The NPI seminar agenda grows over time, but begins with a basic framework that ensures coverage of our leadership learning objectives. The course approach is to create a learning blend of academic thought leaders and researchers, with practitioners actually working in parks, mixed with field excursions that, taken together, create a learning experience that includes all the senses and is retained for the life of a career. Our aim is to ensure that the material learned may be practically applied in the most demanding real-world settings. This is why participants work on a case problem they bring from their home park, using the tools they learn in the seminar - to make sure there is a problem-solving reality check and opportunity for discussion during the seminar experience. At the end of the course, participants leave with a network of alumni friends as well as the teaching team, who are accessible as consulting colleagues from a globally scaled neighborhood.
The agenda below is the planned schedule for the seminar as of early October 18, 2024. A certain amount of adjustment may be necessary based on influences beyond the control of the program.
TENTATIVE AGENDA
| CAVALLO POINT LODGE, MARIN COUNTY | APRIL 22-25, 2025 | |
| APRIL 22 - TUESDAY: CAVALLO POINT LODGE | |
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11 AM Seminar Check-in Orientation Lunch Bay Area sessions will be based at the Cavallo Point Lodge, in the Mission Blue Convening Venue. Cavallo Point Lodge is the restored historic Fort Baker, located in Golden Gate National Recreation Area at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Steve Shackelton – Director, National Parks Insitute, University of California, Merced Jerry Mitchell - Course Facilitator, Field Guideand Faculty Welcome to the seminar and brief history and NPI, safety briefing and objectives. 12:30 PM Seminar Log-in David Sibbet, Founder, The Grove Consultants International, San Francisco 1 PM Break 1:15 PM Sustainable Leadership Steve Shackelton - Defining leadership for the purposes of the course and introduction to the elements of sustainable leadership: bedrock of law, science, and policy. 2:00 PM Participants’ Case Problems David Sibbet - Course participants will take five minutes to introduce their case problems to their classmates. 5 PM Break 5:30 PM Dinner at Mission Blue Historic Meeting Venue |
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| APRIL 23 – WEDNESDAY: MARIN, CAVALLO POINT LODGE | |
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7:00 AM Breakfast 8:00 AM Introduction to Dr. Charles O’Reilly: Leading Change and Organizational Renewal (LCOR) Steve Shackelton – Welcome Dr. O’Reilly and introducing the relevance of the LCOR approach to parks and protected areas management - and strategic problem-solving. 8:30 AM Leading Change and Organizational Renewal LCOR Dr. Charles O’Reilly, Professor, Graduate School of Business, Executive Development, Stanford University – Dr. O’Reilly will set the stage for the seminar by exploring the certainty of change and a strategic way of thinking about change with a set of tools that equip us to welcome change and manage it to the best advantage of the park
10:15 Break 10:15 LCOR, continued Dr. Charles O’Reilly 12:00 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Introduction to Dr. Erik Rolland: Value Proposition Model and Parks The Value Proposition Model and Parks – Understanding Stakeholder Drivers, Durable Solutions Dr. Erik Rolland, Dean Emeritus, College of Business Administration, California Polytechnic University, Pomona – The importance of gaining an understanding of, and willingness to exercise empathy for stake-holder values in establishing enduring solutions Triple Bottom Line, Alignment with Stakeholders, and the Advance of Technology in Park Management 2:45 PM Break 3:00 PM Leadership through encouragement, delegation and trust - Unlocking the genius of the staff Laura Joss, Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (ret.) – Optimizing workgroup performance by identiying individual strengths and coaching for innovation and success. 4:00 PM Maximizing the power of partnerships Frank Dean and Cassius Cash, Past and Current Presidents and CEOs of the Yosemite Conservancy - Internal tour of the Yosemite Conservancy as a case-study of a successful park partner story. 5:00 PM Break, Exercise, Reflection, Communication with Home 6:00 PM Dinner
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| APRIL 24 – THURSDAY: MARIN, CAVALLO POINT LODGE AND ALCATRAZ ISLAND NATIONAL PARK | |
