The Wildlife Society Announces Winning Participants of the 2010 Leadership Institute

Online, April 20, 2010 (Newswire.com) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Laura Bies
20 April 2010 (301)897-9770 ext. 308

THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY ANNOUNCES 2010
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE PARTICIPANTS

BETHESDA, MD - The Wildlife Society (TWS) today released the list of participants who have been chosen to attend the 2010 TWS Leadership Institute. All applicants are early-career wildlife professionals who were selected to participate in a variety of distance learning and hands-on projects, which will culminate in intensive mentoring activities and leadership workshops at the 2010 TWS Annual Conference in Snowbird, Utah in October.

"It is well known in the profession that nearly 70 percent of our leaders are projected to retire in the next decade," stated Michael Hutchins, Ph.D., executive director/CEO of TWS. "We established The Leadership Institute in 2006 to address the upcoming shortage because we feel we have a responsibility to prepare our members to meet this pressing need."

This year the National Wildlife Refuge System, a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is again providing funding for TWS to expand the number of Leadership Institute participants up to 15, allowing more of the wildlife professions' top young leaders to capitalize upon the training offered by this unique event.

A committee of TWS members and staff selected participants based on the applicant's academic record, demonstrated leadership capability, and demonstrated level of excellence either in their current position, or in their position as a leader of a Chapter or Section of The Wildlife Society.

This year's participants are:
• Elizabeth Ball, Missouri Department of Conservation
• Jami Belt, National Park Service (Glacier National Park)
• Kristina Boyd, U.S. Forest Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Bridget Collins, USGS Contractor/Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• Kent Fricke, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas
• Martin Grenier, Wyoming Game and Fish Department
• Elizabeth Johnson, Alabama Wildlife Federation
• Rickey Jones, Kleinfelder West, Inc.
• Emily Just, Pennsylvania Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources
• Shauna Marquardt, Missouri Department of Conservation
• Margaret Pepper, USDA-Wildlife Services
• Annaliese Scoggin, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
• Mackenzie Shardlow-Jeffress, University of Idaho/National Park Service (Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Network)
• Lindsay Smythe, U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service (Kofa National Wildlife Refuge)
• Walter Veselka, West Virginia University

"As professionals, these future leaders will face some difficult challenges in the years to come," continued Hutchins. "The Leadership Institute was designed to groom them to face the many and varying conservation and management issues that lie ahead."

From May through September, the participants will complete a wide variety of exercises, which include reading leadership materials, presenting to peer groups, leading seminars, and developing summary documents regarding professional leadership. During TWS' Annual Conference in Snowbird, the participants will meet for focused discussions, serve as mentors for students, and attend Council meetings. The Leadership Institute is important because many young professionals entering leadership positions do not necessarily have the skills to successfully manage large groups or complicated programs; the Institute gives these exceptional young people the management, mentoring, and organizational skills they need to become exceptional leaders as well.

The program has been popular and growing since its introduction and each year has received more applications than it can award. Past participants can attest to its popularity: according to a recent graduate of the program, "Few opportunities exist for young professionals to enhance their experiences for career development, and more specifically, for becoming active leaders within their professional realms. Therefore, this was a unique opportunity indeed."

About The Wildlife Society
TWS is a scientific and educational organization representing over 9,100 members that is dedicated to enhancing the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, sustain productivity, and ensure the responsible use of wildlife resources for the benefit of society. TWS also is an advocate for science-based wildlife policy. For more info visit www.wildlife.org

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