TLT meets for its quarterly meeting

By Katherine K. Burse, state public affairs officer

The three-day quarterly Tennessee Leadership Team (TLT) meeting was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, from September 13-15, with a conservation tour of beef feeding facilities on day 1 followed by a variety of agenda topic discussions on Days 2 and 3.

Meeting in-person for the first time since the COVID outbreak in 2020, the group gathered in Knoxville at the Botanical Garden Carriage House, where they discussed the future of NRCS, conservation workload, and technical training for NRCS employees.

CI International also provided a training to the TLT on developing skills to create and/or enhance a culture of continuous feedback. Through discussion, practice, and interactive exercises, the group learned how to put these feedback skills to use.

Jeff Barrie, from Tennessee Environmental Council, provided a program review on engaging Tennesseans in pollinator habitats. Tennessee Environmental Council has an existing urban agriculture agreement with NRCS and did a great job highlighting the successes of the agreement.

The Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee Southeast Leadership Development Program participants were invited to attend the meeting, to eat breakfast and network with NRCS Tennessee State Conservationist Sheldon Hightower, and observe Tennessee’s operation and how programs are implemented in the state.