As Volunteer Service and Partnership Coordinator, I am in a unique position to serve the U.S. Forest Service in a capacity that enhances their capability and mission in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. I also began work here as a volunteer myself, learning that it's a terrific way to work with some really dedicated foresters in their mission to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Volunteers play a vital role in accomplishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service mission. Under the National Forest System, volunteers care for the land and provide visitors with recreational and educational opportunities. Volunteers help the State and Private Forestry program with projects that help landowners and resource managers sustain the Nation’s forests and protect communities and the environment from wildland fires. The help volunteers provide in each of these areas ensures that important interpretive and resource management work gets done, especially during times of reduced budgets. As a volunteer coordinator, working to administer and synchronize volunteer groups and individuals supports the Forest Service directly. As a Partnership liaison, I serve in a unique capacity with the USFS. The Forest Service regularly works in partnership with other entities, including tribes, States, Federal agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and communities. According to Federal policy, partnerships are defined as “arrangements that are voluntary, mutually beneficial, and entered into for the purpose of mutually agreed upon objectives.” Building relationships at the local level has become a critical part of this partner relationship, and I'm honored to be part of that. I love this motto: "Caring for the land and serving people." Thankful for the opportunity to work with the talented and diligent leaders and staff at the Blue Ridge Ranger District.

Responsible for public, media, tribal and congressional liaison for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Southwest Region encompassing the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. As part of the Regional Directorate Team, a senior leader and staff principal, provides coaching, mentoring, training, experiential learning and other developmental programs. Responsible for program management and resource management. Knows laws, regulations, and policies that govern the Service (and government) and the External Affairs program, and ensures compliance. Ensures effective management of program funding. Provides direct support to the Regional Director to accomplish specialized initiatives and External Affairs-focused actions unique to the Region's operations. Demonstrates exemplary Communication expertise. Responsible for communication and liaison to Service constituencies including Congressional liaison, Non-Governmental Organizations, Partners, Stakeholders, Media, Native American Tribes, other Federal and State agencies, and the Public. Coordinates and communicates effectively at all levels within the Service. Coordinates and communicates effectively with the public and all interest groups. Ensures that all written, photographic, video and public affairs products are clear, well-written, and meet the Service's requirements. Function as part of the Regional Directorate Team to develop methods for business process modeling (currently Emphasis Areas model) and hierarchical structures--including measuring and improving overall productivity, and identifying efficiency in the administration of stakeholder engagement. Develop processes and systems to gauge performance against external affairs customer expectations and satisfaction goals. Provide senior management counsel on strategy, performance management and measurement, and potential methodologies for ensuring stakeholder and client (internal and external) satisfaction.

Serves as the Chief of Public Affairs for U.S. Army Reserve Command, the U.S. Army Reserve headquarters. Provides guidance and oversees public affairs operations for the USAR operational force with an end strength of 200,000 Soldiers and over 12,000 civilians serving worldwide. Provides operational and institutional training and readiness oversight functionality for 38 deployable public affairs units and all public affairs activities at USAR major subordinate commands (operational and functional; training and support; regional support commands). Leads the USARC synchronization effort for strategic messaging, concept development, and product initiation. Provides pro-active and dynamic public affairs support, to include Chief of the Army Reserve-priority informational and awareness campaigns. Serves as the principal staff advisor to the Commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command, and all executive leaders within the command, putting special emphasis on tracking the accuracy, propriety, timeliness, intended audience and relative importance of information. Conducts all public affairs operations, focused on core processes of media relations/public information, internal information, and community relations. Provide guidance, mentorship, and vision to all public affairs practitioners in the Army Reserve. Serves as the proponent for all public affairs issues in the Army Reserve across doctrine, training, leader development, organization, materiel, and Soldier and/or civilian support issues; responsible for the career development and slating for all public affairs personnel in the Army Reserve in concert with Human Resources Command. Supervises USARC PAO staff. Retired.

