096: Being in This Profession Has Allowed a Country Boy like Me to Go to Places I Never Dreamed Of

Alton Perry is the Program Manager and Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Consultant for Roanoke Electric Cooperative, where he does outreach to African American forest landowners on land retention and building family wealth through forest management. Prior to this, Alton retired from the North Carolina Forest Service after 30 years of work. On the show, Alton shares how he became so diverse in his career, everything from being a certified arborist, providing wildfire training, urban forestry, and more! Alton is the perfect example that you will find something you love in this field, and pick up a diverse set of skills along the way!   Key Takeaways: [:55] A message from Leadership Nature. [1:40] A quick intro about Alton's background. [3:10] How did Alton get into natural resources? [6:10] What is the difference between a four year or two year university program? [9:15] What was Alton's first job in North Carolina Forest Service? [13:30] Alton shares what his first leadership experience was like. [17:25] What does it mean to be a certified arborist? [19:25] There are tons of diverse jobs in forestry that you can take on. [23:25] Alton shares a bit of history as to why so many African Americans have experienced land-loss. [29:10] How is the forest service so organized and able to move teams of firefighters to different state agencies during an emergency? [34:45] What has challenged Alton the most in his career? [36:55] Alton shares his thoughts on why it's been difficult to attract more diversity into the natural resources industry. [41:10] Who have been Alton's mentors over the years? [46:15] Explore, have an open mind, and create your own path in your life. [50:35] Remember, each person brings different gifts to the table and it's up to you, as the leader, to manage those gifts.   Mentioned in This Episode: Roanokecenter.org Alton on LinkedIn