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6:30 AM Breakfast 7:15 AM Travel to Alcatraz Ferry Terminal, San Francisco Participants will ride by van to San Francisco, Pier 33, San Francisco Bay by 7:50 AM to board the ferry to Alcatraz Island National Historic Landmark. 8:30 AM Board ferry for Alcatraz Island 9:00 AM Historic Alcatraz Chapel – Lecture: Optimizing Park Messaging through Place-based Education David Schifsky – Deputy Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Deputy Superintendent Schifsky will lead an indepth tour and discussion of the complex management challenges facing the Alcatraz unit of the Golden Gate NRA, including interpretive theme development, historic preservation, cultural values in the community, indigeneous peoples' relationships, natural resources management, and bridging urban populations to more remote wilderness untits of the National Park System. 11:00 AM Policy Discussion Lunch on Alcatraz Island 12:00 PM Lunch on site and walking Historical Tour of Alcatraz and Park Challenges Park Ranger, Historian, To Be Determined 2:00 PM Return by Ferry from Alcatraz Island to Cavallo Point Ferry travel back to Embarcadero Pier 33 and board bus to return to the Lodge at Cavallo Point 3:00 PM Park Leadership and Original Problem-solving: Using Law and Science to Deal with Problems Never Encountered Before Russell Galipeau, Superintendent, Channel Islands National Park (ret.), Adjunct Professor, California State University, Channel Islands
4:30 PM Review – Tagging Base with Case Problems Stave Shackelton, Asbjørn Egir, and Bruno LaPorte 5:00 PM Break, Exercise, Reflection, Communication with Home 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Free Evening – optional walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
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| DEPART CARVALLO POINT FOR UC DAVIS AND UC MERCED | APRIL 25-28 |
| APRIL 25 - FRIDAY: UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE |
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7:00 AM Breakfast 7:30 AM Check out of Cavallo Point Lodge - to UC Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine 8:00 AM Depart for University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine 11:00 AM UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine - Lecture Lunch - One Health Philosophy and Its Alignment with Park Protection Strategy, Case Studies: Dr. Robert Poppenga – Head, Toxicology Section, California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis: Dr. Michael Ziccardi – Co-Director, Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center Dr. Kirsten Gilardi - Co-Director, Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, Executive Director, Gorilla Doctors and a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine & Epidemiology, Dr. SP Yadav - Director General, International Big Cat Alliance Working on an International Scale to Address Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection. Dr. Yadav will provide a special presentation - for NPI participants and UC Davis veterinary faculty and students - on the goals, structure and leadership challenges faced in the development of a multi-national partnership designed to protect seven sensitive species of big cats in 97 countries. 2:00 PM Board bus for the University of California, Merced Campus 4:30 PM Arrive at Merced, El Capitan Hotel – Free time Register at the hotel and unpack – an opportunity for contact with home 5:45 PM Walk to dinner at Bella Luna Restaurant, https://bellalunamerced.com/ 6:00 PM Dinner at Bella Luna – Family-style dinner with UC Merced faculty, featured speakers, and local guests 7:00 PM Return to El Capitan – Free Evening
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| APRIL 26 – SATURDAY: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - MERCED, EL CAPITAN HOTEL |
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7:00 AM Breakfast – El Capitan Hotel 8:00 AM Board bus for travel to the campus of UC Merced 8:30 AM Welcome to UC Merced and Introduction of Director Robert G. Stanton 8:45 AM Featured Keynote Lecture – Leadership and Vision Robert G. Stanton – 15th Director of the U.S. National Park Service - Parks as Vehicles for Objectively Telling the American Narrative and Promoting Civility and Diplomacy Presentation with time for discussion 10:00 AM National Park Service Contemporary Leadership Challenges and Vision Frank Lands - USNPS Deputy Director for Operations The Leadership Challenges Facing the US National Park Service - A Vision for Adapting to 21st Century American Concerns, Norms and Values 11:00 AM US Department of the Interior - Strategy for Global Assistance in Conversation. Barbara Pitkin – Director, USDOI International Technical Assistance Program Insights into Strategies for Developing International Relationships to Further Shared Goals in Environmental and Cultural Resources Management Director Pitkin will share awareness of the history, performance track record and its continued global potential for hope - through international conservation support on this, its 30th anniversary year. 12:00 PM Lunch – UC Merced 1:00 PM TECHNOLOGY POWER David Gadsden - ESRI, DIrector of Environmental Solutions The Leadership Implications of Emerging Technology in Parks - GIS as a Strategic Tool in Global Conservation Mr. Gadsen shares breakthroughs in the technologies of digital mapping, geo-analytics, field monitoring and data-gathering, and graphic representations of complex conditions - from his perspective as ESRI's senior officer for conservation service, worldwide. Technology as a force-multiplier and efficiency adjunct to scarce budgets and limited staffing problems. 