Alaskan Receives USDA Unsung Hero Award

Crystal Leonetti received the Organization of Professional Employees of the US Department of Agriculture Unsung Hero award this week for her hard work and many accomplishments as Statewide Native Liaison, District Conservationist for the Anchorage field office, and American Indian/Alaska Native Special Emphasis Program Manager.  Highlights of her many accomplishments include developing a three-day course for Alaska NRCS employees to learn about Alaska Native land complexities, cultures, and history called Working Effectively with Alaska Natives.  She was responsible for working with Alaska’s first-ever Tribal Conservation District, expanding that field office area by 5,000 square miles.  She organized and facilitated the first NRCS meeting of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Regional Corporations.  Crystal was elected President of the American Indian Alaska Native Employees Association in 2006, and co-chaired the first-ever joint NRCS Asian Pacific Islander Organization (APIO) and American Indian and Alaska Native Employee Association conference in 2006.

Crystal’s principal goals include raising a family with her husband, Ed; continuing a successful career with NRCS; and establishing rapport and good working relationships between NRCS and Alaska’s Native Corporations, Villages, and Tribes.
Your contact is Fred Jacobs, NRCS public affairs specialist at 202-720-4772.