
• February 2 Agenda
• Lodging
• Student Support
• Sponsors
• Continuing Education Credits

• Early bird registration is open through January 10. After January 10, registration prices will increase by $50 for professionals, but no change for students.
• Online registration is now closed.
• Questions regarding registration? Please email melinda(at)forestry.org.

SAF and TWS Members
Early bird $250

• Includes half-day Thursday session and full-day Friday session
• Meals and refreshments between sessions
• Includes banquet dinner

Student Members
$50

• Includes half-day Thursday session and full-day Friday session

• Meals and refreshments between sessions
• Includes banquet dinner

Non-SAF and TWS Members
Early bird $350

• Includes half-day Thursday session and full-day Friday session
• Meals and refreshments between sessions
• Includes banquet dinner

11:00 a.m. – Registration opens

• Katie Nichols, General Chair for 2023 OSAF Annual Meeting
• Jacob Putney, OSAF Chair

12:00-1:30 p.m. – Welcome Lunch and Mixer

• Terry Baker, CEO, Society of American Foresters
• Amanda Sullivan-Astor, Forest Policy Manager with Oregon Associated Loggers
• Jacob Putney, Assistant Professor (Practice) with Oregon State University Extension Service

1:30-2:30 p.m. – Plenary Session: Embracing the Friction: The Role of Conflict in Fostering Strong Teams and Relationships

This session will focus on how communication is key for leaders and that conflict is not all bad. Healthy conflict can actually produce better results and allows you to know people are comfortable voicing their opinion. We will get useful tools to help through these challenging situations.

• Robin Harkless, Director of Oregon Consensus
• Olivia Jeronimo-Awbrey, graduate research assistant at Portland State University

2:30-2:45 p.m. – Break

2:45-3:45 p.m. – General Session: Panel – How Collaboration can Transform Disagreement into Shared Solutions

This panel will include people most closely engaged in the Private Forest Accord negotiations. Both the ENGO and industry perspectives will be represented and will explain the process by which they were able to come to agreements through vastly different viewpoints. It will focus exclusively on the process tactics used and not on any of the outcomes of the negotiations.

• Adrian Miller, Senior Director of Environmental Affairs, Weyerhaeuser
• Seth Barnes, Director of Forest Policy, Oregon Forest Industries Council
• Stacey Detwiler, Oregon Policy Director, Wild Salmon Center
• Sean Stevens, Executive Director, Oregon Wild

3:45-4:30 p.m. – General Session: Breakout Group Activity

4:30-5:00 p.m. – Refreshment break

5:00-6:00 p.m. – Social

6:00-7:30 p.m. – Dinner

7:30-8:30 a.m. – Breakfast

• Katie Nichols, General Chair for 2023 OSAF Annual Meeting
• Jacob Putney, OSAF Chair

8:30-8:45 a.m. – Welcome

8:45-9:30 a.m. – Plenary Session: Leading Forward: How to Gracefully Transition as Young Professionals Reshape Organizational Dynamics

This session will focus on generational differences and how young professionals experience leadership positions. More young people are in these roles and we will hear about ways to be successful even when you may be supervising more experienced people.

• Tiffany Roddy, Manager of Government Affairs, Roseburg Forest Products

9:30-10:30 a.m. – General Session: Panel – Beyond the Handbook: Insights from Reimagined State and Federal Leadership Programs

This panel will consist of federal and state employees engaged in agency leadership programs and academies. They will describe to the audience how their agencies are teaching leadership skills and how they have had to adjust these tactics over the years. They will help us understand who participates in these programs for their agencies as well.

• Kyle Abraham, Forest Resources Deputy Division Chief, Oregon Department of Forestry
• Heidi Hopkins, National New Leader Program Manager, USDA Forest Service
• Sarah Reif, Habitat Division Administrator, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Michelle Bowden, Leadership Development Manager, US Fish and Wildlife Service

10:30-11:00 a.m. – Networking break and checkout

11:00-11:30 a.m. – General Session: Strategies to Increase Emotional Intelligence for Authentic Leadership, Building Trust and Leading with Integrity

This session will teach participants about emotional intelligence and how to be a strong, yet caring leader.  Skills and techniques will be provided to explain how you can test yourself and increase your self-awareness, so you are not too soft, but not to firm either.

• Laura Tesler, Project Manager, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

11:30-12:00 a.m. – Workshop: Breakout Group Discussion

This breakout discussion will focus on a handful of scenarios. Multiple tables will get the same scenario but will work only with their own table. The scenarios will be focused on situations where people have to choose how to deal with a challenging situation that requires emotional intelligence, leadership skills, good communication and/or recognition of different perspectives and generations. The table as a team will share how they chose to deal with the scenario.

12:00 – 1:15 PM – Lunch

1:15-2:00 p.m. – General Session: The Art of Articulating Your Value and Brokering Promotions to Reach your Full Potential

This session will help participants develop skills to explain their value without bragging or coming off in a negative way. It will focus on real life experiences to help share these skills.

• Travis Joseph, Executive Director and CEO, American Forest Resource Council

2:00-2:15 p.m. – Networking break

2:15-3:00 p.m. – General Session: Knowing When to Leap and How to Let Go

This session will focus on what you should weigh when deciding whether or not your job is a good fit that is allowing you to grow or if you can do more to reach your professional goals elsewhere. It will also provide insights from a supervisor’s perspective on ways to manage your team and emotions when you know someone will be leaving and will leave a hole in your organization. It will provide skills for how to let your staff grow in the ways best for them even if it is not best for the organization.

• Liz Dent, Assistant Station Director-Research, US Forest Service PNW Research Station

3:00-3:45 p.m. – Workshop: Breakout Group Discussions

This breakout discussion will focus on a handful of scenarios. Multiple tables will get the same scenario but will work only with their own table. The scenarios will be focused on situations where people have to decide about personal work situations, aspirations and/or challenges. The table as a team will share how they chose to deal with the scenario.

3:45-4:00 p.m. – Wrap Up

A block of rooms is reserved at the Holiday Inn Portland-I-5S (Wilsonville), which is attached to the meeting venue located at 25425 SE 95^th Ave, Wilsonville, OR 97070. The rooms are for $104+tax for either a double or king room.  This rate and reservation are only being held until January 12, 2024.

To reserve a room, call the Front Desk at (503) 682-2211 and ask for the Oregon SAF room block. To view the room options, visit: Oregon SAF Group Rate Reservations.  

The Oregon chapters of The Society of American Foresters & The Wildlife Society are pleased to provide funding for a select number of students interested in attending the PNW Leadership Conference at the Wilsonville Conference Center, being held February 1-2, 2024.

This application is open to all students who are currently enrolled or seeking enrollment in natural resource degrees in Oregon. Support is for lodging. Spots are limited to the first 30 students that apply, with the highest priority given to students who are members of SAF and TWS.

***The application period for applying for lodging support has now closed.***

*Please note that you will not be sent a confirmation email once your application has been submitted. We will contact you via email by Sunday, December 31st with a confirmation. The application takes approximately 5-10 mins.

Additional financial support may be available. Please reach out to your faculty advisor for any additional financial support you may need to attend the leadership conference.

Thank you to the following sponsors for providing support for this conference.

Society of American Foresters

This conference is worth 8.0 Cat 2 CFE credits.

The Wildlife Society

Participants can earn up to 8 CEUs in Category I of the Certified Wildlife Biologist®/Professional Development Certificate Program. One CEU can be earned for every hour of learning.