2:15 PM - BREAK 2:30 PM LIBRARY POWER Haipeng Li – Librarian, UC Merced Mr. Li will present cutting edge material on how university libraries can support the work of parks and protected areas through support for research, collections rescue and safe-keeping, and access to digital versions of archived material for better, safer public access. 3:30 PM Featured Lecture - Youth Programs: Ensuring Continuity in Stewardship and Diversity in the Workforce Jesse Chakrin - Executive Director - Fund for People in Parks, Former Co-Director,Yosemite Leadership program https://ylp.ucmerced.edu Mr. Chakrin will focus on the history of the Yosemite Leadership Program and how the holistic development of university students can produce workforce change that reflects truly inclusive composition and streamline recruitment of high-evolved candidates for careers. 4:30 PM Recap Panel of the Day's Speakers - A Chance for the Class to Engage with Follow-Up Questions and Discussion 5:30 PM Dinner on Campus - Featured Leadership Lecturer Director Armando Quintero, California State Parks Leading a Complex System: Challenges and Vision for California State Parks and a front row seat to the management complexities being tackled in California. 7:00 PM Free Evening
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| APRIL 27 – SUNDAY: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED, EL CAPITAN HOTEL |
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7:00 AM Breakfast – El Capitan 8:30 AM Board Vans for travel to campus at UC Merced Steve Shackelton – Introduction to lectures of the day: Global Partnerships Tackling the Most Daunting Challenges, Service, and Indigenous Peoples. 9:00 AM Strategic Partners in Stewardship - The Earth as a Livable Planet Sir Andrew Steer, PhD, President and CEO, Jeff Bezos Earth Fund Dr. Steer will address the Earth Fund’s aggressive, strategic campaign to address climate change as a solvable challenge. 10:30 AM Science and Understanding Indigenous Perspective in Protected Area Management Dr. SP Yadav, Director General, International Big Cat Alliance, Delhi, India. Yadav will present the global, multi-national approach to protecting six sensitive species of big cat – and model the alliance and an exportable prototype. 12:00 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Science and Understanding Indigenous Perspective in Protected Area Management Dr. Spencer Castro, Assistant Professor, Gallo Program, UC Merced Dr. Castro, who descends from Yosemite Miwuk ancestry will present on the topic of indigenous perspective on park and protected area management. And will supply the cohort will rare First People introduction to the Yosemite Phase of the seminar. 2:00 PM Service Science: Objective Thinking for Park Managers: Design, Operations and Quality Dr. Paul Maglio, Professor, Chair - Department of Management of Complex Systems, University of California, Merced Dr. Maglio is a researcher in Service Science. Dr. Maglio will present from the business management body of science, innovative ways for the park manager to view, analyze, understand, and devise approaches for optimizing service to park visitors. 3:00 PM Break 3:15 PM Making Headway Facilitated Exercises on Participants' Class Real-world Class Problems 4:30 PM Dinner on Campus – Guest Speaker To be Determined 6:00 PM Board transportation to El Capitan Hotel 7:30 PM Free Evening
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| YOSEMITE, TENAYA LODGE | APRIL 28 - MAY 1 |
| APRIL 28 – MONDAY: DEPART MERCED FOR YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, TENAYA LODGE |
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7:00 AM Breakfast – El Capitan Hotel 8:00 AM Pack and transportation for Yosemite National Park Class will leave UC Merced and travel to Tenaya Lodge via Hwy 140 to Hwy 49 and Hwy 41 to the Wawona Field Station of the University of California Natural Reserve System 10:00 AM Lecture - Wawona Natural Reserve System Field Station: Innovations in Interpretation – Bringing Difficult Social-Historical Narratives to Life Supervisory Yosemite Park Ranger and Author, Shelton Johnson Shelton Johnson will demonstrate innovations in interpretive methods designed to build communication bridges – even in tough subject matter areas. 11:00 AM Special Alumna Lecture - Parks Partners in Research and Education Dr. Jessica Malisch, Deputy Director, Natural Resource System, UC Merced. Dr. Malisch will explain the University of California Natural Reserve System and how it serves research and education, thus supporting parks and protected areas: with suggestions for cloning to other university-park partner situations. 