Encouragment, Patience, and Skills

To the Resources and Public Programs Division,

I want to take the time to thank the individuals in this section for welcoming me to Arizona State Parks and embracing my doe eyed self! I have truly learned the principals of communication and team building within this section. You have all helped me in unique ways grasp some understanding of what it means to be a public servant. I am truly impressed with the amount of relentless efforts to serve the public this department displays. 

Since January, I think the section has taken several baby steps forward. Although the climb has not always been as beautiful as the North side of Tonto Bridge, we have progressed incrementally. Not only are we learning how are individual roles as a section works together, we are learning how each individual works best which i think is imperative to a efficient section. 

I look forward to continuing to grow together. I know the skills I need to work on to improve the section as a whole and I am determined to set some goals for myself in this accord. I am also excited to see us grow as a section. 

Thank you again, for the encouragement, patience, and knowledge I have received from you all. 

Sincerely,

Brianne Fisher

Ever Evolving - Going Beyond the Goals

Before I begin this posts let's take look back to my goals stated on the first blog post:

1.) Understanding what the differences will be when using the sustainable management framework for a government entity compared to a private entity.
2.) Understand why and what makes it so challenging for government agencies to be proactive and taking action on tomorrow.
3.) My final goal is to enjoy this process. Although frustration, fear, anxiety, angst and who knows what else will occur, I will remind myself I am doing this for ME.

I think one of my biggest take aways from this internship in addition to reflecting on my goals, is that everything is a process rather then achieving end results.

These first 2 of these goals correlated really well with my Senior Capstone Project which I did on the agency I did my internship with. Although I do not have a concrete understanding of these topics, I have abstract comprehension of reasons why these are. I would like to further my education and knowledge and actually test some hypothesis I have. These are great things to keep in mind while I continue my work in public administration. I've learned a lot simply by being exposed to the day to day tasks as well as being involved with some disruptive changes.

My third goal took me a little while to adopt but I do think I have gotten better at taking a step back to enjoy the ride. Sometimes I am so future oriented on "what's next" I do not stop to enjoy what I am learning right now and reflecting on it. This became very important for me to do to keep the stress levels down. I wish I would have done it sooner!

State's Shitty Strength

The strength of Arizona State Parks is their ability to adjust to circumstances. Although shitty how they accumulated this strength, if a private agency experienced the sudden changes that the public sector did they would be completely irrelevant. They do this through teamwork. The agency has been through a lot in recent years with the extreme hit to the state budget and almost having to close multiple parks. The agency staff got nearly cut in half. During this time, staff took on various roles, learned new skills, and still served the public. This "scrambling" that the agency experienced ultimately makes them more resilient. At a macro level, they know how to deal with being understaffed and under budgeted. At a micro level, if an employee is not in or experiences an accident, another staff member may be able to complete their necessary work. Shared responsibility and understanding of peers work is also beneficial for collaboration.

With the change of Executive Director and Governor I believe that ASP has experienced a bit more tightening up of communication and an increase in bureaucracy. For instance, the agendas I create now have to be reviewed by 4 (sometimes 5) people. I understand that the Governor wants more state control, which is completely understandable considering Arizona state agencies seem to be lacking in efficiency. However, what could be improved is the communication on the direction the agency is heading.

Another important change I would make would be to increase the efforts in protecting the natural areas. Since there has been financial burdens, much of the agencies attention has been focused on recreation in the parks to increase revenues and visitation. Now that some of these crisis is over, it is time to refocus the agencies efforts on the natural areas. They can explore new markets by focusing on conservation and sustainability. In order for ASP to have a sustainable growth trajectory they must explore fringe stakeholders and truly listen to the needs and wants of the public they are not currently serving.

Group Projects - Am I Crazy?

I think everyone in this class can agree that ASU classes are heavily group project based. I believe I member one of my Professors informing the class that this order in increased projects has come from President Crow himself.  Although all students seem to groan and roll their eyes when they see a group project on the syllabus, I believe it is time to raise our hands in defeat.

Now, these project based classes pose another challenge. Projects are being conducted less thorough then Mr. Crow might have intended. A semester is not long enough to truly conduct thorough research, analyze the data collected, synthesis, and offer meaningful recommendations. I feel like the part missing in all of these is the very beginning of collecting data and analyzing it myself. I have obviously researched issues/challenges, analyzed, and come up with my own solutions.

