Heather Wendt Hired as Director of Development & Engagement
From Tom Salzer
My philosophy about hiring is to always try to hire great people who add significant value to the team. The new DDE comes to us from the Benton and Franklin Conservation Districts. Please allow me to share some things you may not know about Heather Wendt:
- She has worked for conservation districts in Maryland and Washington. Heather has been a soil conservation technician and resource conservationist. She has been certified by NRCS as a conservation planner, nutrient management planner, and comprehensive nutrient management planner.
- On the management side, Heather has 16 years of helping to manage and lead a team of eight to ten conservation professionals.
- She is experienced in engaging and facilitating conservation activities with many other entities, building numerous partnerships along the way.
- Heather is an experienced grant writer and has hands-on knowledge of managing an annual budget of over two million dollars.
Heather has been formally recognized many times:
- 2009 Manager of the Year, South Central Area, Washington State Conservation Commission.
- 2014 Employee of the Year, South Central Area, Washington State Conservation Commission.
- 2015 Washington Native Plant Society Outstanding Partner Award.
- 2018 Employee of the Year, South Central Area, Washington State Conservation Commission.
- 2021 Washington Native Plan Society Outstanding Partner Award.
She continues to serve and support the Washington Conservation Society and the Columbia Basin Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society.
Something that lives close to Heather’s heart is the Heritage Garden Program, of which she is a co-creator and the program director. The Heritage Garden Program has grown to include multiple counties: Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Kittitas, Grant, Adams, and Chelan. If that isn’t enough, she is co-author of a book on selecting native and low-water-use plants for Columbia Basin landscapes.
Heather’s official start date is August 1st. Lori, Ryan, and I will be working to make sure her onboarding is smooth and that she has the resources she needs to hit the ground running. I have a few projects in mind to help her become more familiar with how WACD operates. Meanwhile, I’ll get her WACD email address set up so that you can join me in welcoming Heather to the WACD team.