Forest Service Chief Postpones All Employees Call Until New Leadership Is In Place.

"Once leadership is in place, we will have more answers to your questions."

My inbox has been full of questions about what will happen with hiring and other actions inside the fire agencies now that these Executive Orders have been signed. We hoped to get some clarification during tomorrow's Forest Service Chief’s all-employee call.

However, today, the chief announced he would postpone that call until the USDA's executive leadership is in place, specifically for the Natural Resources and Environment positions that oversee the Forest Service.

The Chief expressed that they are working on implementing the Office of Personnel Management’s and USDA’s guidance on executive orders. But to answer all the pressing questions about what that will look like, the Chief says they must allow the USDA’s leadership teams to set up shop.

I reviewed all these executive orders on last Tuesday’s episode, including the hiring freeze and others. They affect all Agencies and exempt employees working in public safety. That being said, exactly how these orders would be implemented was still unclear to some.

That was the point of the call: to try and answer these questions. Its now postponed until three key roles are solidified.

The Leadership positions that are getting into place are:

Michael Boren: Nominated for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment.

Kristin Sleeper: Will serve as Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment.

Tom Schultz: Will serve as Chief of Staff for Natural Resources and Environment.

Michael Boren founded a very successful business called Clearwater Analytics, was on the Board of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and was a volunteer firefighter for Sawtooth Valley Rural Fire Department.

Kristen Sleeper held roles as Professional Staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture. Kristin has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from Michigan State University, a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Montana.

Kristen Sleeper was also the senior advisor for Senator Tim Sheehy’s campaign in Montana.

Tom Shultz is a former United States Air Force Officer and was Vice President of Resources and Government Affairs at Idaho Forest Group. Tom also served as Director of the Idaho Department of Lands and held leadership roles in Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, managing the Trust Lands and Water Resources Divisions.

I still believe people underestimate how much change is coming to the Agencies, especially at the upper leadership levels.

Here are Forest Service Chief Randy Moore’s comments on postponing the all-employees call:

As we work to implement Office of Personnel Management and USDA guidance for new executive orders, the Executive Leadership Team and I have decided to postpone tomorrow's Chief's all-employee call until USDA and the USDA Natural Resources and Environment leadership are in place, and we have more answers to your questions.

Thank you to those of you who submitted questions to me online. From them, I see that the administration transition is understandably what you are most curious about or, specifically, the details of executive orders.

We appreciate your patience as we find answers to your questions. We will receive further guidance from the Office of Personnel Management and USDA in the coming days and weeks. I will share our implementation plans based on the guidance we receive as it becomes available.

Thank you again for the tremendous effort you put into your work each and every day. I am proud of how we show up in our communities, carry out our mission and serve the people who depend on national forests and grasslands with great care and commitment. Please remain focused on our mission and the important services we provide.

I will update you about all this as it continues to evolve.

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