Responsible for all public affairs operations for the largest operational command in the U.S. Army, encompassing over 800,000 active component Soldiers and Department of the Army Civilians. Conduct the command's public information/media relations, internal and command information and community relations programs on behalf of the commanding general. Internal information program target audience: Soldiers aged 18-24, with inherent requirement to understand social media approaches and platforms. Responsible for senior-level integration and synchronization of communication efforts both internal and external to headquarters; systematically promulgating key themes and messages and command information. Responsible for concept development, product initiation, management and oversight as part of the senior public affairs management team. Responsible for concept development, product initiation, management and oversight as part of the senior public affairs management team. Provide pro-active, dynamic public affairs, to include awareness and informational campaigns. Managing editor and publisher for the Command's online publication. Serve as the principal staff advisor for public affairs to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command, and all executive leaders within the command. Primary liaison to Department of the Army Public Affairs, developing Army-wide strategic communication plans, public affairs and media relations guidance. Ensured synchronization of messages at all echelons. Provide training and readiness oversight to 20 active component public affairs units. Responsibilities included direct supervision of unit commanders and approval of unit training plans. Ensured public affairs unit readiness for overseas contingencies and U.S. support missions as required by Army-assigned global force management requests for public affairs forces.

As the acting State Public Affairs Officer, ensured all aspects of public affairs were conducted successfully, to include media relations, community relations and command information. Served as primary media spokesman. Responsible for all speech writing for senior leadership, as well as audience analysis for key leader engagements. Responsible for all online public affairs products and content. Tracked Congressional and interagency liaison to ensure coordination and collaboration. Assisted U.S. Property and Fiscal Office with strategic organizational planning and revision of policy and procedure publications.

Ensured the smooth transition of Army Reservists and Army National Guardsmen from civilian status to active military duty in support of worldwide operations. Personnel-focused position, overseeing a team responsible for all individual mobilization packets and human resource tasks as they are processed through the Department of the Army Mobilization Processing System (DAMPS). Due to success in Individual Mobilization, selected to lead the effort to transition the three-star headquarters to Rock Island Arsenal, IL in accordance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. Established the transition core team, mission, goals, major milestones, operational planning teams and progress reviews to facilitate movement with minimal disruption of operational and optimal continuity.

Battalion command, approximately 500 Soldiers and full time staff in support of those Soldiers. Responsible for battalion readiness, both mobilization preparation and homeland defense operations. Units included two military police companies (one each guard and enforcement); a medical company, an explosive ordinance disposal detachment and a headquarters company. Provided trained and ready units to support the War on Terrorism and numerous local disasters at state level to include Hurricane Katrina. Transitioned battalion to be mission-ready as Georgia's Chemical-Biological-Radiological-High Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P). Provided specialized troop training for the Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission set. Concurrently served as the Director, Active Guard and Reserve Human Resources, overseeing the management, assignment and career field designs for all AGR Soldiers in the Georgia National Guard.

Provided oversight to issues pertinent to the Commanding General, 78th Troop Command, to include support to homeland security and defense support to civilian authorities (DSCA). Directly involved in planning and execution of the G8 Summit at Georgia's Sea Island, and served as Executive Officer, Joint Task Force G8, throughout the operation. As state Mobilization and Readiness Officer, responsible for mobilization, demobilization, readiness analysis/oversight and reporting for Georgia Army National Guard units as they prepare for deployment. Project requirements and force management for the Georgia Guard, to include organization integration and Total Army Analysis. Interface with Department of the Army, Headquarters U.S. Forces Command, Headquarters First Army and other states to ensure units selected to fulfill global force requirements meet the specifications and qualifications of combatant commanders worldwide.

Company-level unit command; concurrently serving full time in the State Public Affairs office and then as the State Mobilization Planner. Responsible for Georgia's mobilization operations during post-9/11 deployments. Responsible for detachment readiness, both mobilization preparation and homeland defense operations.

Primary function as the adjutant, including all areas of personnel and human capital management; personnel requisitions, screening and hiring; and placement and administration functions of human resource management. Joint Combatant Command; four-star level staffing and issues management. Provided in-depth analysis to program leadership regarding all personnel matters for both the headquarters and field teams in 23 countries. Responsible for placement of personnel on teams as well as personnel management functions such as pay, leave, evaluations, awards, etc.

Provided analysis and recommendations regarding force structure projections including FORSCOM participation in Total Army Analysis, the Quadrennial Defense Review (1998), and the Army Posture Statement. As part of the force management team, conducted liaison between components regarding force structure allocations per component (Active, Guard and Reserve) and the then-Force Status Pool tiered readiness system for resourcing. In support of sourcing units against worldwide combatant commander requirements, provided readiness analysis and recommendations for units to deploy to operations, including specifically required functions and units for Bosnia and Kosovo. Assigned in the FORSCOM G-6 from August 1995 to August 1996, performed organization integration and force management functions specific to signal and signal-related units. Focused on Compo 2 (Guard) force structure, readiness and issues as part of the Guard's Title 10 full time support staff at FORSCOM.