2022 TWS Elections: Northwest candidates

The ballot for The Wildlife Society’s 2022 elections includes nominees for the position of North Central Section representatives. See a previous article on candidates for TWS vice president and North Central representatives.

Additional nominees may be submitted by any voting member in good standing, if supported in writing by 5% of the voting membership. The deadline for additional nominations is May 15.

Electronic ballots will be sent May 31 to all members with an email address. Members without an email address will receive a paper ballot in the mail. Voting will close June 30. Mailed paper ballots must be postmarked on or before June 30. Newly elected council members are scheduled to be installed at the 29^th Annual Conference in Spokane, Washington Nov. 6-10.

The candidates’ statements expressing their vision for The Wildlife Society and their interest in running for this council position are below.

Nominees for Northwest Representatives

Shawn M. Cleveland

I am humbled be nominated as Northwest Section Representative. My interest stems from my time in The Leadership Institute (LI), which exposed me to the inner-workings of TWS and Council’s roll as mentors. I have always wanted to give back to the organization that supported my professional and personal growth.

With this desire in mind, my vision for the section is to foster growth and engagement of the section’s membership and to expand the inclusivity cultivated in recent years through the leadership of LI alumni. Inclusivity, collaboration and mentorship are my true strengths as a professional, and supporting growth of these ideals is a passion I will bring to the Northwest Section and Council. I bring with me knowledge of growing state and section engagement from the Northeast (Former New York Chapter Vice President) and strong ties to states in the Northwest (Former Montana Chapter President). Further, one of my goals is to solidify the financial foundation of LI by working with Council and TWS Leadership to develop an endowment campaign, thereby insuring continued leadership development of all TWS subunits. I will work diligently to engage the states in the section to bring their voice to Council. I have always had an ‘open door’ policy for members and would welcome feedback and discussion whether you be a student, early career, career or retired professional. I will do my best to represent the perspectives of the section and insure the financial wellbeing of our organization to the future.

See complete biographical sketch here.

Andrew J. Kroll

Developing the next generation of wildlife professionals is an “all hands on deck” effort, given numerous challenges (racial and wealth inequality, increasing rates of consumption, globalization of regional pathogens, human population growth and a destabilized climate) we all confront. We need everyone’s participation so our members have the skills, experiences and diversity to conserve wildlife and habitat and engage with the people we serve.  First, we can improve how we help students bridge the gap between their university/college training and professional positions, including more informal and structured mentoring, one-day training courses, job-shadowing and temporary positions. We must engage more formally with universities so enrolled students have greater access to professionals in agency and private sector employment, and not university staff exclusively. Second, to increase diversity and inclusion of our members and our programs, TWS must be more proactive, including engagement with universities to identify and recruit students with diverse backgrounds and identities into natural resource programs. The Wildlife Society cannot hope that diversity emerges from university programs:  this approach has not worked previously and we have to develop novel strategies and tactics to address this pressing need.

See complete biographical sketch here.