I think the type of group projects and benefits students gain from them would be better met if projects were a year long. This would also provide students some type of EXPERIENCE to place on their resume. A reoccurring trend for students entering into the workforce complain that they get turned down due to a lock of experience. Having a year long project would provide students actual experience and possibly a network of references from working with the same stakeholders for a year.

President Crow most definitely had good intuitions for the increase in group collaboration on projects. However, this initiative is currently teaching students how to work on GoogleDocs and find shortcuts. Personally, I would love to have a class that was a year long and worked with the same group of students and stakeholders on a common goal. This would allow for a more thorough project with actual learned collaboration, data collection, and analysis.

Maybe I'm crazy? Does anyone else feel like this would be more beneficial?

The Pressure of Public Play

Today I listened to a really great podcast on NPR's TED Radio Hour. The show is called "Press Play" and is comprised of five other TED talks including Jeff Mogil's How Can Playing A Game Make You More Empathetic, Charlie Todd's Who's That Guy Riding The Subway In His Underwear, Stuart Brown's How Does Play Shape Our Development, Isabel Behncke's What Can Bonobos Teach Us About Play?, and lastly Jane McGonigal's How Can Video Games Improve Our Real Lives.

The majority of the show discussed how all different forms of play can make humans smarter, saner and ultimately more collaborative. Being a public service and public policy major we have learned that services and policy formulation is relying more and more on various stakeholders collaborating towards one mission. The process of governing is requiring more collaboration between different levels of agencies and sectors. How come there is no intersection of play and work?

From what I can tell working at ASP for my internship, I do not know when there would be time to play. First of all, there would probably have to be a study and cost benefits analysis of why the employees should participate in play. Then, some type of framework or detailed plan that articulates exactly what will be happening and what the predicted outcomes are. That indeed would take time, but simply conducting in play makes individuals more collaborative because they instantly feel empathy once engaged in play.

For Foraging

I am doing a research project on edible forests on public lands. The research has been very interesting and has sparked an especially strong interest of mine, foraging. Foraging is being able to know where to look in nature to gather edible plants/herbs. When conducting my research, I found there was very little established action in this area. In other states there are organizations or clubs that will meet up and scavenge for the day.

I did find one resource located in the Arizona Superstition Mountains. Patrick Bigfoot (not sure if that his real name or not) offers classes, newsletters, and even sing along at Reevis Mountain School. His teachings and walk about teach individuals how to be self-reliant on nature. Not only is this really impressive but extremely sustainable. If anything were to happen to the United States food system the foragers would be the only survivors! It really would be a wonderful tool to know. It is officially on my bucket list to attend!

The Web of Urban Governance

Arizona State Parks displays urban governance by engaging with many different organizations at various levels in order to accomplish common goals. For instance, we work with Federal agencies like Bureau of Land Management on land use issues. Currently, there is collaboration on managing pack goats and there interactions with Big Horn sheep on public lands. Along with that, ASP's mission is met with the help of local governments. Not only do we work with city's park and recreation departments but we work with the cities that host our parks. Since most State parks are in rural communities it is very important to establish relationships with the locals. At the same time, ASP rely's on various trail, off-highway vehicles, Audubon, conservation, etc. organizations. These organizations are specialized in various aspects and are helpful in gaining expert information for research.

The Wheels Keep Spinning

In my previous blog "Newbie" I discussed how I am getting use to my new bike. Here I am a couple weeks later talking again about my beloved fixie! Yesterday morning I jumped on my bike and took a morning ride through the prettiest parts of the neighborhood near me. The area is called Lakeshore and the resdents in this area get to enjoy beautiful, well-kept, manucured lawns and parks spaces along with a man-made lake and creek. Residents were out and about enjoying the morning and some were getting their patoon boats ready for a morning ride.

During my ride I was in pure bliss. I had disappointing news on Friday and I suprised myself with how happy I felt just the next morning. It made me realize how much a green envionrment can take a toll on your health mentally, physcially, and behviorally. There is much research about the benefits of green envionrments and the benefits to human health but what is interesting to me is how it effects behavior in the long term.

Instead of  drinking or eating my sarrows away with my disappointing news I had a new percepective on things after my scenic bike ride. I made better decisions throughout the weekend and know that I am where I am suppose to be.

My current happy self and my future happy self says thank you to my bike.

