As State Affairs Associate, I research state legislation for opportunities for the growing industry and suggest solutions to legislators. I also draft news updates and action alerts to targeted geographic areas to keep the members of the industry informed and seek their input and expertise. Managing the grassroots and member databases also helps the organization mount effective campaigns on the state and federal levels.

Gained valuable first-hand experience with intricate legislative functions and the role of congressional leadership. A main component of my job was researching Farm Bill provisions and other natural resources bills to provide information and context to the legislative staff. I also crafted response letters to constituents and interest groups.

As Policy Coordinator for the American Forest Foundation, I learned from the 70 thousand certified Tree Farmers in the U.S. and helped them to manage forests to sustain wildlife, provide clean water, and allow for recreation while also producing certified sustainable timber. Leading up to congressional hearings, I helped our members prepare to testify, suggested questions that Members of Congress should ask to clarify issues, and provided insight from our landowners to help shape legislation. I also kept our grass roots leaders up to date with weekly emails, monthly calls, and special alerts for events that have a large impact or are in their area. To engage other forest owners, I wrote articles for several magazines, often on a day’s notice. My proudest achievement working with individual family forest owners was a fly-in for 80 individuals to meet with their Members of Congress in D.C. to discuss policies that directly affect their work on the ground.

During my time with NASF, I researched the current state and federal programs promoting forest health to create a cumulative report. The State Foresters and I met with congressional offices to promote legislation to enable state foresters, promote Forest Service funding, and aid family-owned forests. I also worked with the Forests in the Farm Bill Coalition to promote programs for state and family-owned forests. I also wrote the NASF blog about current natural resource issues and managing content and strategy on social media.

During the fall of 2016, I completed an internship at the Michigan Senate Majority Policy Office. I researched legislation in other states on the issues our state was facing, analyzed proposed legislation for fiscal and environmental impact, and wrote bill summaries for Senators. I also attended meetings with stakeholder groups to write and negotiate the passing of a package of bills to regulate commercial hunting and fishing guides in Michigan. Once the package hit the floor, I noticed that they had published the wrong version and arranged for a Senator to make a floor amendment to fix the error. The amended bill passed and is now law.

My internship at Cassidy & Associates in Washington, DC opened my eyes to a wide variety of energy and environmental issues. I worked closely with environmental advisors and researched a variety of issues, such as air quality regulations, National Monument designations, energy research grants, and native Alaskan issues. I attended think-tank events, committee meetings, and interest group events to research issues and provide memos for the executives, clients, and our CEO. I took advantage of my first time in the nation’s capital to research legislative functions extensively.

Worked with ArcGIS, Wellogic, and various databases to collect, organize, and analyze data for accuracy. Proactively checked compliance of large quantity withdrawal water wells with Michigan laws. Independently researched Michigan ecology and environmental law.

Instructor for Kids Repair Program. Taught bicycle maintenance and repair to 10–17 year olds and mentally handicapped adults while promoting safe, sustainable transportation and healthy lifestyles. Completed service projects and facilitated events at local community gardens.