James Buzzard Leadership Development Program Finds Success in its Inaugural Year

The NC State College of Natural Resources strives to build the leaders of tomorrow and this has been exemplified through one its newest initiatives, the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program. The program’s first year went exceedingly well during the 2023-24 academic year, with its second year well underway.

The program is led by Jason Bocarro, a professor of parks, recreation and tourism management. It was established through a gift to the college by the late James “Jim” Buzzard, a 1976 pulp and paper technology alumnus and the former executive vice president of MeadWestvaco Corporation. Buzzard’s vision of this program was to help undergraduates solidify their interests in leadership and grow their skillsets so that they can graduate from NC State as budding leaders. 

“I heard so many great things about Jim Buzzard but never formally met him,” Bocarro said. “When you are given the opportunity to lead a program like this, he was such a legend and such an incredible individual, I had hoped this program would live up to his vision.”

Developing Student Leadership Skills

The program’s first cohort of 18 students, selected in the spring of 2023, will always hold a special place in Bocarro’s heart. The year-long program targets upper-level undergraduates who are within three semesters of graduation, with cumulative leadership experiences, such as the CNR Student Ambassadors, Shelton Leadership, Sustainability Stewards or similar programs. The majority of the program’s graduates have landed jobs in a variety of natural resources-related industries, with program resources like community mentors, leadership field trips, personalized one-on-one leadership coaching, and guest speakers.

In its first year, 25 events were held for students to grow their leadership and people skills and teach them on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance. These events included a high and low ropes course at Schenck Forest; a series of workshops focused on emotional intelligence; a field trip to the Randy Nelson Decision Center; a leadership roundtable with NC State’s Chancellor Randy Woodson; and a tour of Carter-Finley Stadium.

One significant highlight of the program in its first year was the three-day annual field trip to Washington D.C, which has now become an annual experience. “I think it really helped connect the students together, especially giving them the experience to meet with senior diplomats at the British embassy, meeting with the chief of the U.S. Forest Service and meeting with NC State alumna Chavonda Jacobs-Young from the USDA.”

Reflecting on the First Year

Community mentors significantly helped students, including 2024 sport management alumnus Banks Cathey, who was hired by his mentor and now works as a development assistant at the Wolfpack Club. Each Buzzard Fellow was assigned a community mentor who they met with at least four times over the course of the year.

“A key teaching point from the program that I’ve been able to apply to my current role is the importance of authenticity,” Cathey said. “In a relationship driven industry like development, authenticity is crucial for building rapport and strengthening relationships.”

Cathey was originally interested in the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program because of the unique opportunity to learn from successful leaders and network with other aspiring leaders. His favorite memory from the program was when he and his cohort met Debbie Yow, former director of athletics at NC State, and he had the opportunity to hear her speak about organizational culture.

Kaitlyn O’Donnell, who just recently completed the Pathways to Public Service Fellowship within the City of Raleigh’s Office of Sustainability, also benefitted from her time is a Buzzard Fellow. O’Donnell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in natural resources and conservation in the spring of 2024.

“Within this fellowship, I leveraged my experience within the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program to self-manage a research project on sustainable budgeting practices in local government,” O’Donnell said. “My experience and comfortability in talking to industry leaders allowed me to easily facilitate conversations with eight southeastern local government sustainability directors and utilize a detailed level of questioning to develop a comprehensive report of best practices in sustainable budgeting.”

O’Donnell was initially interested in the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program because she understood the importance of quality and influential leadership in the natural resources profession. She saw how the profession has global implications, and she desired to gain a better understanding of how she could leverage her strengths and values to empower and motivate those around her to create impactful and positive global change. 

During her time in the program, O’Donnell thoroughly enjoyed visiting Washington D.C. with her cohort. She said, “We had the opportunity to meet with influential leaders in the environmental profession who provided their life stories and advice in order to empower us to become future leaders.”

The College of Natural Resources’ own Laurel Shriver was another member of the program’s first cohort. Shriver, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport management in 2023, has worked as the college’s recruitment coordinator since January 2024. 

Between meeting with leadership in many industries, going through an emotional intelligence assessment, and connecting with peers and learning important networking techniques, Shriver said her participation in the program has helped her feel more confident navigating professional spaces and allowed her to become more aware of how she and others interact in group work settings.

“I am able to use these skills as I work with prospective families and lead student groups,” Shriver said. “When leading CNR Student Ambassador meetings, I feel as though I have a better understanding of the presence I want to create and the energy I want to bring, as well as making sure the students feel led, supported and important.”

Shriver added that she especially enjoyed the trip to Washington, D.C. and the meeting with Yow. “It was inspiring to hear her story and her path to athletic director of NC State at a time where women were seen in the sport industry even less,” she said. “As a former sport management student, the best thing about the program was actually getting to immerse myself with leaders in many industries, not just sport. There is so much to learn from industries other than the one that you are studying, and the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program gives you that opportunity.”

Looking Toward the Future

With the program well into its second year, Bocarro said he is really looking forward to growing the program. There were many more applications the second year and he found it hard to select students due to many excellent applications. For the program’s third year, he hopes to be looking at an even bigger application pool. 

“The first year went better than I thought,” Bocarro said. “It’s like going into the unknown [with a new program], so you don’t know what’s going to work well and what’s not.”

For students interested in applying to the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program, you can submit your application here by Friday, March 7, 2025 at 5 p.m. Preference will be given to juniors and seniors but sophomores with leadership experience will be considered. Students must have a minimum 2.7 GPA and a demonstrated interest in developing their leadership skills.