12:30 PM Board transportation for Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias 12:45 PM Science as the Foundation for Sustainable Leadership in a Volatile World of Change and Risk: A Historic Fire Walk in the Sequoias Jerry Mitchell, Chief, Biological Sciences, National Park Service (ret.) Don Fox, Yosemite Park Planner (ret.) Ron Mackie, Yosemite Wilderness Manager (ret.) Steve Shackelton, Chief Ranger, Yosemite National Park (ret). This group of facilitators will lead a walk in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, focusing on trends in climate and their relationship to fire; fire ecology, and the management of wildfire in Yosemite – as an example of science-based operations. 3:30 PM Board Shuttle Back to Parking 4:00 PM Board bus transportation for return to Tenaya Lodge 4:30 PM Tenaya Lodge – Break - Opportunity for Exercise, Reflection, Communication with Home 6:00 PM Dinner 7:30 PM Free Evening
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| APRIL 29 - TUESDAY: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, TENAYA LODGE |
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7:00 AM Breakfast – Tenaya Lodge 8:00 AM Depart Tenaya Lodge for Day of Exploration, Yosemite Valley 8:30 AM Innovations in Environmental Education: Explore the National Environmental Science Center – NatureBridge Corinne Dedini, Director, NatureBridge-Yosemite This field visit will explore the innovative strategies and successes of place-based environmental education under the fifty-year operation of the NatureBridge environmental education program. 10:00 AM Protecting and Perpetuating the Indigenous Stories and Cultures – Yosemite Indian Village Dr. Julia Parker, Master Park Ranger (ret.) 11:00 AM Free Time to Explore Yosemite Valley and Reinforce Links with Park Staff 4:30 PM Board Transportation to Tenaya Lodge 6:00 PM Dinner – Tenaya Lodge 7:00 PM Special Presentation – Global Partnerships to Address Complex Challenges – Sherpa Exchange: Nepal, Yosemite, Grand Teton, Denali. Brandon Latham, Yosemite Valley District Ranger Case Study: Mr. Latham will present a lecture on a successful partnership involving three American national parks that work to support climbing guides in national parks in Nepal.
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| APRIL 30 - WEDNESDAY: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, TENAYA LODGE |
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7:00 AM Breakfast – Tenaya Lodge 8:00 AM A New Century of Resource Protection – Cavalry as a Management Metaphor Dean Emeritus Brett Wright – Clemson University, South Carolina, former Dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Science, former Director of the Center for Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management 10:00 AM World Alliance in Resource Protection and Characteristics of Leadership Bruno LaPorte, Director, World Bank Institute (ret.), Washington, DC Mr. LaPorte will take the class into a deep dive on the importance of and methods for strategic stakeholder participation in the evolution of conservation policy that will intelligently serve agency objectives in parks and at the same time be sustainable from a societal point of view. 11:00 AM Mapping Essential Partnerships – Stakeholder Analysis 12:00 PM Lunch, Tenaya Lodge – Forest View Room 1:00 PM Group Exercise – Developing the Useful Stake-holder Landscape Mark Marschall, Yosemite Wilderness Manager (ret.) Chief Marschall will join Mr. Laporte by sharing the real-time case-study of the development of the Half Dome climbing permit system and how properly executived, patient consultation with the public (stakeholders in the outcome of the policy change) led to a consequential betterment of park management, safety, and service in wilderness. 4:00 PM Break 6:00 PM Dinner – Tenaya Lodge 7:00 PM Free Evening |
| MAY 1 - THURSDAY: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, TENAYA LODGE |
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7:00 AM Breakfast – Tenaya Lodge 7:45 AM Collect Evaluations Steve Shackelton, Bruno LaPorte, Asbjørn Egir, Jerry Mitchell 8:00 AM Report Out by Participants – Case Problems Facilitated by Dr. Erik Rolland 9:00 AM Closing Circle - Reflection Dr. Erik Rolland, Bruno Laporte, Dr. Asbjørn Egir, Dr. Brett Wright, Jerry Mitchell, Steve Shackelton 10:00 AM Farewell and Certificates 11:00 AM Board Transportation for the Bay Area
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PLANNED AGENDA
The agenda that appears above is projected based on existing conditions as of the posting on October 18, 2024. The content is subject to occasional change based on external influences beyond our control, such illness (pandemic) and agency emergencies.