Energy Well Spent

I recently read an article that dicussed how instead of spending your time wisely you must spend your energy wisely. This concept has really helped over the last week. I was getting frustrated with myself because I didn't feel like I was getting enough things done throughout the day. I would sit and stare at my computer not typing or researching anything. I thought at first it was me just needing to get use to staring at a computer screen for long hours, however now I am aware that those times are best spent taking a walk, eating a snack, or even laying my head down for 10 minutes. Through this concept I have learned that I am a much better writer in the morning then at night so I should save my reading assignments for the evening.

Learning how to spend your energy wisely ultimately ensures you are spending your time wisely. I am much more productive throughout the week and can enjoy my weekends a bit more! I suggest anyone to read the article and take time to analyze their practices and learn when you have energy and how to spend it and when you don't and learn to accept it.

Who's Paying for My Hip Replacement?

I talked to my sister the other day who has been having a little back pain when she goes to her Crossfit class. She explained to me how she told her cross fit instructor/owner of the gym told her to go to his chiropractor. She did so and the trip was an utter success. The down to earth chiropractor explained that since she sits all day at a desk job her hips are tightening. She needs to make sure she stretches them out and warms them up before jumping into the WOD (work out of day). He also gave her some "homework" to do on a daily basis to keep the hips and therefore back stronger.


This struck a chord with me and my internship at State Parks. I sit all day. I hate it. I was a server prior to this job and I am use to and enjoyed moving around being on my feet. Now that my sister has mentioned the awful things sitting all day can do to your body I have been taking proactive steps to ensure I do not have problems down the road.

As I sit here, writing up this blog in a spread eagle position working on hip flexibility I can't help but curse my dang sitting job! But if you think more deeply at the root of this issue, could it not be traced back to the chair manufacturer? One could argue that the entity should provide me with a bouncy ball or an incentive for me to stand and exercise every 30 minutes. However, I work for a government entity where there is no way in hell they would purchase everyone a bouncy ball to sit on. Along with that, are jobs aren't to create ways to prevent a future hip replacement. Are jobs are to focus on conserving state parks! Should I have to pay for my bouncy ball or chiropractor trip? I will eventually have to pay for my own hip replacement. Average costs for patients without health insurance, a total hip replacement usually will cost between $31,839 and $44,816, with an average cost of $39,299, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Why does the chair manufacture not have to help pay for this? Health insurance would become more affordable and government spending would surely go down if the costs associated with sitting in a chair all day were assigned appropriately to the manufacture. 

To help me with my flexibility I bought an online yoga series from Codyapp. Although this entrepreneur has already seen a lot of success, where is the investments being made in entrepreneurs that will minimize the cost of health coverage in the future? Should my sisters Crossfit owner get a stipend for taking proactive steps that will minimize costs in the future?

It is time to start creating incentives, programs, and policies that think more in the future. It is time to think about corporations in a holistic manner by following their products life cycle and making them accountable for their indirect consequences. Government and tax payers are currently paying for the externalites which we can see the pressure it is placing on the economy.

Bizarre Reaction to Bezaury Interview

Coincidentally, I had an interview scheduled with the Acting Human Resource Director for the City of Phoenix, Cindy Bezaury for a prior class. I will also use this interview for the purposes of this blog because Director Bezaury was a very interesting person to interview. Cindy Bezaury has been in the HR world for quit some time. She got her undergraduate degree in Public Administration and started work in the private sector with an aviation manufacturing company. Her interest sparked specifically in Labor Relations and so she furthered her education to get a better understanding. She received a Masters in Labor Relations and from there she moved out of the private sector and started to work for various municipalities including agencies in Texas, Tucson, and Michigan. 

The Director's key responsibilities are negotiating contracts and agreements with Union Leaders. The City of Phoenix is very lucky to have Bezaury and her background knowledge because of the current issues in pension reform Phoenix is facing. The pension issue is a big concern for the City of Phoenix and all of their constituents. Bezaury indicated that police and fire pensions were the biggest cause in the $25 million defect the City is facing. 

When I interviewed Director Bezaury I was slightly intermediate by her persona. She was well dressed and spoke loud, clear, fast and expressively. I asked her what her advice was for someone interested in entering into the field of HR and she responded by addressing the youth entering the field saying to be prepared to pay your dues. I thought that was interesting advice. There is stigma against the Millennial Generation is that we are impatient and want things here and now. While I agree, we have adapted to the technology at our finger tips, is it true that we are not willing to climb the ladder? This article states how the stigma has gotten Millennial all wrong. I think a large part of this misunderstanding comes from the separation of these two issues. 1) my generation is attached to their screen 2) my generation is impatient. Viewing the two characteristics separately, an HR Director would be frustrated by the upcoming workforce. However, if you think critically about the issues and combine them it is because we are attached to the screen and therefore have more information readily available for us that we are impatient with the petty tasks at an entry level position. (Why couldn't I have said this at the time!) This indicated to me that Bezaury had a relatively narrow view on how to manage the future. 

