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The Policy Director
Staff Highlight: An Interview with John Fitzgerald
Brief Summary of job description:
“The Policy
Director (PD) is expected to fill two critical
roles: to participate directly in the policy process
and to empower the membership by providing
them with the information and skills
necessary for them to influence the policy
process. Generally the PD is responsible for
coordinating all policy activities of the Society.”
[ from job description]
Tasks you are responsible for:
The Policy Director:
• Serves as a representative of the SCB
• Provides leadership and strategic direction
for policy activities
• Brings attention to pending policy issues
that warrant SCB involvement as indicated
by the priorities chosen by the Board, and
works with the SCB leadership to respond
to such issues, by:
1. commenting on federal rulemaking
2. providing expert witness testimony directly
or working with other experts
3. briefing legislators and staffs
4. creating background documents for use by
policy-makers
5. collaborating with other organizations
6. keeping SCB members apprised of conservation
policy issues, and
7. ennabling the membership to engage in
policy through training, toolkits, and webbased
information.
Tasks you are not responsible for:
While I have lead responsibility in policy matters,
I prefer to think that I will help wherever
I can and be aware of what the organization
needs to do as a whole.
Anything you would like to add:
SCB’s membership is as talented and respected
as any association anywhere. It is not
only dedicated to conserving the elements of
life on earth, but it embodies and publishes
much of the knowledge that will make that
possible. This is essential work, and it is especially
inspiring to do that work under the banner
of SCB.
How long you have been with SCB:
Since
January 4th, 2007.
An interesting story about yourself:
My mother’s father and, after mid-career, my
own father, were ministers, so I went to Sunday
school and church regularly and that background
came in handy once when the Endan-
gered Species Act was threatened. When a
different Congress in the mid-1990’s, flush with
the promise of a contract with America, moved
to exempt dams, dredging, and any projects
remotely connected to flood control from the
Endangered Species Act, I was the liason from
the Endangered Species Coalition to the coalition
on religion and the environment. I suggested
that the denominations and churches
write Congress opposing that exemption and
reminding them that it was precisely in the face
of a flood that we first learned of the ultimate
importance of saving every species, and that
became the Covenant that Noah made in exchange
for our survival. The letters poured in
from the Methodists and Mennonites, the
Baptists and Episcopalians, and
Congressional leaders halted the effort to
exempt water projects from the Act.
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