The APAEA Spring 2016 Newsletter

Download a PDF of the Spring 2016 Newsletter

National Chair's Corner - Chinling Chen

Thanks for taking the time to read this issue of the APAEA newsletter. APAEA is an employee network de-signed for Forest Service employees. APAEA has helped me personally to build my professional network, and I would like to give back to this community. I am honored to be the elected chair for 2016 and 2017. There are a total of 6 Executive Committee (EC) mem-bers. I am delighted to announce that we have recruited and retained APA talent to serve our members on the EC this year: Joan Louie is in her second year on the EC, while Anne Poopatanapong, Arvind Bhuta, Irvin Fox Fernandez, and Fely Schaible are elected last Nov to serve for 2 years. We will continue to bring you various programs and keep the topics up-to-date and relevant.

The EC and the APAEA working group have a lot of ex-citing ideas in areas of career advancement, retention and recruitment. I have no doubt that we will continue to work together and bring you excellent programs. And the fact that you are reading this newsletter shows that you are already a part of our community. The agency is constantly in a mode of change, and diversity and inclusion will likely to continue to be a hot topic of discussion. I would like to invite all of you to think about: how you can be a part of this change and help with this continuous effort. As Chief Tidwell stated in one of his speeches in 2011: “We (the Forest Service) want to broaden the circle of conservation—to make a connection to underserved communities all across America, especially in our urban areas—to build a workforce that truly reflects the face of America. We are designing our programs accordingly, and we are tailoring our recruitment and retention policies to the needs of young Americans from every background. “

APAEA is one of the many ways to stay connected and contribute to the effort.