I would indeed be interested in a HR position because I love that the department's responsibility is to cater to the hard working pool of public servants. I enjoy learning about the behaviors of individuals and creating a better society so the HR field would be an interesting combination of the two. Although Bezaury was an intelligent, well respected Director I am not sure if I would want to work under her supervision. She was big on accountability and metrics to prove ensure accountability takes place. She also said she enjoyed the challenge in negotiating with Labor Unions. Yet, she said she would no longer work for the City if legalization of marijuana would be passed. Hate to break it to you Bezaury but strong efforts and the trends indicated by PEW state that it is coming for AZ. I understand that this places HR Departments in public entities in a very difficult position but I want a Director who is ready to take on that kind of challenge. Taking risks and being innovative isn't just for corporations and the science and technology field; disruptive creativity can be manifested in the policy realm as well.

Chief

Leadership in my internship is organizationally structured to come from the top down. Technically I am a peon with little room to display leadership. However, I do not think that leadership is defined by hierarchical ranking. Currently, I think that I am able to show passion which will present me with more opportunities to display leadership.

There is a project I can take on that would obviously show leadership. Unfortunately, I am scared to take on this project because I am unsure of my capabilities to produce an effective outcome. The Parks agency (like most state government entities) are behind on up to date communication technologies. The Resources and Public Programs department (a total of 6-7 people) work so much with each other and share many documents. Version control and a systematic approach to sharing/editing documents would be highly effective in increasing efficiency. I would like to be the one to make these changes. This project including the research on how to do it would take a considerable amount of time due to the fact that I am only there 3 days a week and that I obviously must get my main duties done first. If I do decide to take this on, either if I fail or not, I believe it will certainly display leadership.

My Supervisor displays leadership capabilities by her responsiveness to her staff. She will always respond in a positive and ensuring way. I have observed that when she is answering a difficult question she makes sure pause and take her time to think about the appropriate response. Although my Supervisor is new and learning her current position as "Chief," she is learning quickly because of how well she listens. Being a good listener has a multitude of benefits. Not only is she observing and taking in things internally, but externally in the perspective of staff she is attentive. She will always take the time to listen to all of my ideas and my questions about the agency.  My Supervisor may not have all of the answers but she will make the time to explore the question fully and welcome ideas for answers. She is not afraid to to show that she is still learning. I love this because I am still learning as well. We are both being Chief's of learning.

Newbie

I recived a bicycle for my birthday in January. It's a fixie and I love it! Although I recived the bike early Feburary I have only recently started to ride it. Over the past two weeks I have enjoyed my various trips on two wheels.

When considering the reasons why commuting on a bicyle is not preferred I do see the challenges. First, the cost. If you have a vehicle why do you need to buy a bike, lock, bag/basket, lights, saftey gear, etc. There is a lot of upfront cost that may turn people away. I do believe I would have boughten a bicylce if I did not recieve one for my birthday, but it would not have been as nice.

Another challenge I ran into was bike policy? If thats a thing. Am I allowed to ride here? What is proper ettiquitte in passing people? Is there a map with bike lines? Is there any laws that say I need lights? How come I don't know any of these questions or where to find out about these questions? I think there could be a lot of people tunred off by these questions.

Effort. I am not talking effort in pushing the pedals forward (although that may be a challenge for people too) I am talking about the amount of effort it takes to get everything packed, ready, unlcocked, packed away, locked up again. Does this matter to people? I've noticed that it matters to me. Or at least I have noticed it. Perhaps I will get a more efficent process of things - one in which my headphones don't get yanked out of my ear and my lunch box choking me.

I do love my bike and I am enjoying the transition in my commuting style. I love the fresh air, using my legs, seeing the city, not paying for gas, and getting close to my location. Are the things I mentioned above challenges or simple factors that anyone would experince when going through a transition?

I think the biggest transition of all is getting my butt use to that tiny seat!

