Podcasts

Season 2 | Women in Forestry | Episode 10

#26 | Don’t pigeonhole yourself by taking on administrative duties just because people assume you will take them

May 11, 2017 | Christa Rogers

Christa Rogers is the Natural Resources Manager for Mecklenburg County North Carolina, the most populous county in the state, which also includes the urban center of Charlotte, NC. In her current role, Christa manages a staff of 12 and eight thousand acres of natural preserve, primarily for clean water protection. She is also a fire fighter, Master Naturalist Instructor, and open-water swimmer. Christa holds a BS in Environmental Science and Political Science from Eckerd College and a MS in Forestry from the University of Tennessee. She is also a member of both the Wildlife Society and the Society of American Foresters where she a SAF National Fellow and Member of the SAF National Board of Directors. In this episode, Christa discusses how it can be easy to get pigeonholed into traditional gender roles as a woman, especially when you’re job requires a lot of office time. As you will hear, Christa believes that motivation is key to being a good leader and that it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and take on new responsibilities to grow your skills and perspectives more rapidly.

Key Takeaways:

[3:40] How did Christa get started in forestry?

[8:00] What lessons did Christa learn while working for the U.S. Senate?

[9:00] Christa discusses what her first job looked like, and what her first leadership position was. It was “trial by fire.”

[11:50] At 26 years old, Christa was being forced into a supervisor role and she was reluctant to do it! She didn’t see herself as a leader at first.

[16:55] What makes a good leader?

[19:45] Christa talks about some of her mentors and how they’ve helped her through life.

[26:50] What experiences has Christa had, especially about being a woman in a male-dominated field?

[30:25] Due to a bad supervisor, who also had a tendency to bend the truth, Christa was often overlooked for promotions.

[35:45] What advice does Christa have for young women professionals?

[37:55] What does the future hold for forestry and natural resources?

[42:50] Keep pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

[47:15] Tom’s Leadership Tip of the Week!

Mentioned in This Episode:
www.charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/ParkandRec/Pages/home.aspx
The Movie Stand by Me (1986) by Rob Reiner
Christa on LinkedIn
www.LeadershipNature.com