The Bridge Program Fall 2022 Hiring Event
The Bridge Program Team is excited to share that we are in full force planning for The Bridge Program Fall 2022 facilitated hiring event. The Bridge Program is a public-private partnership to create an inclusive and innovative hiring pathway that will embolden and diversify conservation employment practices.
​
The Fall Bridge Program Hiring Event is scheduled for November 1st, 2022.
.png)
Meet Parker McMullen Bushman, Chief Operating Officer of Inclusive Journeys, and founder of Ecoinclusive Strategies. Parker is a dynamic speaker and facilitator that engages organizations in new thinking around what it means to be a diversity change-agent and create dynamic organizational change. Parker’s background in the non-profit leadership, conservation, environmental education and outdoor recreation fields spans over 24+ years. Parker has a passion for equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces. Her interest in justice, accessibility, and equity issues developed from her personal experiences facing the unequal representation of people of color in environmental organizations and green spaces. Parker tackles these complex issues by addressing them through head on activism and education. For 9 years Parker has worked with businesses to catalyze action to build culturally diverse and culturally competent organizations that are representative of the populations that they seek to reach and serve. Parker is the founder of the organization called Ecoinclusive Strategies. Ecoinclusive (ecoinclusive.org) provides training and resources for non-profit, cultural, and environmental organizations. In Parker’s role as Chief Operating Officer she oversee the core operational functions of Inclusive Journeys. Inclusive Journeys (www.inclusivejourneys.com) is a tech company with a mission to create data-driven, economic incentives for businesses to be more inclusive and welcoming, resulting in safer spaces for people who regularly experience discrimination.
​
.png)
.png)
Homer Wilkes, Ph.D., a native of Port Gibson, Mississippi, currently serves as Under Secretary for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources and the Environment, where he oversees the work of the U.S. Forest Service. He previously served as Director for the Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Restoration Team, where he was responsible for overseeing the rebuilding of the Ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico after the BP Oil Spill of 2010. He has also served as the Acting Associate Chief of USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Washington, D.C.
Wilkes’ tenure with the USDA spans over 41 years. During his tenure he has served as State Conservationist for Mississippi; Chief Financial Officer for NRCS in Washington, D.C.; and as Deputy State Conservationist for Mississippi.
Wilkes proudly served as Naval Supply Officer in the United States Navy Reserves from November 1984 – April 2007.
He received his bachelor’s degree, MBA, and Ph.D. in urban higher education from Jackson State University. Also, he successfully completed the USDA Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SES CDP) through American University’s Key Executive Leadership Certificate in Public Policy.
Wilkes and his wife, Kim, currently reside in Ridgeland, Miss. They have three sons: Justin, Austin, and Harrison. He enjoys restoring classic automobiles in his spare time.
About the Bridge Program
About the Bridge Program
​
The Bridge Program is an innovative public-private partnership and equitable hiring pathway for the environmental sector focused on people of color and underrepresented communities founded by Greening Youth Foundation and Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards. In its inaugural year, we hosted two virtual two-day sector-wide learning and hiring events, supported 300 candidates, trained 700 staff from 55 environmental organizations and 5 federal agencies in equitable hiring, and yielded 20 job placements. Candidates were placed in a wide array of jobs in law, human resources, communications, policy, development, membership, project management, operations, GIS, field programs management, partnerships, education, horticulture, and sales.
​
Building on the inaugural year, we will host a virtual two-day peer learning and hiring event on November 1, 2022 continuing to close the gap between qualified potential employees and employers in the conservation field. In fall 2022, we will have an event dedicated to connecting candidates with opportunities at federal land management agencies. These events are an excellent opportunity to convene around advancing equitable hiring solutions alongside a diverse group of candidates as well as human resources staff, organizational leaders, recruiters, and equity officers from conservation nonprofits, outdoor industry companies, and federal land management agencies. Our goal is to build learning and create relationships for long-term solutions by bringing together leaders from across the sector
​
For more information or questions about The Bridge Program, please contact The Bridge Program Manager, Hannah Malvin at hmalvin@gyfoundation.org or Leandra Taylor at Leandrataylor@wildernessstewards.org.