February 16, 2023 at 11:27 a.m.
Kipper accepts role as Administrator for the Division of External Services for the DNR
Kipper accepts role as Administrator for the Division of External Services for the DNR
Kipper learned her love of the outdoors as a child, when her father Bob Turk first took her to the bog on Buck Lake. Turk had built the boardwalk through the bog and took Kipper there when she was just in fourth grade. Working for the county forestry department, her dad was the caretaker of Almon Recreation Area. The Turk household was on that property as well. She said that bog is a place she revisits even today and is a touchstone for her for the environment.
"I guess I'm not surprised that my heart pulled me in the direction of environmental work," she said of her career, which ultimately lead her to the DNR and her current position.
"Both of my parents loved the outdoors in their own way," Kipper said "My mom loved to garden and to sit on the porch and just enjoy being outdoors. My dad and I were a little more adventurous. We like walking around in the outdoors and such."
Kipper's career path
Kipper went to school at UW-Stevens Point, which many in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have. She jokingly said it is known as UW-DNR. Her degree is in geography and geology from the School of Letters and Science, which is different than many in the DNR who were more focused on wildlife areas. Her degree is a broader science-based degree, she said.
"I actually thought I was going to go into health promotion and wellness," she said. "That is why I picked UW-Stevens Point. When I got to college I took a geography class and thought, 'Wow. This is super interesting,' and I wondered if you could actually have a career in geography." She decided to go for not only geography, but also geology, feeling the latter was more of a "true science."
After college, Kipper said, she was not exactly sure what she was going to do with her degrees. However, with her strong connections to Rhinelander, she knew she wanted to work in the Northwoods. She started to look for positions in this area, finding a limited term employee position with the USDA Soil Conservation Service, with is now Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). She worked in that capacity for a few months until she took a position with MSA Professional Services as an environmental consultant doing hydrogeology work.
"It wasn't like I was looking to be a consultant," she said. "I wasn't really sure what I was going to do, and that's kind of how my whole career has been. Opportunities have presented themselves and I took them."
After doing this type of work for several years, a former colleague told her the DOT was hiring for an environmental coordinator.
"I checked it out, and it sounded interesting to me, and that's when I started my career in state service," Kipper said.
That was in 2001. In 2006, Kipper took her first position at the DNR.
"It was another thing where somebody was like, hey, they are hiring a supervisor at DNR," she said. She thought it looked like an interesting position and applied for it. She started as a first line field supervisor with the waste and materials management program. She had nine staff under her working with things such as landfill inspections and hazardous waste inspections.
Early in her career at the DNR, the program director in her field left, and she was asked to fill in that vacancy. Kipper took the position for nine months, but never intended to take the position. It meant moving to Madison. In the end, however, she was approved to work in that position in the field, meaning she could stay at the Rhinelander office. She served in that capacity for eight years.
Kipper's mother took ill, and she felt her time would be better spent caring for her ailing mother, rather than traveling back and forth to Madison, which the position required, even though she was based out of Rhinelander. At this point, she left the DNR and did consulting work, giving her time to help her dad care for her mom.
"I didn't even know that I would return to the DNR," Kipper said. "I just said, oh, my time at the DNR is done. I want to be home with Gracie (her daughter) more, and be home to help with my mom."
Sadly, Kipper's mom passed away in December of 2017. In January of 2018, she got a call from the DNR to let her know the Deputy Administrator for External Services position was coming open.
"That sounded cool to me, so I went for it and got it," She said. She held that position for five years. The division administrator retired in December, and she was appointed in early January, on her birthday, to the division administrator position.
External Services Division
There are six divisions in the DNR, Kipper said. Within her division there are six programs. The External Services Division serves as the primary entry point into the DNR for the public, businesses and local government.
One of the programs with which many are familiar is the Customer and Outreach Services Program. This program manages sales and information service delivery through the online Go Wild platform, our statewide DNR call center, and at several DNR Service Centers. When a person needs a hunting or fishing license, or needs to register a recreational vehicle, it is Kipper's division that will handle those interactions.
Her division also includes the environmental and sustainability program. This program delivers analysis and project management services for DNR programs across the agency as well as businesses and government customers. Subprograms in this program include the Small Business Environmental Assistance Program, the Green Tier program, the Environmental Compliance Audit Program, all energy and utility project review and permitting, FERC Hydropower coordination, and many more.
She is also charged with the waterways program, which helps people understand wetland, waterway (navigation, water quality, aquatic habitat, recreation and scenic beauty), dam and floodplain safety, and shoreland zoning matters and administers and enforces the laws that protect these resources, support economic development, and sustain a high quality of life in Wisconsin.
Another of her programs is the watershed management program. This program deals with things such as storm water runoff, agricultural run off and other non-source pollution.
Kipper also oversees the community financial assistance program. This program deals with several different types of grants and loan programs.
The last program under Kipper's wide reaching canopy is the office of agriculture and water quality. This program looks to advance land practices to help to protect groundwater.
"There maybe isn't such as thing (as a 'day in the life'), she said. "But as an administrator we give advice and help solve problems."
She said she has an awareness of all of the topics that are relevant, especially those topics that are controversial. She also works to develop staff to help staff grow and progress in their roles and careers. As the Baby Boomer generation retires, she said, and as Gen Z and Millennials fill positions within the department, training programs and professional development programs will be helpful for those coming into these fields.
When it comes to things such as recruitment and hiring, Kipper said, the goal is to be true to the many funding sources involved and to decide which positions can be filled.
"Like in our waterways program, we don't have enough funding to fill all of the positions that were authorized," she said. "We can't just take money from customer service and say, let's fill those wetland positions. It doesn't work like that."
Mentoring
Kipper understands that both her field and her position are male-dominated. But, she said, that gives her the opportunity to mentor young women, as she can be a role model for them and can help them follow their own dreams, including going into STEM careers. She currently has six mentoring relationships with women in the DNR relative to women in leadership.
"One of the first things I do is tell them to think about a career in STEM," Kipper said. "There are a lot of opportunities for both men and women, but particularly for women."
She said she tells young women to not feel as though they have any barriers. While there still may be barriers, it is getting better, she said, and will continue to get better as women strive for this positions.
"Our department leadership team right now if fifty percent women," she said. "So it happened."
Life outside of work
When Kipper is not working, she is outside. Her favorite line is that the forest is her chapel. She enjoys hiking and snowshoeing most of all. While she enjoys being in trails, she most enjoys being off trail and exploring. The Buck Lake Bog still holds a special place in her heart.
"I think - I can go there any day that I want to go there," Kipper said. "It's amazing. I never lose my amazement at the Northwoods."
Right now she is training for a ruck march. This involves putting on a 25-pound backpack and walking 30K, the equivalent of approximately 18 miles. She also enjoys spending time with her family and her dog Duke, who is often with her on her outdoor adventures.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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