As a state conservationist for the United States Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA–NRCS), Suzy Daubert ’00 is like a soil detective, constantly going from one case to another, traversing the country solving puzzles to achieve positive environmental outcomes.
“After graduating, I was working in Dr. Martin Rabenhorst’s soils lab on campus and obtained a summer internship opportunity where I got to map soils in Fairbanks, Alaska with USDA’s NRCS,” said Daubert. “After the internship was over, I was offered a full time position and signed a mobility agreement saying I’d go where the work is.”
A well traveled conservationist, Daubert has worked across the country, living in eight different states including Wyoming, Florida, and Maine, to name a few. Through her travels, she has learned much about how each state operates environmentally and what clues to look for in assessing some of her conservation projects. This could involve surveying farmland to help control erosion or making sure appropriate measures are followed to protect habitats.
“I have 20 years of experience all over the country, where I can recognize some of the things that I probably wouldn’t have ever been able to if I had just stayed home in my comfort zone,” said Daubert.
Her travels did eventually lead Daubert back home to Maryland, where she now gets to work with both local and federal partners. One week she might be talking about source water with the Environmental Protection Agency then another working to assist farmers with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
In her current position with NRCS, one of her primary roles is to aid in improving overall food security, whether through prioritizing resource conservation, providing support to food producers, or increasing the presence of small-acreage urban gardens in food deserts.
“This current administration is really focused on climate mitigation with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,” Daubert said. “Particularly, with the pandemic, our response needs to be towards supply chain and local food. So, we do have a lot of programs for urban agriculture and growing food where people are.”
What Daubert especially likes about the food systems aspect of her work is that it’s bipartisan in nature because everyone needs to eat. So, even though administrations change and priorities shift, they are still servicing overall food security.
Another aspect of her work that has stayed consistent no matter where she has lived is the emphasis on NRCS being locally led. It was originally established as the Soil Conservation Service, which divided the country into soil and water conservation districts, with local partners and members of communities carrying out conservation efforts with guidance and funding support from the federal government. It’s always been kept locally led because what’s good for Indiana and Kansas is not necessarily what’s good for Maryland.
As she has moved around, taken on different projects, and met new people, Daubert has done her best to immerse herself in her changing surroundings while also maintaining her individualism.
“Being a first generation Korean- American, part of my culture has been assimilation,” said Daubert. “Because sometimes I do initially feel like an outsider, but assimilating to the culture and trying to still stay true to myself has been a key to being able to move around, adjust, and thrive. As you move around, change your environment, and work with different people, you have to assimilate to their cultural norms but at the same time still be authentic to yourself, and then you can thrive.”
by Andrew Muir : Momentum Magazine Summer 2023