"What Did I Sign Myself Up For"

The Career Service event I attended was a workshop on Public Speaking. I thought this would be a fun work shop that involved a really good public speaker and some pointers and tips on how to speak more clearly, fluently, and effectively.

WRONG.

Very interactive workshop! The attendees were asked to present a 3-5 minute speech about a certain topic of their choice. We then got immediate feedback from seasoned instructors.

At first, like any other student, I rolled my eyes dramatically and thought what is explicitly stated in the title of this blog. I signed up for the workshop because I have had an interest in public speaking ever since high school where I received an award for a speech I had given for the organization Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Although, at first I was annoyed, the workshop turned out to be a pretty fun experience. I reminded myself that this was a low-risk environment and to just have fun with it.

I did a quick speech on some research I am doing for a class on edible trees in public spaces. I will have to present my research in class at the end of the semester anyways so it really was good practice. It really helped me pull out the key issues and be able to communicate them, not as clearly as I would have liked. That was the biggest feedback I received. They told me I had great energy, personality, presentation mannerisms, and speech content but the clarity of the KEY points were blurry. I have gotten similar feedback from Professors on some of my writing assignments. I think this stems from my "beat around the bush" approach.

The eye-rolling workshop I attended for my dang blog post ended up being a really good reminder and reflection on my personal weakness to be direct. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Practicing this in subtle ways in everyday conversations will naturally clear up my writing and presentations.

Beloved Balance

I've noticed lately that the most sound solution or answer to a challngeing question is reaching this "balance." Balance the budget, balanced diet, balance between what the people want and what is good for them, a balance between work and play, etc. I'm sure you can come up with some questions or challenges to where the response is to find a balance and we nod in agreement. However, we know very little about this balance that everyone is tlaking about (me being especially guilty). It is answer that does not answer much.

I think that balance is first of all hard to establish and describe since it may look different for any person or situation. For instnace, in regards to health, there are various types of formulas and equations about your height, weight, BMI, activity level, that can be calculted to discover the balanced amount of calories someone should eat. We have also seen some "balance" work in the budget area. Spreadsheets and strategies has helped people on a personal level find their paychecks being spent on priorites and on personal wants. There is also a lot of "balance" discussion in the teachings of Buhdism. Do these societies where there is a large concentration of the practice of blance have a better quality of life or meaning of life?

Here is a simple list of 10 Simple Ways to Find Balance. Can we think about these things when formulating polices that govern people and their habits?

Is there, or could there be, a balance formula for the challenges we face? Can the size of government be balanced? Is it scalable? Do people have the tools and resources they would need to create a balanced life for themselves and loved ones.

If anyone has any articles that relate to this topic of forming balanced policies, balance formulas, stratgies to balance society, etc. please let me know!

The Minimal Consumer

I have been conducting some research about living a minimalist lifestyle. The gist of the research (readings and blog spots like these) make you think about the things in your life that are essential to you. Only the things you need. Freeing yourself up from these "extras" will allow you to free up some time. The minimalist practice is certainly a way to realize spending practices. The time that you now have will enable you to focus on the things that are more meaningful and important to you, rather than the purchased items you may not even need.

To me, these ideolgies go hand in hand with the reasonings behind implementing sustianable solutions. A minimilist will analyze their current situation/ surrounding and take the future in to percepective berofre making a decision. This is what it has in common with sustianablilty. Having a minimilist mind set would create a culture in society that asks themselves what they really need instead of society telling them what they need to be happy.

Although a minimalist lifestyle would in habitually support a sustainable cultural shift, how would it support the economy? If we became a less consumer culture society what would then happen to our economy? Would we face large slow down in growth? Would we (we as in a minimalist society) even realize the slow down and be content with maintenance?


Surely there is a balance in consumerism and minimalism. I think it is up to us to discover where this balance is. It will not occur over night. We may never reach a perfect balance. But we can do a lot better then this.

Change - The Only Constant

The feild that we are all in, Public Affairs, blows my mind because we are mostly dealing with people. I find in common with many peers I talk to within the school that we share a love for people rather than say....numbers. Duh, right! Our goals as Public Servants is to establish systems and norms that are suited for the specific public we are catering too. We solidfy these systems and norms by making them into policies and using various tools to enforce them. Some force is more direct and some indirect. Yet, the more I learn about people, their motives and irational behviors the more I struggle with this impossible goal Public Servants are reaching for. Policy formulation is this art of constructing words that will influence behaviors to create some sort of norm. Yet these norms are always changing because people are always changing. As soon as we implement state of the art software and computer systems they will be irrelevant, or not near as worthy in ten years.

