DR. GANGLOFF & HER CAREER

EnviroEducation.com: Tell us about your career. Where did it begin? How did you discover your talent for the environmental field?

Dr. Deborah Gangloff: In high school in the 1960s, I was greatly influenced by the civil rights movement and issues of race. This led to a fascination with the study of humans, or anthropology. While studying evolution and biology in college, where I majored in anthropology, I began to appreciate the role of the environment on the development of culture. The role that humans play in ecosystems is such a determining one. Humans have had and will have the greatest impact on ecological health of any species.

My interest in all aspects of anthropology led me to take summer courses at other colleges nearby and to participate in an archaeological field school in Nevada (at UNLV). As such, I finished college with a Bachelors of Science at age 20. I then worked for 6 months on an archaeological excavation in Tennessee until entering graduate school at Rutgers University. I received a Master's in anthropology, and then a Ph.D. My dissertation was on social organization and religion of the Omaha Indians.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector, as opposed to the private? How and why did you become involved with AMERICAN FORESTS?

I worked briefly for the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, then accepted a position with AMERICAN FORESTS as a program assistant in the Urban Forest department. I believed that my skills and expertise as a social scientist would be best put to use in a field where people especially needed to understand and appreciate the value of natural resources. Nowhere is this need more prominent than in urban areas. In addition, being from New York City originally, I think I have a good understanding of the attitudes of urban people toward trees and other natural resources.

In the last 20 years, you've seen a lot transpire in the environmental movement through American Forests. Do you have a personal environmental philosophy that guides your decision-making?

I'm very proud of the role AMERICAN FORESTS has played in the conservation and environmental movements of the last century and a quarter. We have emphasized the need for citizen understanding and positive involvement in improving natural resources, and, most recently, we have pioneered the involvement of corporations in helping to restore damaged forest ecosystems. Our Global ReLeaf campaign provides grants to local groups to restore ecosystems by planting native trees. Through the program, AMERICAN FORESTS has inspired millions of people to plant millions of trees in rural and urban ecosystem restoration projects both here and abroad. My personal environmental philosophy is based on the principles that people need to be involved, we must prevent damaging the functioning abilities of ecosystems, and we must restore those that have been damaged.

Individuals can do this at three levels: personal - use less and recycle more; community - work through local groups on community-wide actions; and nationally - support organizations like AMERICAN FORESTS that work to make better policy and provide resources to local areas to improve the environment.

THE ACTUAL WORK

Tell us about what you do as Executive Director of AMERICAN FORESTS - describe a typical day at work.

The first thing I do in the morning is turn on my computer and check my email. As it boots up I listen to my voice mail messages from the night before. I review my calendar and note meetings or deadlines. Often, I have worked at home after business hours, and have ideas or made decisions that should be communicated that next day. I will often invite staff in to meet with me to test or confirm those ideas. We have a weekly meeting of the Management Team, the senior staff of each department at AMERICAN FORESTS, and quarterly full staff meetings. Other teams focused around programs, like Global ReLeaf or urban forests, will meet throughout the week, and I sometimes attend those meetings too.

A great deal of my time is spent on the 'big picture." Seeing and planning a strategy, and communicating that strategy to the staff who carry out the day-to-day activities. AMERICAN FORESTS has an excellent staff of dedicated professionals who are very good at what they do. They are also well aware of the value of their individual jobs to the whole picture at AMERICAN FORESTS. I maintain personal contact with the leadership of our partnering organizations - government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits - and conduct media interviews, etc., to give visibility to AMERICAN FORESTS and our programs.

AMERICAN FORESTS works to ensure a sustainable future for the nation's forests through tree plantings, forest policy, urban forestry and other programs. How heavy is this responsibility and do you feel a sense of urgency to accomplish your environmental mission?

The responsibility to meet our environmental mission is our #1 priority. Our first responsibility is to the land and the people. Nothing we do can violate this responsibility. When we raise a dollar for tree planting, we must plant a tree. And not just any tree, anywhere. Our obligation is to provide grant monies so a local group can plant the right tree in the right spot in the right way with the right follow-up care. Only then is that tree beneficial to the environment. We are fortunate to have hundreds of tree planting partners around the country and the world who responsibly plant all our trees.

