Webinar Title:
Investing in People to Achieve Clean Water Goals
Webinar Description:
People and relationships - human and social capital - are foundational to achieving goals to improve water quality. Yet, investments in people lag behind investments in research, technology, and practices, often undermining success. At the watershed scale, watershed coordinators and similar professionals are critical connectors and implementers, whose fundamental role is relationship management. However, watershed professionals often feel isolated in their roles, are undercompensated, and can get overwhelmed by the demands of the job, leading to high turnover, disrupted relationships, and thwarted success. This presentation will make the case for investing in people to improve water quality and watershed health and explore the importance of peer learning and professional development.
Speaker: 
Jenny Seifert
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Natural Resources Institute
Speaker Bio:
As a watershed outreach specialist for the North Central Region Water Network, Jenny leads multi-state projects that cultivate leadership, knowledge exchange, and behavior change for watershed protection. Trained in environmental communications, Jenny has worked primarily in communications and outreach for environmental research institutions and nonprofits for most of her career. She got her start in communications at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, DC right after college, and then she steered her course toward natural resources and sustainability after doing environmental education in the Peace Corps on the island of St. Lucia. Her work since has allowed her to live and follow her Wanderlust in a variety of places, including Oregon, Germany, California, and Wisconsin. She completed a joint MS in Life Sciences Communication and Environment & Resources at University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in German Language and Literature, with a minor in Religion Studies, at the University of Virginia.
Affiliation
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Natural Resources Institute
