Apply Now for TWS Leadership Institute 2016

The Wildlife Society is currently accepting applications for the Leadership Institute Class of 2016. Ten early-career professionals will receive leadership training, mentoring, and a travel grant to attend TWS’ Annual Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina in October 2016.

“The Leadership Institute was created to provide TWS members with vital leadership development and training early in their careers,” says Mindy Rice, a 2009 graduate of the Institute and current chair of the Leadership Institute Committee. “For me, the program provided a great venue for learning about the Society and creating new contacts at the beginning of my career when most of my contacts were graduate school related.”

Many young wildlife professionals entering leadership positions have not been trained in the skills needed for successful management of large teams or complicated programs. The Leadership Institute introduces such exceptional young people to the management, mentoring, and organizational skills they need to become successful leaders. To gain those skills, from May through October participants will complete a wide variety of exercises, including reading and reflecting on leadership topics, presenting to peer groups, leading seminars, and developing a vision for their professional leadership goals. During TWS’s Annual Conference in Raleigh, the participants will serve as mentors for students, be mentored by Leadership Institute alumni and TWS Council members, attend Council meetings, and engage in focused analytical discussions.

Participation in the Institute is geared toward early-career professionals, individuals 2 to 3 years out of school (either undergraduate or graduate school), currently working full-time in a wildlife professional position, and with demonstrated evidence of their leadership potential. Also eligible are more recent graduates who have shown strong evidence of their leadership potential and those who are working while concurrently pursuing a graduate degree. All applicants must be dues-paying members of TWS and a Chapter or Section of TWS. The selection committee will be seeking to create a diverse group with participants of varying gender, ethnic, and regional diversity, with selection based upon:

• An excellent academic record
• Demonstrated leadership capability or potential
• Demonstrated level of excellence in current position
• Commitment to and involvement in TWS

Preference will be given to individuals who are certified as Associate Wildlife Biologists® or Certified Wildlife Biologists®, or who have submitted such an application to TWS.

The application deadline is 21 March 2016.

Learn more here and apply online here.