Water Leaders 201: Leadership, Awareness, and Communication: Building Stronger Teams and Practices of Belonging

Date: Monday, November 3

Time: 10:00am-3:00pm

Location: Virtual

Cost: $100 WEco Members/$125 Non-Members

Description:
In this interactive session, participants will explore the ways that personal awareness, patterns of communication, and professional values shape the culture and outcomes of their organizations. Designed for alumni of the Water Leaders program, this training offers practical tools and thoughtful reflection to help professionals better understand the invisible dynamics that impact workplace relationships, hiring, and stakeholder engagement.

Through a combination of group discussion, scenario-based reflection, and peer breakout sessions, attendees will:

• Reflect on how personal experiences, habits of perception, and inherited assumptions influence their leadership and decision-making.
• Explore the science of implicit associations and how these often-unseen factors affect our interpersonal dynamics and workplace culture.
• Consider the range of experiences that shape how people navigate professional environments, from daily misunderstandings to more subtle patterns of exclusion or harm.
• Practice strategies for self-awareness and real-time interruption of harmful patterns in communication and leadership.
• Learn tools for building stronger relationships across difference, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and shared learning.

This year's Water Leaders 201 session will invite each participant to connect these concepts to their role in Colorado’s water sector. The goal is not just increased understanding—but a renewed sense of agency, compassion, and clarity for how we lead, listen, and build trust in complex, fast-changing professional ecosystems.

Parker McMullen Bushman – Facilitator Bio

Parker McMullen Bushman (they/them) is a nationally recognized environmental educator, speaker, and organizational strategist who brings over two decades of experience leading transformative conversations at the intersection of leadership, equity, and environmental stewardship. They are the CEO and Founder of Ecoinclusive Strategies, a consulting firm that supports conservation-focused organizations in building healthier, more inclusive internal cultures and external relationships.

Parker’s roots in the water world run deep. Their early career focused on marine science education at coastal field stations, where they taught about estuarine ecosystems, aquatic biodiversity, and community-based conservation. Parker’s graduate work at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point centered on inclusive watershed education on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, exploring how to communicate science in ways that resonate across diverse communities. They have worked on ecosystem-focused outreach, coastal interpretation, and watershed engagement programs throughout the country.

Before launching Ecoinclusive full time, Parker served as Vice President of Community Engagement, Education, and Inclusion at the Butterfly Pavilion in Colorado. They are also the founder of the Summit for Action, a nonprofit that brings together leaders across the environmental and outdoor sectors to advance equity, community connection, and justice-informed action.

Parker’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2022 President’s Award for Excellence in Environmental Education from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, the Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs Outstanding Service Award from the North American Association for Environmental Education, and the 2023 Creator of the Year Award from the Outdoor Media Summit.

Whether they are facilitating leadership cohorts, consulting on organizational culture, or teaching about aquatic systems, Parker brings a powerful combination of warmth, expertise, and deep commitment to building ecosystems—both human and environmental—that are resilient, inclusive, and thriving.