About Us
The Center for Technical Development (CTD) was created for the purpose of ensuring that Conservation Districts and employees have the proper tools and expertise to consistently plan and implement conservation programs in collaboration with the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC), Conservation Districts in Washington State, Washington Association of District Employees (WADE), the Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD), and other key conservation partners.
Mission and Purpose
The Center for Technical Development (CTD) started as a small group of passionate Conservation District (CD) staff from around Washington state who believe in helping advance and support the professional and technical needs of CD staff. Our goals are to:
Provide resources for Conservation District employees to utilize to improve their skills and knowledge
Identify opportunities for streamlined systems that all Conservation Districts can take advantage of
Establish priorities and identify where state Conservation Districts can grow to ensure they remain a well-informed resource for landowners
The Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC) established the CTD for the purpose of ensuring that all Washington State Conservation Districts have equal access to the proper professional development opportunities to advance technical expertise and the support to consistently plan and implement diverse conservation programs unique to the clientele, available resources, and geographical influences of their region.
The vision of the CTD is that quality technical assistance, programs, and education provided by Districts will foster greater natural resource protection and stewardship by the communities within which they operate. Districts should be provided proper support and recognized for their professional staff members who possess the necessary technical proficiency, knowledge, and expertise. Evaluation of the effectiveness of work and services will be demonstrated through improvement of natural resources and resilient communities.
The CTD is implemented in collaboration with the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC), Conservation Districts across Washington State, Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD), Washington Association of District Employees (WADE), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and foster partnerships with other conservation partners.
Leadership Team
The CTD wouldn't exist without a lot of great people working and supporting the group. We would like to acknowledge the current Leadership and Advisory Members for their dedication and efforts.
Current CTD Leadership Team:
Jan Thomas, Co-Chair & Training Program Manager | jan@ucdwa.org | 509-637-7004
Ryan Williams, Co-Chair | RyanW@cascadiacd.org
Kelsi Mottet, Leadership Team Member | kelsi@whidbeycd.org | 360-499-9558
Mike Palguta, Training Coordinator | mike@ucdwa.org | 509-637-7455
Louise Margaret, Leadership Team Member | lmargaret@snohomishcd.org | 425-583-1450
Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC) Advisor/Liaison
Shana Joy (WSCC) | sjoy@scc.wa.gov | (360) 480-2078
Join the Leadership Team
The CTD Leadership Team is always looking for ideas, leaders, and those who want to work with us on fun projects and meaningful products. If you would like to explore joining the CTD Leadership Team, or have a topic/project you would like to present for work, please let us know at info@wactd.org. Thanks for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.
Important Documents of Interest: Charter, Annual Plan of Work, & Report of Accomplishments
CTD has created a Charter that outlines the structure and membership of the Leadership Team. Additionally, each year we follow an Annual Plan of Work that follows the state fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). We then report out on our accomplishments at the end of each year in an Annual Report which we provide at the Washington Association of District Employees (WADE) Conference in June.