How do you communicate the importance of your work to the public? How do you gauge success?

Public awareness is very important to our work. We have an experienced, professional communications staff that gathers salient program information, and communicates that information via the media. We issue press releases when we make news, and hold events to attract attention to accomplishments or ambitious plans for program work. For the past 106 years we have published a magazine that also permits us to show the value of our work and thank our donors for their support.

EDUCATION INFORMATION & ADVICE

What are the best ways to find a job in the nonprofit environmental sector?

The best way to find a job in the nonprofit environmental sector is to volunteer or intern at an organization that conducts programs in which you have an interest. Being there is the surest way to be considered for the job, when and if one opens up. Your willingness to work for little or no pay, at least initially, allows you to find out how things work at that institution and who everyone is. Employees would like to reduce the time needed to get new employees "up to speed," and if you are familiar with the people and routine of the office, you will be ahead of those candidates who simply submitted a resume. I am not suggesting that you live on nothing. Many interns or volunteers work part-time to support themselves while pursuing a career.

What's the pay scale in the field for those just starting a career? How about for those at the senior level?

Entry level positions start at very low salaries, but once an employee proves their value to the organization, salaries increase, sometimes dramatically. Higher level staff members earn much more, of course, but the nonprofit sector still does not compete favorably with the "other private sector." Perhaps it never will, because we are in the business of improving society, not making profits. I would not recommend entering the nonprofit sector if making lots of money is your overriding motivation in life.

How available are internships in the nonprofit environmental sector? What's the best way to find them?

Response: Internships are very available, again at little pay, and the Internet provides easy access to many of them. The Washington Center here in DC coordinates internships for the area, and we partner with them. They do the outreach to colleges, arrange the housing and pre-qualify the interns. That makes it easy for participating organizations.

How is the job market right now in the nonprofit sector? How do you think it will be in the next five years? 10 years?

The job market in this sector rises and falls with the economy, and with the politics of the times. If a need becomes greater, opportunities increase.

JOB INFORMATION & ADVICE

Your degrees are all in anthropology. Did your education prepare you for what you actually do now? If not, could you have done anything differently?

As a social scientist I feel I was prepared for any position anywhere, but my biological, chemistry, and physics education were lacking. More expertise in those areas may help for an environmental career.

What factors did you consider when choosing your programs?

College and graduate research helped me analyze organizational efforts, and there are many resources in organizational development have been helpful to me. I did not start out or even plan to be an executive administrator, and if I had, I would have availed myself of these types of courses and resources in college.

Does it make a difference in the industry to graduate from a prestigious school?

In the technical side of environmental work, some colleges carry more weight, but when we hire an employee, I am more interested in the skills they have, their communication abilities - both written and spoken - and their self-confidence and attitude than the institution that issued their degree. These skills can be learned in any location at any school.

INDUSTRY TRENDS

You've been involved in the environmental movement since the early 1980s. Do you feel that the American public is getting the message? Is there anything that our environmental leaders must do differently in the future to be more effective?

The environmental movement has changed. People are more knowledgeable, students learn more about the environment and their role in it in school today, and there is more competition for donor dollars. Organizations must remain relevant to the public and up-to-date on the their issues and communicate effectively with the public. The competition for attention increases as people are exposed to more messages through the media every minute.

How has the popularity of the Internet affected your profession?

The Internet is an excellent way to outreach because people search for you and access your information on their own time and schedule. We can also better serve our public with email and other electronic messages that are less intrusive than direct mail or telemarketing.

CLOSING REMARKS

Is there anything else you can tell us about yourself, your career, or the profession that would be interesting or helpful to others aspiring to enter the field of conservation?

To plan for a career in conservation, scientific knowledge and experience comes first, and management and administration courses should be included in your education to round out your expertise. Choose the organizations you work for carefully, assess their abilities and competition, and ensure that you agree with or at least understand their stands on the issues. The better an employee can present an issue and motivate people to respond, the better employee, and conservationist, he or she is.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about the educational and career outlook for Forestry majors, click here.