Economic Sustainability for the Farm
t...@geeclaw.com
From: OEM_Anno...@newsbox.usda.gov [mailto:OEM_Anno...@newsbox.usda.gov] On Behalf Of Nechodom, Mark
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 4:33 PM
To: OEM_ANNO...@newsbox.usda.gov
Subject: Sally Collins, Office of Environmental Markets, USDA
Friends and Colleagues May 28, 2010
This year has brought changes in many of our lives, and while I know some of these have been welcome and wonderful, others have been much more difficult.
On the “wonderful” side, I have been honored to have had this magnificent opportunity to serve as Director of the Office of Environmental Markets. Nothing could make me prouder than to announce that Beth Larry, Carl Lucero, and Mark Nechodom have joined the staff permanently. We have hired a AAAS Fellow, Ryan Atwell, for this year and next, as well as two student interns for this summer, Dominick Grant and Karen Bennett. Along with Pete Caligiuri and Jesse Burkhardt, our amazing interns from last summer and two incredible volunteers, Joan Golden and Debbie Ruddell, I have been blessed with not just wonderful, but exceedingly competent people to work with. And of course, without Ann Ashton and Thelma Strong, generously loaned to us from the Forest Service, the transition would have been immeasurably more challenging.
With Secretary Vilsack’s vision of ecosystem markets as one of his five pillars of rural wealth, combined with the steadfast support of our Under Secretary, Harris Sherman, and Ann Mills, his Deputy Under Secretary for Conservation, and many others, OEM is moving out aggressively on a plan of work that implements the “Environmental Markets” provision in the May 2008 Farm Bill.
On the more “difficult” side, I have decided to retire August 1. The change that has most deeply affected me has been my mother’s health and her inability to care for herself in her home in DC. While people deal with this every day, I never understood until now the complexities of this situation. Those of you who know me well know that I am very close to my mother and want more than anything for her final years to be as rich as possible. After lots of family discussions, we have decided to move with her to Colorado where more family can help us better care for her. Sadly, for me that means leaving USDA this summer, after 28 years.
Under Secretary Sherman has asked me to help with the transition to a new Director of OEM. We hope to fill the position quickly. Many thanks to all of you for your vision, for your support, and for making this past year such an enriching experience. There is much work still to be done.
Sally
-----Original Message-----
From: "Russell Williams" <russ...@fb.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 3:41pm
To: econ-def...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Economic Sustainability for the Farm