Environmental Employers Speak to Job Seekers
NAEP/AEP Environmental Career Seminar hosted by the Environmental Career Center

San Diego, CA

The NAEP/AEP Annual Conference took place in San Diego on March 25 – 28. The conference, CHANGING CLIMATES , was hosted by the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Environmental Professionals. The San Diego chapter is the largest AEP chapter in California and has student chapters located at SDSU, UC San Diego, and the University of San Diego.

The Environmental Career Center conducted the Environmental Careers Seminar on Tuesday, March 25th from 3-5pm. The seminar was for aspiring environmental professionals, college students, career changers, and anyone interested in a career that makes a difference. John Esson, NAEP Career Development Committee chair and director of the Environmental Career Center, moderated the panel discussions. Admission to this seminar was free for current students.

Participants interacted with a panel of technical and human resource professionals representing a diverse range of environmental employment. They have the expertise to inform aspiring environmental professionals of the key qualifications and experience employers are looking for. They discussed current career opportunities and the future outlook for environmental career fields. Employment sectors represented include government, consulting, nonprofit/NGO, corporate, and sustainability/green building. Attending this seminar allowed for networking opportunities, knowledge and inside tips to gain an edge in the job competition.

The Omni San Diego Hotel, the headquarters for the conference, is located in the historic Gaslamp Quarter downtown. It’s connected to PETCO Park and is a mile from San Diego Bay.

We’ll have an expanded report on the Environmental Careers Seminar in the next issue of the Green Careers Journal.

The 2008 NAEP/AEP Environmental Career Seminar panelists that participated were:

	Joe Carbone U.S. Forest Service Assistant Director - NEPA Washington, DC
Joe Carbone is the Assistant Director for the Ecosystem Management Coordination Staff of the U.S. Forest Service. His current responsibilities include providing oversight on National Environmental Policy Act, policy development, and guidance for USDA Forest Service.

 

Kyle Harper Botanist - EDAW Student AEP Chapter President - San Diego

Kyle Harper is a Biologist with EDAW and is also an Undergraduate of Environmental Systems at the University of California, San Diego. As a founding member, former President, and current Student Advisor of the AEP Chapter at UCSD, Kyle has worked to provide educational opportunities to students through volunteer and outreach efforts. Kyle is going to talk about the transition from the university life to the environmental workplace.

 

Mary Ann Hawke, Ph.D Director - San Diego County Plant Atlas San Diego Natural History Museum San Diego

Dr. Mary Ann Hawke is Director of the San Diego County Plant Atlas project at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Trained as a plant ecologist and environmental educator, Dr. Hawke’s research interests focus on assessing ecological health in arid lands and investigating possible effects of climate change on plant phenology. A decade of work as a scientific project director in the academic, non-profit, and environmental consulting sectors, has provided experience with project management, biological monitoring, natural resource management planning, stakeholder participation, and environmental laws and permitting.

 

Susan Killen National Environmental Technical Resource Center Manager Parsons Brinckerhoff Seattle

Susan Killen is the National Environment Technical Resource Center Manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff, with 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She has focused on the management and preparation of planning and environmental studies in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act for State and local applications for a wide range of highway and transit projects throughout the United States. In addition to her NEPA focus, she develops and leads public involvement programs.

 

	Jane Leonard Architectural Designer - Stantec Consulting U.S. Green Building Council - San Diego

 

	Darcey Rosenblatt Senior Project Manager - ESA San Francisco

Additional information about NAEP and future conferences and environmental career seminars can be found at NAEP's home page.