AN INTERVIEW WITH LEIGH BECK by Jacqueline S. Reinier June 10-13, 2002 Vallejo, California This project was supported with funds from the USDA Forest Service Office of Civil Rights, State and Private Forestry, National Forest System, and Office of Communications and produced in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service History Program. Forest History Society, Inc. Durham, North Carolina ©2002 Figure 1: Leigh Beck while working in the Northeastern Area, c. 1989. ii Table of Contents List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................. v Interview History ...............................................................................................................vi Biographical Summary..................................................................................................... viii SESSION I, JUNE 10, 2002 Tape 1, Side A: Family background—Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia—Attending college—Junior year abroad in Spain—Working as an Investigator with the Civil Service Commission in Atlanta. ............................................................................................... 1 Tape 1, Side B: Working for the Regional Training Center of the Civil Service Commission—Transferring to the Forest Service in Organization Management Assistance in State and Private Forestry—Workshop on the Changing Roles of Women and Men in the Forest Service—Becoming acquainted with Forest Service culture—Working with State Foresters. .................................................................................... 8 Tape 2, Side A: Developing management structures—Learning to speak before groups—Transfer to the Washington Office—Working in Administrative Management— Conducting workshops and training sessions—Working with Chief Max Peterson— Becoming Staff Assistant to the Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry. ........................... 16 Tape 2, Side B: More on State and Private Forestry in the Washington Office— Developing cooperative relationships—Working with the National Association of State Foresters—Working with Chief Dale Robertson—Advancing in the Forest Service as a young woman—Attending the Management Policy Seminar. ................................................... 24 SESSION II, JUNE 11, 2002 Tape 3, Side A: Participating in the Director’s Young Executive Program—Becoming Deputy Director for State and Private Forestry in the Northeastern Area—The Grey Towers National Historic Landmark—Working in a line position for the first time. ..................... 33 Tape 3, Side B: Developing a management style—Implementing programs in Urban and Community Forestry and Forest Stewardship—Working with Native Americans— Working on detail as Acting Assistant Director for Administration for the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station—The Consent Decree in Region 5—Working on processes to implement the Consent Decree—Assessment of the Consent Decree. ...................................... 42 Tape 4, Side A: Moving to California—Working on detail in Region 5, supervising Cooperative Forestry programs in State and Private Forestry—Urban and Community Forestry in Los Angeles after the Rodney King riots—Rural Community Assistance programs in the Northwest—Tribal Relations with Native Americans—Conservation Education. ........................................................................................................................... 50 Tape 4, Side B: More on Conservation Education—Forest Stewardship—Impact of reduction in timber production—Working with private landowners—Working with State Foresters in the West—Council of Western State Foresters—Developing coalitions and partnerships—Society of American Foresters.......................................................................... 57 SESSION III, JUNE 13, 2002 Tape 5, Side A: Taking a permanent job in Region 5 as Assistant Director in State and Private Forestry—Consulting with the Regional Forester Team in reorganization of the Regional Office in Region 5—Blending this work with studying for a Master’s Degree in Organization Deveopment—Factors affecting a leadership team in a government agency—Keeping the self healthy and in balance—Dealing with the influence of political leadership on career leadership............................................................................................. 68 iii Tape 5, Side B: More on politicization of the Forest Service—Skills of working with different publics--Learning to collaborate in partnerships—Master’s program in Organization Development at Pepperdine University—Sharing responsibilities as Co-Director of State and Private Forestry in Region 5—Working on detail as Acting Deputy Regional Forester in State and Private Forestry in Region 5......................................... 75 Tape 6, Side A: Working with State and Private Forestry in the state of Hawaii and U.S. territories and affiliated countries in the Pacific—Island ecosystems—Urban and Community Forestry—State and Territorial Foresters— ravel to the islands—Working with different cultures—Maintaining ties with the Washington Office—State and Private Forestry in different regions.......................................... 82 Tape 6, Side B: Cooperative Forestry programs—Working with the Federated States of Micronesia—Channeling grant dollars—Review of Programs—Working on a budget. ........................................................................................................................ 89 Tape 7, Side A: Becoming Director of State and Private Forestry in Region 5— Working with a staff—Serving on the Regional Leadership Team—Goals for State and Private Forestry—Being a woman in a Leadership role—Mentoring in the Forest Service—Changes in Management style—Being a change agent in a large government agency—Working with different publics. ................................................................................ 94 Tape 7, Side B: More on working with different publics—Changes in people’s perceptions—Advice for women and men in the Forest Service. ........................................... 101 Names List ...................................................................................................................... 104 iv List of Illustrations Figure 1: Leigh Beck while working in the Northeastern Area, c. 1989. ....................................ii Figure 2: Leigh Beck at a National Association of State Foresters (NASF) meeting in Texas, 1989, with Hawaii State Forester, Michael Buck, NASF Executive Director, Terri Bates, and an unidentified retired State Forester and his wife. .................. 28 Figure 3: Leigh Beck in her Northeastern Area Office, Radnor, Pennsylvania, c. 1990........................................................................................................................ 37 Figure 4: Leigh Beck at the Atlanta Summer Olympics, checking out urban tree planting projects by Trees Atlanta. ................................................................................ 49 Figure 5: Leigh Beck with Forest Health Protection and Cooperative Forestry Directors in Alaska during a Forest Health field trip, c. 1994.......................................................... 64 Figure 6: Leigh Beck being interviewed for the evening news about forestry issues in Guam. ..................................................................................................................... 65 Figure 7: Leigh Beck in American Samoa with members of the Samoan forestry staff and Forest Service State and Private Forestry staff, 2000. .............................................. 66 Figure 8: Leigh Beck at a Pacific Islands Committee meeting in Saipan, 2001, with David Limtiaco, Territorial Forester of Guam; Nancy Lollar, Regional Grants Coordinator, Region 5; and Jim Lawrence of the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition. ..................................................................................................................... 67 v Interview History Jacqueline S. Reinier interviewed Leigh Beck at Beck’s home in Vallejo, California on June 10, 11, and 13, 2002. Dr. Reinier is a former professor and director of the Oral History Program at California State University, Sacramento. She has taught Oral History Interviewing in the Capital Campus Public History Program at California State University, Sacramento and at Vista College in Berkeley, California. She and her students have done previous interviewing of Region 5 USDA Forest Service employees in California. She also has conducted interviews with women in the Forest Service, including Wendy Herrett, Geri Vanderveer Bergen and Clara Johnson. Prior to these interviews she was able to conduct research in materials furnished by Linda Lux, Forest Service Historian for Region 5, and in the library of the Pacific Southwest Regional Office of the USDA Forest Service in Vallejo, California. The interview was conducted in Beck’s home overlooking the Carquinez Strait during the portions of each day that she could spare from her demanding job. Although a charming and cooperative interviewee, she was concerned about sharing information while she was still on the job. At intervals throughout the interview the tape recorder was turned off while Beck thought through exactly how she wanted to relate her story. Those moments are indicated by the word “Interruption” surrounded by brackets in the text of the transcript. Beck began her career as an investigator for the Civil Service Commission in Atlanta, Georgia, shortly