How long have you worked for MoDNR? Describe your day-to-day job.
I've worked for DNR since 2011, so it'll be eight years at the end of this year. Currently, I'm a trainer for the entire department, and so I train all employees for civil rights and diversity, new employee orientation and basic orientation for supervisors. We train the current employees and new employees that are coming in on what's expected of them, as well as any kind of professional development that they would require or need throughout their entire tenure.
What do you like most about working at MoDNR?
I enjoy working with the people. That was one of the things that I really enjoyed when I started. I worked with the individuals who were in the air program, but as I moved up from the air program into where I'm at now in the Division of Administrative Services, I’m in more of a customer service role. We deal with every employee within the department and that's one thing I like, helping people.
How do you feel that your job helps to enhance Missouri's natural resources?
We make sure that every employee has the correct attitude when going out into the field. We want to make sure that they love the job that they're in, because how we interact with them does reflect on how they interact with the public, so that's really important to us.
What would you tell someone thinking about a career with MoDNR?
This is a great place to work. There's no greater job than helping other people and we're not only helping the people of Missouri, we're also helping the environment. We can only handle what we have here so trying to make our natural resources better will help and benefit every single person who visits Missouri, lives here or will live here in the future. What I would tell them if they wanted to work here is to apply, please. We need people who are forward thinking and open-minded, as well as those that may have a different perspective.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I never thought that I would work in government. I started out my career in retail and I never thought that I would work in an area that was so connected to the public, where everybody has their eyes on you, because you make a difference. Even if you work here thinking that you don't do anything at all, you are the ones that are making the difference for the community. No matter how small the job, from an administrative professional all the way up to executive staff, every single person makes a difference for the state of Missouri.
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