On August 26th, the Cuyahoga Soil & Water staff gathered at the Cleveland Metroparks’ Canalway Center for the District’s first annual staff retreat. The retreat gave staff an opportunity to get out of the office, get to know their co-workers a little better, and reconnect to the great work we do at Cuyahoga SWCD. While our busy work schedules can make it hard to carve out a whole day for a retreat, it is important to make time throughout the year to recharge and remember why we do this work in the first place.

Throughout the day, CSWCD staff participated in a number of activities designed to bring us together as a team, while also having a little fun. From staff trivia and homemade “telestrations,” to personality tests and discussions around the daily challenges we face in meeting the District’s mission, the retreat had a nice balance of work and play. Not to mention some great food from The Cleveland Bagel Co. and Bibibop!

As the new Executive Director, I truly enjoyed planning and facilitating this staff retreat. Not only did I get to learn more about our awesome staff at Cuyahoga SWCD, but I also got to learn more about what keeps them coming back to work everyday and how we can all work better as a team. One of my favorite parts of the whole day was the reflection session where we each shared something we like about working for the District. It was so inspirational to hear the many, many reasons our staff loves working here and I feel so honored to work with such a great group of people. I am looking forward to incorporating feedback from the staff retreat into our work throughout 2022 and as we plan for 2023!

Check out our About page to learn more about the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, our mission, and our staff: www.cuyahogaswcd.org/about

Blog Author: Kristin Hall, Executive Director