We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sydney Hank. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sydney below.

Hi Sydney, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I work as a project coordinator for Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council (UP RC&D). Our mission is to promote the conservation of natural resources within Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We are a small non-profit that employs two people, myself and my supervisor, the executive director. I have been there for one and a half years. Our goal is to continue to expand our name and become more know UP wide. We currently focus heavily on our social media presence to aid in becoming more recognizable, as well as making new partnerships and connections to open the door for more natural resource conservation project work within the UP. We strive to foster partnerships among diverse stakeholders that support a healthy environment and economy for the Upper Peninsula.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have worked as a project coordinator for UP RC&D for one and a half years, however I have been active in the natural resource field for 8 years. I have spent many years recreating in the out doors of Michigan as well as worked various seasonal technician positions and completed a bachelors and associates degree in natural resources. I have worked very hard to land myself in this current full time position in the field that I love. Currently work on a UP wide conservation project as well as focusing on boosting my work places social media presence. I have to say that I am proud of the work I have accomplished on the social media side of things. With this position I have created a website from the ground up, and manage a new work Facebook and Instagram page. The pride I feel when I see that these outlets are making a difference for us is untouchable. My supervisor and I strive to make UP RC&D more known and we are achieving that goal. We hope to be a friendly face that partners across the UP can reach out to for project work support.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new partners for us is between word of mouth and social media. One of our current goals is to boost our social media presence and become more known UP wide. As our following is rising we are noticing a correlation in becoming recognizable to the public and partners.

Any advice for managing a team?

In my career I have lead different crews of people for field work. I think that the best way to manage and maintain high morale is by positive reinforcement. If your crew trusts you and they see that you, as a supervisor, acknowledge them as equal they will be more likely to work hard and go above and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: uprcd.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069463903782