This constant change is wonderful. It allows us to evolve, adapt and be excited about different. Yet it makes things difficult. It makes policy making impossible. Is there a way to make policy making more sustainable? I am not talking sustainable policies, I am talking about frameworks or techniques to use that will make for better policy making. Should policy makers focus more on basing their policies on people's underlying values which do not change as drastically from decade to decade? Or perhaps this will allow for too ambiguous of policies in which people will find MORE loopholes to jump through. Are ambigous policies really as bad as some academics make them seem? Ambigous policies more easily allows people to find ways around the rule towards their goal, ultimatly sparking creativity or innovation.

Since the only thing we know will for sure happen in the future is change, why do we not create policies that allow room for that. Have underlying values in the fabric of the policy and remember that, no matter what, individuals will find their way around. Lets create ambiguous policies that have long lasting values in the fabric while subtly influencing the innovative creation of loopholes.

My day to day acticities at State Parks seem to always change. The position I have was once a full time a position so it had many more responsbilites. However, after the huge cuts State Parks saw in  2009-2010 this position was gone all together. Since then, staff members have managed to fullfill their role in addition to partial duties from several other positions that got removed.

 Anyways, I always climb the one stars instead of taking the elevator that takes double the time, abd set down stuff and get the lights and computers rolling. Since I am only there every other day, I always check my emails first to see what I have missed in the last day. I always respond to emails that regard direct attention which usally regard Advisory Committe activity. Then, I usually have a meeting to listen to. I like to listen to the meetings in the morning because that is when I am the most alert and awake. If I wait until the afternoon I would fall asleep! When I listen to the recording of the meeting I record minutes and listne for action items that the staff or the members said that they would do before next meeting. I enjoy this part because I think it is important to hold people accountable. Unfortuntly the meetings can last up to 3 hours! Add three more hours to that because of stopping and typing and other priotiretes.

I also have to make a lot of agendas for meetings. After I confirm a meeting location and ensure there will be a quormum of members I ask around if anyone wants to add anything to the meeting.

I do enjoy my lunch breaks at the office on the typical break. The ASP office is old, dingy, and has not light. I am also not use to sitting and staring at a computer all day. I know, I do not enjoy that! I like to eat my lunch outside or take a walk to the Capital building - which is gorgeous. Going back to the office from lunch is when I like to put things togeather for future meetings, print out documents, or type up reports. These invovle more movement and brain power which is good for me around 2:00pm.

I really think the windows would help.

Internships are interesting. I like that I am learning new things about organizations, land policy, management styles, and learning about myself.

Positive Changes or a Disruption

The last blog post was titled "Everybody Loves the Parks People!" this title originated from the current - but almost past - Director of Arizona State Parks, Bryan Martyn. When he said this, his grin stretched from ear to ear while he lean back and place his hands at the nape of his neck and responded to my question "Everybody loves the park man!"

His response surprised me. Overall, after leaving his office that day from conducting my interview with him, I still did not know how to react. He had a background in the Air Force and then once retired from there reserved a seat as a Supervisor for Pinal County. Coincidentally, as his elected time was up as Supervisor, the Executive Director of State Parks opened up. With no park experience but loads of leadership skills, Bryan Martyn was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer.

Now, with a new Governor, Doug Ducey, also comes a new Executive Director. Staff at ASP seems nervous more then anything for this transition. I do not think Bryan was a bad Executive Director, he was excited, motivated, and worked well with people. The new Director coming on is a women who has a lot of experience as a Parks Director. Today I found out she is big on innovation. This excites me because that is why I am there. I want to help innovate ASP into an organization that is fiscally responsible along with producing services that the public wants while remaining transparent and legitimate.

However, the transition between the new and old Director's bothers me. For a week it seems as though everyone has been walking on eggshells and waiting to progress in their endeavors until they know the general direction the new Director wants to go. Government agencies are already slow moving in their processes and this only further slows things down. Can any government agency conduct business without their head honcho? What would that look like? How would the decision making process change? Would the organization become more resilient?

Arizona State Paks - Everybody Loves the Parks People!

The organization that I am interning at is Arizona State Parks. This agency is responsible for managing and conserving Arizona's natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people, both in parks and partners. There are 31 state parks throughout the western, northern, eastern, and southern parts of the state. All parks vary in what they provide to the public. Some have facilities, wedding venues, camping, lakes, ponds, information sessions, workshops, etc.

