AgForestry Leadership Class 41
AgForestry Class 41 learns about forestry practices in Longview, Washington.
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ashington State’s AgForestry Leadership program is an 18‑month course that helps professionals in agriculture, forestry and natural resources build their industry knowledge, learn leadership and communications skills, and connect with peers across the state. The program consists of 11 seminars held across the state on topics including government, economics, international trade, communication, water issues, media relations, and the environment. The program also includes a week-long trip to Washington, DC, and a 2‑week international trip. Class 41 has just graduated from the AgForestry Leadership program. In this feature, Irrigation Leader interviews four of the new graduates—Craig Gyselinck, Jenny Knoth, Kelly Lawrence, and Brock Leonard—about their experiences in the program, their trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, and how the knowledge and skills AgForestry has given them will further their professional careers.
Craig Gyselinck
Environmental Assistant Manager, Quincy–Columbia Basin Irrigation District Quincy, Washington
Craig Gyselinck: I am the environmental assistant manager at the Quincy–Columbia Basin Irrigation District (QCBID). I’m involved in ensuring that the water that we deliver to farms is of proper quality and quantity. I do a lot of weed control and also review how environmental laws and regulations affect our business.
6 | IRRIGATION LEADER | June 2020
Craig Gyselinck: A number of individuals with whom I’ve worked and whom I look up to have gone through the program, including QCBID’s former general manager, Darvin Fales, and its current manager, Roger Sonnichsen. They all spoke highly about how this program helped accelerate their careers, gave them leadership skills, and taught them about how our business is connected to the nation and the world. That piqued my interest in this program and led me to apply. Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your experience in the program. Craig Gyselinck: The AgForestry program is a leadership development program. It helped me understand the impacts that I can have as a leader in two main ways. First, it helped me develop leadership skills. Second, it helped me gain a larger perspective on the industry we work in. The first half of the 2‑year program is focused on developing leadership skills. The seminars deal with working with the media, public speaking, listening, and so forth. The second half of the program is focused on developing a big-picture understanding of what’s occurring in our industries and how other industries affect the work that we do. I was surprised by how connected the agricultural industry is with the rest of the world. One example is that I had never thought about how important the roads, ports, and other transportation infrastructure in Seattle are for delivering the products that we help grow around the rest of the world. I didn’t realize how connected Washington’s agriculture industry is with the rest of the world. irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KELLY LAWRENCE AND CRAIG GYSELINCK.
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
Irrigation Leader: Why did you apply to the AgForestry program?
