Happy new year!

by Jon Dain, NRLI Director

It seems a bit late for New Year’s messages, but please allow me to wish you all a happy, healthy, and hopeful 2024!

I would like to focus on the “hopeful” component of that wish. Not to downplay happiness and health (or prosperity for that matter), but hope is what underlies what we do at NRLI just as natural resources underly and make possible the daily lives of Floridians. Which is why engaging with NRLI Fellows, program participants and alumni is an exercise in hopefulness, we are constantly inspired by their work. 

Which brings me back to 2024* and the fact that we are actively recruiting for NRLI Class 24! As we have noted in the past, the best ambassadors for the NRLI program are our alumni and friends, so please reach out to people you interact with. People who could benefit from the program and would be of benefit to the program. To aid you in that task I thought I would jot down the…

Top 10 reasons to become a NRLI Fellow

1. Get to know the State of Florida and its natural resources - north, south, east and west
2. Learn to manage conflict – to understand and address contentious issues and relationships
3. Run better meetings –meetings that people find useful and productive
4. Frame and/or reframe issues in ways that promote collaborative problem solving
5. Drama by the River – if you go through NRLI, you’ll find out…
6. Thanks to our alumni, visit places that only “insiders” get to visit; meet and hear from people that only “insiders” get to meet and hear from
7. Improve key leadership skills – including how to engage with people you disagree with or even dislike
8. Gain skills that help you form more effective and productive partnerships
9. Learn useful and practical skills - end a session on Friday, apply what you learned on Monday at work
10. Join a network of more than 400 diverse professionals from around the State and across NRM sectors who are doing hopeful, inspiring and highly impactful work

There are many other reasons to go through NRLI, so create your own list and spread the word!

__________________

*On a final note, we are excited to initiate Class 7 of our DEP NRLI program on January 24^th! 

We're now accepting applications for NRLI Class 24!

Please spread the word to anyone you think might be a good fit for NRLI - our alumni make the best references for our program!

Also, if you are interested in helping plan and/or attending any of the sessions, please let us know! We love seeing you and having you meet the current Fellows.

Application deadline is 4/15. 

Details here.

NRLI alumni funding for the Rosezetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship

by Craig Diamond, Treasurer, NRLI Alumni Association

Rosezetta Bobo, NRLI Class 21, has focused her attention on the overall lack of diverse participation in most areas of conservation and natural resources and established the Rosezetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship to support greater participation of African Americans in the NRLI program.

“Diversity is not only about differences, but also about embracing and celebrating them,” says Rosezetta, who believes that her participation in NRLI allowed her perspective to be heard. It also changed her in many ways. “The leadership skills acquired and the peek into Florida’s many natural resource and conservation arenas were transformational.”

To date, the Rosezetta Bobo scholarship has supported three Fellows: Class 22 – Linda Sapp (FAMU) and Mark Rachal (Audubon Florida); Class 23 - Erica Hall (Sierra Club Florida).

Erica offered additional input on the importance of this scholarship – “With intersectional issues of equity, justice, conservation, and natural resources at the forefront of our environment, it is important to have diverse leadership in the natural resources movement.”  

Erica says she plans to share the scholarship announcement with colleagues and will urge them to identify strong candidates for NRLI Class 24. The NRLI Alumni Association is asking you to do the same – please spread the word and help raise funds! To ensure continuity in the scholarship, please consider making a personal donation today.

“This scholarship provides a beacon of hope … Your gift will individually help minority participation and holistically diversify more engagement of minorities into understanding natural resources and conservation.” – Rosezetta Bobo.

To donate, click below, or send a check to: FL NRLI Alumni Association, c/o Craig Diamond, 405 Inglewood Dr, Tallahassee, FL 32301

Andrea Albertin

Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent, Northwest Extension District, UF/IFAS

Andrea Albertin is the Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent for the UF/IFAS Northwest Extension District. She is based at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy, FL and has been in this position since 2016. Prior to working at UF, Andrea worked extensively in Costa Rica in natural resource management.

In her current role, Andrea works primarily on regional water quality issues in the Florida Panhandle, with a focus on nutrient source reduction to groundwater and coastal systems. Her major extension programs include the promotion and implementation of agricultural Best Management Practices, the ‘After the Flush’ septic system education program, and the Florida Well Owner Network (FWON) a drinking water quality and septic system educational program for private well users that provides access to facilitated well water testing.

She has an MS in Agroforestry from the School of Forest Resources and Conservation (UF) and received her PhD from the Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department (UF) in 2008, working on nutrient dynamics in Florida Springs and relationships to algal blooms. Andrea loves hiking with her family, all things water related and trying to grow things in her vegetable garden.

Stephanie Armstrong

Environmental Scientist IV, Suwannee River Water Management District

Stephanie joined the District in 2019 as an Environmental Scientist with the office of Environmental Resource Permitting, and she now works in the Office of Water Resources. Stephanie manages a water quality and biological monitoring network of over 250 sites, helps oversee the continuous water quality monitoring program at some of the District’s Outstanding Florida Springs, and is the lead environmental reviewer on water use permits.   

Stephanie grew up in Ohio and earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University. Her childhood experiences visiting her grandparents’ cabin in the Pennsylvania Allegheny Mountains inspired her to want to work in natural resource protection. Stephanie moved to Florida in 2012 for an AmeriCorps position with Florida State Parks, where she came to appreciate Florida’s unique natural resources and freshwater springs. Prior to her employment at the District, Stephanie worked for the Florida Department of Health and earned her master’s degree in Soil and Water Science from the University of Florida. 

Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys exploring the outdoors, seeing live music, playing volleyball and soccer, and spending time with her family, friends, and dog Chickpea. 

Andrea Albertin Regional Specialized Agent in Water Resources, UF/IFAS Extension

Stephanie Armstrong Environmental Scientist IV, Suwannee River Water Mgmt District 

Steven Beck Biologist IV, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission 

Ben Butler Partner & Vice President, Butler Oaks Farm, Inc.

Allegra Buyer Natural Resources Program Coordinator, Seminole County Lands Program 

Robby Creech Captain, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Michele Curts Leadership Programs Coordinator, Florida Farm Bureau Federation

Chris Denmark Environmental Administrator, Florida Dept of Ag & Consumer Services 

Rianna Elliott Director of Land Stewardship, North Florida Land Trust, Inc. 

Samuel Erikson Natural Resources Specialist, Highlands County 

Jessica Ferris Government Consultant; Carr, Riggs, and Ingram, LLC

Gregory Garis Program Administrator, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Erica Hall Volunteer Executive Committee Vice Chair, Sierra Club Chapter

Daniel Lamson Executive Director, Indian River Neighborhood Association 

Lindsey Pavao Senior Environmental Specialist, Alachua County Env Protection Dept

Callie Register Senior Hydrologist, St Johns River Water Management District

Laura Reynolds Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Rachel Rhode Manager, Climate Resilient Coasts & Watersheds, Environmental Defense Fund 

Jeffrey Smith Senior Environmental Specialist, Florida Power & Light Company

Tarana Solaiman Lead Project Manager, South Florida Water Management District

Stephanie Verhulst Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers