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CONTACT:
The Recreation Roundtable
(202) 662-7420 / FAX: (202) 662-7424

The Career Development Exchange Program is a cooperative partnership between Federal land managing agencies and corporations in the recreation and tourism industries. It encourages the interchange of management expertise and techniques between public and private sectors. Through developmental exchanges of personnel, both sectors will benefit from a clearer understanding of the way each conducts business.

Participants will gain a greater knowledge of the concepts and techniques of developing, operating and promoting recreation facilities and services for public use.

This program is the direct outgrowth of a recommendation from the January 1995 Partners Outdoors IV meeting. Partners Outdoors IV was attended by 25 private sector organizations and seven Federal agencies, and was coordinated by The Recreation Roundtable. This program is a collaborative effort, and a tool to promote cooperation between the public and private sectors on natural resource management and on visitor services.

Any interested organization may participate; this brochure describes how to become involved.

Target Group Qualifications:

Senior managers and executives from Federal agencies and corporations whose duties involve outdoor recreation facilities and programs are encouraged to participate. Exchanging organizations will mutually recommend individuals for participation. Federal employees should generally be a minimum of grade GS-13. Employees from both sectors must have high potential for top management responsibility; have demonstrated adaptability to new, diverse working environments; and show relevance of the experience to long-term career goals.

Length:

Assignments will normally range from 60-90 days, but may not require continuous participation during that span of time.

Nature of the Assignment: Participants may serve in a variety of short-term developmental assignments. These may range from special assistant to the head of an organization, to membership on a work group. The focus should ideally be on "real work" of a specific nature, or on learning about another organization or activity through "shadowing" assignments.

Although one-for-one exchanges may occur, most assignments will involve the detail of a single individual to another organization.

Number of Participants:

No cap has been established, but a target of 10 assignments has been set for 1995.

Application and Approval Process:

The process for application and approval will be determined by each participating organization. Information on local steps for application will be provided by your organization's Exchange Coordinator.

Clarifying Goals :

It is essential that the participant, his or her supervisor, and a representative of the host organization agree on and document expectations for the exchange. At the conclusion of the exchange assignment, both the participant and the host organization's representative should evaluate the experience and document the results. Clearly stated objectives at the outset will lead to a more productive assignment.

Security Considerations:

Access to classified information will normally not be required, however, a precautionary security screening will be made within Government agencies.

The Recreation Roundtable will maintain a listing of corporations and Federal agencies interested in participating in this exchange The list will include names of Exchange Coordinators and descriptions of general areas of potential involvement (such as marketing, planning, guest services operations, and employee development and orientation). Primary responsibility for developing an exchange opportunity, though will remain with the prospective participants.

Designated Exchange Coordinators within each organization will serve as a clearinghouse for information about possible assignments. In addition to maintaining lists of potential participants, they will be available to:

1) Distribute program announcements and provide information about the program within their organizations;
2) Provide information on local application procedures;
3) Coordinate end-of-assignment report and its distribution;
4) Track participants and evaluate the program.

Both Federal agencies and corporations are asked to make this opportunity known to eligible employees. It is the joint responsibility of interested employees and their supervisors to initiate the application process. Proposed assignments should be tentatively worked out and submitted to their organization's Exchange Coordinator.

Each nomination package must include a brief resume. It should also describe the proposed exchange assignment, its objectives, and the benefits to both the individual nominated and the organizations involved. The nomination must be endorsed by the head of each agency, or his or her designated representative.

A panel of Federal and corporate executives will review al 1 nominations quarterly. The panel may approve as submitted or recommend modifications to the nominations. All nominations should be submitted through your organization's Exchange Coordinator to:

The Recreation Roundtable
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 726
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 662-7420 Fax: (202) 662-7424

Costs: There are no tuition fees for this program. The costs of travel to and from an assignment, and per diem while on assignment, may be borne by the sponsoring organization as a career development expense. Additional travel or other necessary expenses required while on assignment should be the responsibility of the host organization, but may be negotiated in keeping with Federal Travel Regulations.

There will be no stipend for Government employees; they will continue to receive their regular pay during the assignment.

For More Information If you are an employee of a participating organization, contact your Exchange Coordinator or training director for more information on local application procedures. Other interested individuals or organizations may contact:

The Recreation Roundtable
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 726
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 662-7420 Fax: (202) 662-7424

CORPORATIONS
Bass ProShops
Berkley Inc.
BOAT/U.S.
Brunswick Corporation
The Coleman Company
Delaware North Companies
The Dial Corp
Fleetwood Enterprises
Forever Living Products
Gaylord Entertainment Company
Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Huffy Corporation
Johnson Worldwide Associates
KOA
L.L. Bean
Outboard Marine Corporation
Outdoor Resorts of America
REI
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
Times Mirror Magazines
Walt Disney Attractions
(Others invited)


Government Agencies (Locations in Washington, DC and Nationwide}
Bureau of Land Management, U . S. Dept. Of the Interior
Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Dept. Of the Interior
Forest Service, U. S. Dept. Of Agriculture
National Park Service, U. S. Dept. Of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation, U. S. Dept. Of the Interior
U . S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Others invited)

Participating corporations will benefit by opening lines of communication with government, and by learning different ways of doing business. Federal managers assigned to corporate positions will provide insights into government procedures and practices.

Likewise, corporate managers will return from government agencies better able to interpret current Administration policies. This understanding may then be used to sharpen key corporate objectives and strategies. In addition, each manager is in a unique position to serve as liaison between the corporation and the Federal government, enhancing that corporation's public sector presence.

Federal agencies will benefit from business perspectives provided by corporate managers during their assignments. Private sector managers are often an energetic source of new idea's and entrepreneurial skills.

Government managers will return to their agencies with a greatly expanded network of contacts, a fresh perspective and innovative approaches to management. In addition, participants will be expected to share their experiences and new share their experiences and new knowledge within their agencies, through written reports, seminars, videos or other means.

All Program participants must strictly observe Federal conflict of interest laws. Before beginning an assignment, a description of the duties and responsibilities of the assignment must be sent to both the sponsoring and host organizations. The Federal participant's ethics counselor will review the employee's background and the description of duties and responsibilities, and counsel the employee to ensure no conflict or potential for conflict exists. This review must be completed before beginning the assignment; no reassignment of tasks can be made without updating the review.

The strictest standards of legal and ethical conduct will govern the program. Participants must maintain the highest standards of performance and ensure open standards of performance and ensure open and honest decision making, free from conflict of interest. They are expected to carry out their assignments in a manner befitting the responsibility entrusted to them and in keeping with moral, legal, and ethical standards.

Periodic evaluations will be asked of participating corporations and Federal government agencies regarding their participants , professional performance.