State Agency and Industry Association positions are professionals that work together to promote, advocate, and educate about the forest products industry. This work includes initiatives for the interest of the wood products industry. This work is collaborative and involves meetings, attending events, and giving presentations.
Much of the work that these positions do involves teamwork. Meetings are setup to try to find ways to collaborate to achieve goals that will specifically benefit the industry. Meetings are used to identify industry needs, challenges, changes that need to be made, and goals. Critical thinking is a skill that is very beneficial because sometimes the work is like a puzzle, where you try to solve problems with a lot of different disconnected pieces. The ability to think outside of the box is helpful when trying to brainstorm ideas around a particular goal, or challenge. Creativity is useful when creating outreach programs and educational material. Topical research is conducted to analyze relevant industry data to create promotional and educational content. Networking and relationship building is a necessary part of these jobs. To continue with the puzzle analogy, there are many different associations and state agencies that work together on a variety of projects, therefore, relationship building is critical.
Teaching ● Advertising/promotion ● Politics ● Administrative ● Management
Presentations and public speaking
Attend events
Attend meetings
Attend educational seminars
Plan and coordinate events and meetings
Research and writing
Educate the public
Design outreach campaigns and programs
Advocate for the industry
Ability to work on a team
Relationship building
Networking
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Teaching
Public speaking
Research
Data analysis
Time management
Graduation from High School or GED
2+ year college degree (preferred).
