2022 Director Workshop: March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District 

Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and Post-Covid Policies 

 Presented by Mary Kay Williams, MindShift Consulting & Matt Miller, PACD

Staff retention issues are not unique to conservation districts, but entering a third year of wide-ranging and potentially disruptive workforce trends, districts face a specific set of challenges and opportunities in recruitment and retention.  This workshop will present background and concepts that underlie successful retention strategies for conservation districts, and is intended to allow district leadership from across the state to share and discuss their own problems and solutions.

The program begins with an overview of survey data that shed light on the factors driving retention challenges and statistics pertinent to the current staffing situation and outlook for Pennsylvania conservation districts.  Current workforce needs and attitudes are presented within the context of generational demographic shifts.  The Employee Life Cycle model will be examined, including a discussion of performance management practices that support staff engagement and retention at all stages, from recruitment through the end of employment. The workshop concludes with a group discussion that will include retention recommendations shared at the 2021 Management Summit.

Workshops are free of charge, include lunch for in-person attendees, and are open to all district board members, associate directors, managers and partner staff.

Mary Kay Williams is the owner of MindShift Consulting, a Human Resources training and consulting firm that focuses on helping individuals and organizations ‘shift’ their perspectives. Mary Kay earned both her B.S. in Education and M.Ed. in Training and Development from Penn State and maintains certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (S.P.H.R) and Senior Certified Professionals (S-CPA). As a former Human Resources Director for Centre County Government, she understands the joys and challenges of working with challenging people and situations. Her experience includes investigation and resolution of many work-place harassment situations, and she has shared her knowledge and insight through previous training events with conservation district directors, managers, and staff.