Rebekah DeWind, District Conservationist - Coldwater

Rebekah DeWind didn’t expect to be working with NRCS when she started college but she’s glad how it worked out.
“I had no intentions of going this way, for sure,” said DeWind of her career plans on entering college.
She was a biology major and envisioned becoming a teacher. That changed when her college advisor recommended a summer internship with NRCS. In 2002 she worked as a student trainee and became hooked on a career in conservation. “I fell in love with the job,” said DeWind.
She worked as a student trainee again the following summer and was hired as a soil conservationist in 2003. She worked as a soil conservationist in Ottawa County along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The area is known for its agricultural diversity, the area has a variety of specialty crops including fruits and vegetables as well as traditional row crops. It’s a challenging area for any NRCS employee especially someone without a prior background in agriculture like DeWind.

Rebekah DeWind

“If you’re willing to learn, not growing up on a farm isn’t a set back,” said DeWind.
With the diversity of agriculture in Ottawa County you are constantly learning, said DeWind. The producers were very patient in explaining their operations and the county’s conservation board members were very helpful in helping me learn on the job, she said.
Working with customers is one of DeWind’s strengths, said Area Conservationist Carla Gregory. “She works very well with people, she has patience with people and can explain things even when there’s a negative situation.”
DeWind was among a group of 10 student trainees in Michigan who were hired at about the same time. It helped having a group of people who were all going through the same learning curve.
“That was really nice, we kind of have our own little network,” said DeWind.
DeWind’s hard work and ability to learn on the job led to her being promoted to a district conservationist position. Since March 2006 she has served as the district conservationist for Branch County in southcentral Michigan.
“I knew it was going to be a challenge, but it’s fun.”

Amelia James-Stevens, Area Administrator-Marquette

Anytime a landowner in Northern Michigan receives a cost-share check or incentive payment for participating in an NRCS conservation program, Amelia James-Stevens has had her hand in it.
James-Stevens reviews and tracks every payment from NRCS to customers in two of Michigan’s four administrative areas. She looks over every payment request before submitting it to the state office to assure that there are no hold-ups.
“There’s always some issue out there that needs to be fixed, I’m actually the fix-it woman,” said James-Stevens.
Although she does not work directly with landowners, James-Stevens knows her work is helping the land. “Absolutely, making things runs smoother frees up time so others can spend more time in the field working with customers.”

Amelia James-Stevens

James-Stevens career path took a turn when she came to work for NRCS in 2004. She had spent the previous 18 years working in the legal sector. Her prior job was as an investigator and paralegal for a law firm in Denver. She was looking for a change in careers when she got married and her husband wanted to live in his native Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
She found a vacancy announcement for her position on the internet. “The last five years I had been working in environmental law so working for NRCS appealed to me,” said James-Stevens. She started out working as the administrative coordinator for the Upper Peninsula and her job was expanded to include reviewing and tracking payments. She enjoys her expanded assignment.
“I like troubleshooting which is what I really did in the law. I like the UP and I like the NRCS, it’s been a great experience.”