As members of the 24th UF/IFAS Natural Resources Leadership Institute (NRLI) cohort begin trekking across the state this fall, they do so under the stewardship of a new leader, the first in a decade.
Joy Hazell, a state specialized agent in facilitation and conflict management, succeeded Jonathan Dain, and she will serve as interim director for at least a year. Dain will continue his 20-year affiliation with NRLI as a member of the project team.
“Next year is NRLI’s 25th year,” Hazell said. “We need to start envisioning what we want the institute to be in the next 25 years with the end goal of improving decision-making in the state, so our natural resources are around for future generations.”
Founded in 1998, NRLI educates natural resource professionals about Florida environmental issues and teaches them how to reach collaborative solutions. Every year, about 20 fellows commit to an eight-month itinerary spanning the state. They spend three days each month in a different location experiencing and learning about a natural resource. Local experts provide background information about the resource, and various local stakeholders share opinions on how it should be managed. Fellows develop communication, conflict-management and leadership skills in the process.
“The idea is that the more input you can get, the more innovative and inclusive you can be,” Hazell said. “Policy decisions are vital, but policy decisions that managers can execute – and that the people the policy impacts can buy into – are the ones that are going to create a stronger system.”
NRLI has over 600 alumni. They represent government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private companies, community organizations, academia and tribal entities.
Stacie Greco, Alachua County Water Resources program manager, participated as a NRLI fellow in 2012. Her cohort’s overarching theme was sea level rise, and their itinerary took them from the Florida Keys to Cape Coral to Cedar Key.
Greco said NRLI taught her how to become a better meeting facilitator, as well as how to identify when it’s time to speak up and when it’s time to listen. She also learned the importance of framing discussions around potentially contentious issues.
“The way that our world is now with people really being dug into their positions, having more and more people who know how to communicate with others and who can understand where others are coming from is so invaluable,” Greco said.
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
0