CURRICULUM
This seminar is designed specifically for leaders in the park and protected area management. Participants will learn to lead strategic change by anticipating change, reinvigorating their organizations, and incorporating innovative thinking into their management. A practical framework will be applied to real-world case studies and take-home action plans. These four modules are incorporated throughout the 10-day intensive.
- Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
- Context Matters: Trends and Critical Issues in Public Land Management
- Innovation in the Field
- Generating Motivation and Commitment
Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
The leading organizations habitually innovate, adjust quickly to new conditions, and exploit emerging opportunities. They perform efficiently today while continuing to explore new sources of value for tomorrow. Such organizations don’t just happen; they’re created by leaders who understand the importance of change. Analyzing real-life successes and failures in both the corporate and public land management arenas, participants will learn how to anticipate, evaluate, and proactively respond to external changes, while examining how to balance innovation with performance. Participants will gain the tools and perspectives needed to develop specific action plans for renewing organizations.
Key takeaways:
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Learn a universally-adaptable framework and create a usable action plan for strategic leadership that includes:
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Setting a forward-thinking strategic direction with measurable objectives
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Analyzing performance gaps and opportunity gaps and their root causes
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Defining, diagnosing, and shaping desired culture change to execute strategy
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Managing for short-term solutions while building capacity for long-term strategic visioning & innovation
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Overcoming resistance to change
Context Matters: Trends and Critical Issues in Public Land Management
Managers need to understand the context in which they work to articulate a clear vision and set a strategic direction. The context surrounding today’s parks and protected areas are rapidly changing. They are linked to the economic welfare of nearby communities and to the global welfare at large. Boundary-crossing issues of global concern such as climate change, watershed protection, and an increase in the severity of wildfires have arisen. Partnerships and fundraising have become central to park operations, and parks are increasingly struggling with relevancy due to demographic changes and cultural shifts. Public land managers need to be sure they understand the current context in which they work to implement informed, forward-thinking decisions.
The course will present situations that encourage participants to think about trends that may impact them in the future. Embedded in this module are answering the questions, "Are we moving in the right direction?" and "How can we anticipate these changes rather than simply react?"
Innovation in the Field
In the past, public land management agencies and institutions have worked primarily within the context of their own organizations—possibly insulated from breakthroughs and revised thinking in disciplines that may have relevancy in public land management. Creative, fresh thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration across agencies is needed in addressing pressing issues identified in the “Context matters” module and in their individual parks.
This module will focus on expanding the opportunities and mindset of public land managers in imagining possibilities through contact with innovators and best on-the-ground practices in a variety of disciplines. Participants will learn how emerging technologies and creative communication may allow for more effective operations. Besides hearing from leading innovators, participants will become a think tank of ideas through the creation of a global cohort network of park and protected area leaders.
Generating Motivation and Commitment
One of the most challenging tasks for a leader is to generate the motivation and commitment necessary to implement change efforts. Managers need to analyze the current culture’s ability to execute the desired strategy, and, if necessary, shape the culture. In doing so, they create satisfied employees who understand the goals they are working toward. Highly engaged employees tend to be more resilient to, and supportive of, organizational change initiatives, and can lead to better company performance overall. Strong leaders help shape culture by building clear and consistent communication across the organization, empowering employees, and creating systems for rewards and incentives.
