Save the Date!
We are thrilled to announce for the first time ever, as part of our end of year campaign, the Leadership Academy is participating in the annual day of giving, Giving Tuesday!If you aren't familiar with Giving Tuesday, it's a global generosity movement created in 2012 as a day that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. This year, on December 3rd please consider giving a gift to the Leadership Academy as part of your charitable giving. Your gift will ensure scholarships, textbooks, guest speakers, and professional development opportunities are available to as many Academy students as possible.
AND a generous gift from Northwest Farm Credit Services will make your donation up to $10,000 double on Giving Tuesday!
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As we head into Winter term...Academy students explored the edge of their comfort zones this past term going on a "GooseChase" to complete adventures and act out challenges; they examined their strengths and assessed their emotional intelligence; considered their short- and long-term goals for the year; began developing a working relationship with their mentor; and worked on school-life balance as they were directed through a mindfulness presentation and yoga exercise. Through this exercise, guided by yogi Angela Newport, students learned how to assess their stress level and quantify their feelings on a continuum.
The Academy also hosted a "student media takeover" where current student Claire Hammond, showcased a week in the life of a student. She was active on all social media platforms answering questions, conducting student polls, showcasing her own leadership exploration, and even interviewing some leaders in the community. You can check out her work on our social media platforms. Great work, Claire!
As Fall term comes to a close, students continue to practice leadership skills on campus, with their mentors, and through activities funded through scholarship dollars. We are looking forward to Winter term and hearing about some of our students' adventures. Stay tuned for scholarship updates in the next newsletter!
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As a child, some of his fondest memories were spending time with his grandfathers working in the garden, walking in the fields or forest, or just doing chores. Those grandfathers later became strong role models in his life and helped him recognize his love for natural resources. He recalls "My two grandfathers had different backgrounds, different cultures and different life challenges. My paternal grandfather had the benefit of a Stanford education and great career as a chemical engineer. My maternal grandfather, an Italian immigrant in the early 1900’s, labored as a coal miner and farmer, and as a successful bootlegger during Prohibition. One helped me understand the value of discipline, focus, reason and money. The other helped me understand the value of dedication, compassion, loyalty and hard work. At the time I was not aware of all they were teaching me. Reflecting back over several decades makes me deeply appreciative for the “priceless” gifts of time and wisdom they shared with me, each in their own way."
After graduating from Oregon State University in Wildlife Science, he began his career with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, later becoming interested in habitat management. Through the support of a scholarship he was able to pursue an MS in Soil Science at OSU, which led to a PhD in Soil Science and Forestry at the University of Florida. After spending a few years as an assistant professor of forestry, he joined International Paper (IP) as a research forester for their west coast operations. His career took off quickly from field research to research management to forest management, operations and commercial responsibilities across IP’s US forestlands.
He was quickly identified as a leader, and served on several due diligence projects and acquisition integration teams that included time in Canada, New Zealand, China, Brazil, Mexico, France, Poland and Russia. From there he took an international assignment in Russia to lead the forestry and fiber supply group of a new joint venture created by IP and Russian partners. He retired from IP in 2015 after 32 years of service, and has since been involved with projects in the US, Brazil, Ireland and Russia, and as an adjunct professor at the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo, developing a leadership program aimed at early career professionals in the Russian forest industry.
With a wealth of experience both nationally and globally, and a leadership role many can only admire, I asked him what he thought his biggest failure was. "Failing to communicate effectively causes a lot of people a lot of grief, anxiety and wasted energy, and usually does not result in achieving a goal." He went on to explain that he still works to overcome challenges in his life and is always looking for ways to improve his biggest challenge: fear. "Fear of failure and fear of what others think. For me it is a journey that began with awareness, gets better every day, and will probably never be mastered."
As his professional career developed he says he quickly realized how poorly prepared he was to manage or lead people. He recalls, "I made a lot of mistakes and had to compensate by extra study and coaching. When my leadership responsibilities grew, I spent more and more time recruiting, developing, and mentoring people. I developed a keen sense of the importance of the soft skills, or as some would argue, the core skills, necessary for a successful career. The sooner I could help a young employee see the value of the soft skills, the more pitfalls they could avoid. The Leadership Academy stresses these critical core skills and is the reason I was attracted to the Academy."
Dr. Munson recognized the important gap in curriculum the Academy was filling, and graciously acknowledges the initial push by Dr. Jonathan Velez, Dr. Randy Rosenberger and others that made the Academy possible. Assisting in continuing to build that momentum was a natural fit for him, as he is now President of the Advisory Board. "I would like to extend immense gratitude to the founders and early supporters of the Leadership Academy. Their vision and steady commitment to develop the program is significant. The LA is actively growing to increase impact on undergraduates. My deepest thanks to all who are involved programmatically and administratively in support of this endeavor." When I asked him why it is so important to him to support the Leadership Academy he said, "I believe in the mission and approach of the Leadership Academy, and in the strong leadership of the Academy. I give to encourage others to give. I give because I see lives changing for the better, one cohort at a time."
Our deepest thanks to you, Dr. Munson. -->
Alumna Spotlight: Marie Petrie
A graduate of the 2011-2012 Leadership Academy, Marie joined the Academy because her first OSU College of Forestry professor convinced her that it was a worthwhile extracurricular activity. From the small coastal town of Coos Bay, she always hoped to work outdoors for her Tribe (The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians.) She says, "I joined the Academy because it was outside of my comfort zone and thought it would help with my people skills and will help me to become more involved with OSU, learning more fully and being able to give back to the community. The academy helped me become more involved with extracurricular activities in the community, time management, networking, and improving my communication skills."
Although she found many aspects of the Academy rewarding, she particularly loved working with her cohort and recalls, "My peers were great in making me feel valued and respected when I felt nervous and uncertain about speaking up. My mentor was and is an amazing resource when it comes to my life and career. We are still in touch." Those life lessons have served her well in pursuing her career aspirations, and in her current role as Silviculturist with the Bureau of Land Management.
When I asked her what she learned from her time in the Academy she said, "One of the biggest lessons was to find balance in life (school, family/friends, work and giving back) and to know your limits." Her advice to other students: "Saying no is not a weakness."
Morgan says of her time in the Academy, "I joined the Leadership Academy because I wanted to be pushed to learn and become a better leader and person. This program helped develop me in ways that I did not expect. I learned the value of a mentor and what they can provide. I learned that having conversations with my peers about deep topics teaches me more than what I read in a book."
Morgan recalls learning so much about communication and how to process her thoughts more effectively for the best outcome possible. She says, "I learned that leaders stay positive and are always willing to grow. My peers and mentors had the largest impact on me during the year and were able to meet me where I was emotionally and provide a listening ear or wisdom as I tackled challenges and new chapters in my life."
Now employed at the California Cattleman's Association, she says the Academy prepared her by helping develop her emotional intelligence, knowing how to identify her emotions and how they affect the people around her.
Her advice for new students interested in the Academy is that "relationships are the most important thing. Build and strengthen the relationships with the peers in your cohort and depend on your mentor. Don't be afraid to get deep!"
For other news, visit our website.
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Happy Holidays!We want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you for helping make the Leadership Academy a success this year.
Sincerely,
The Leadership Academy Team
Dr. Jonathan Velez, Dr. Haley Traini, and Faith Vawter Thank you to our corporate sponsor!
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Leadership Academy
Oregon State University
108 Strand Agriculture Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone: 541-737-2661