Office of the Director: Ann Forstchen

Degrees
B.S. Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 1984

Experience
Aquaculturist, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., 1983-1984
Aquaculturist, Smithsonian Institute, Turks & Caicos Islands, 1985-1986
Aquaculturist, Panacea, FL
Fish Health Group, FWRI, St. Petersburg, FL, 1989-2004
Research Coordinator, FWRI, St. Petersburg, 2004-present

What are you working on now?
Well, I moved out of the role of a hands-on scientist and into administration as part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reorganization. My role or mission is to ensure that our research activities work together with and support management goals. We're using a one-size-doesn't-fit-all approach to integration; it's an evolving process because of the wide variety of research and management activities within the FWC. In addition to integration, some of the other projects I've been working on are co-chairing the recent Section Leaders meeting, helping launch the Operations of FWC, working with the Research Coordinating Team, and a handful of other teams. I'm also part of FWC's Strategy and Planning Office so I work on some agency-wide planning activities.

Was work in your current field your original career interest? Why or why not?
No, this sort of evolved. My original career interest was in marine biology, specifically mariculture. When I graduated I would have never imagined that I would be doing this type of work. My first position at the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) was with the fish health group, which helped support the activities at the hatchery at Port Manatee. I worked at Port Manatee for a few years as their first on-site fish health specialist.

When I returned to St. Petersburg, I learned a lot about other parts of the agency through the Fish Kill Hotline. Since the hotline is a toll-free number we got a lot of interesting calls not related to fish kills. We would get calls like, "There's a raccoon in my canal that's swimming, what do I do with it?" to "Somebody hit a deer," to "There's a bear in my back yard" to alligator nuisance calls. With that group I got an excellent working knowledge about who to call with different issues. I learned of a lot of people within the agency. I evolved into a leadership role within that group and worked to combine the fish health groups' activities with others in the agency. The fish health group,which is now the Fish and Wildlife Health group,focuses on marine sport fish health issues, but we pursued opportunities to go out in the field with different groups and learned new and different procedures. We worked with the freshwater fisheries staff in Eustis, Lakeland, and the St. Johns River. We also learned how to electroshock and helped with the fish kill investigations in inland lakes. Our science expanded and improved because of the new techniques and experiences we gained by working with these other groups.

What would you say is your biggest accomplishment?
I hope that the biggest impact and most positive impact I have had on the agency since I've been in my new position has been to pull together staff that would normally not interact. I think I've helped increase the communications between FWRI and the Divisions and Offices.

What do you like most about your career?
I think it is the variety of things I get to learn and do. Every day is different. I get requests for different things to react to at every level, from the Governor's office to a school group. I have the opportunity to meet staff around the state and learn what they are doing. It's a privilege to work in an organization that has so many people that are so dedicated and passionate about their jobs. It's a challenge sometimes but I'm always learning. There have been very few days that I come to work and think "I'd rather be somewhere else."

What do you like least about your career?
There are some aspects of my job that are less pleasant than others, but I don't really have any negatives about my career. I don't even think of it as a career-it's something I enjoy doing because I believe that we as the FWRI and FWC are making a difference. My friends ask about all the meetings I attend and wonder if I don't grow tired of them, but I don't see meetings as being negative. I've accepted that some meetings are not as interesting as others, but face-to-face communication and broadening my perspective, to include law enforcement or hunting and game, for example, is critical to providing the best resource protection that the agency is capable of.

What are some of your biggest challenges?
Right now one of my biggest challenges is to balance my schoolwork with my work schedule and still have some personal time. I'm really looking forward to finishing my MBA this summer!

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in your field?
I think those interested in any career should take some steps to find out if that is really what they want to do. Becoming an intern or volunteering in a field can give you an idea of whether you like it enough to pursue a career in it. You may find out that you don't really like being out in the field or pulling a net or cutting fish or sitting at a microscope for eight hours a day. I can think of nothing worse than going to a job every day that you don't like. Volunteering can also lead to employment opportunities, if you can swing it financially. I volunteered with the Smithsonian Institute and I finally got a job with them and they sent me to the Caribbean to work on some mariculture projects in the Turks and Caicos Islands. That led to a pretty good position. It was an incredible experience in my life. The location was a dream job but the work was challenging and exciting and it made up for the downside of living in a Quonset hut without running water or intermittent electricity and having to catch some of our own food. I guess my advice is to take advantage of every opportunity to find a career you really enjoy and don't be afraid to grow out of your field and try a new one.