Vision: 
ASP is indispensable to the economies, communities and environments of Arizona

Goal:
 Resources) To provide sustainable management of our natural cultural relational economic and human resources.

Visitors) to provide safe and meaningful and unique experiences for our visitors volunteers and citizens

Communications) To effectively communicate with the public, policy makers, our peers and ourselves

My internship is located in the central State Parks office that oversee's the management of these 31 parks. More specifically, my department of Resources and Public Programs is responsible for aiding the land managers in providing the best services to the people while maintaining for the natural areas. A large portion of the department is dedicated to administering grants. The Recreation Trails Program (RTP) federal grant is a competitive grant that funds non-motorized projects such as routine maintenance, signage, safety, etc. The staff that helps administer this grant also puts on a workshop, helps applicants complete documents, and eventually evaluates and scores the applications. The recommended projects then get evaluated/approved by Advisory Committee's and then final approval by the Executive Parks Board. After that, the monies are available to the applicant which they can utilize. There is a typical follow-up process to monitor that the money is being applied to the suggested project.




My job duties with in the department is managing the Advisory Committees. There are four committees that advises the State Parks Board and staff on their specific area of expertise and interests. I help manage and develop Advisory Committee agendas, supplementary documents and attachments, identify action items, record minutes, arrange meeting locations, and aide members in communicating their wants, needs, complaints, etc.





Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Group (OHVAG) advises the State Parks Board and staff on the planning, development, funding, maintenance, and promotion on off-highway recreation in Arizona.

Arizona Outdoor Recreation Coordinating Commission (AORCC) reviews statewide outdoor recreation and lake improvement plans and establishes criteria and polices for the equitable distribution of funding.

Arizona State Committee On Trails (ASCOT) to promote, develop, and preserve non-motorized trail opportunities throughout the state for mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians, and water trail users.

Natural Areas Program Advisory Committee (NAPAC) provides scientific and natural resource management expertise in efforts to protect, conserve and maintain natural features, biological communities, ecological function, and other aquatic and terrestrial resources.

Goals

My name is Brianne Fisher. I am a senior graduating in May with a Public Service and Public Policy Bachelor of Science degree in the College of Public Service and Community Solutions. My education also includes a concentration in Sustainability and a Certificate in Public Administration and Public Management. I started my education in this field not 100% sure of what I wanted to do with it or how much I was going to enjoy it. Throughout my journey I have come to discover my love for learning. I am one of the lucky ones who understands and appreciates my ability to learn (although at times I have to remind myself of that). I hope that my internship takes my learning to a tangible level. Connecting book learning to the real life learning is an exciting (kind of intimidating) aspect of an internship.


My internship will be with Arizona State Parks in the Resources and Public Service Department. The department is primarily responsible for administering grants and engaging partnerships. The beef of my job duties will be communicating and coordinating with several Advisory Committee's who aide the State Parks Board in recommendations about decision making and passing grants.


My true interest in this internship will be to analyze the whole of Arizona State Parks as an agency through a sustainable lens. This sustainable lens is not limited to analyzing only the factors of today such as recycling, energy consumption, waste, etc. but it will be an analysis of sustainable management of tomorrow. These types of aspects include growth trajectory, employee satisfaction, and innovation. Examining Arizona State Parks through a sustainability management framework is my overall objective of this internship however, through this process I hope to take away more specific goals:

1.) Understanding what the differences will be when using the sustainable management framework for a government entity compared to a private entity. For example, creating sustainable "value" for the private sector is different for the public sector.

2.) Understand why and what makes it so challenging for government agencies to be proactive and taking action on tomorrow. Is it laws, regulations, or statues that prohibit this type of thinking or is it top down organization throughout the agency with similar communication patterns? I want to be able to identify what the problem is and how to address it.

3.) My final goal is to enjoy this process. Although frustration, fear, anxiety, angst and who knows what else will occur, I will remind myself I am doing this for ME. I am doing this because this is what I want. I am excited and overwhelmed with my ideas. When I am stuck I promise myself to ask for help.  When I have an idea I promise myself to share it. I will remember that my time at Arizona State Parks can be used to accomplish my goals, benefit the organization, create relationships, and most importantly, begin my endeavors in a career path that I will wake up happy with everyday.