NRCS Arizona Welcomes New State Conservationist - Keisha Tatem

PHOENIX, Ariz. September 1, 2011 - Keisha Brown Tatem, a native of Ivor, Virginia, began her professional career with NRCS as a Soil Conservationist Student Trainee in 1995. She spent over 10 years working directly with producers as a Soil Conservationist and District Conservationist in Virginia and Florida.

In 2008, Keisha was selected as the Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations for southeastern Pennsylvania and in 2010, she was detailed to South Carolina to serve as the Acting State Conservationist. She also spent two years as a Policy Analyst with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Before being selected State Conservationist for Arizona, Keisha worked as a Natural Resources Specialist with the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Team at NRCS’ national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Over her career, Keisha has worked on several co-lateral assignments to improve agency operations and program delivery, including the state advisory teams for Civil Rights and the Field Office Technical Guide, National Audit Strategy Team, National Workforce Planning Core Team, and USDA/BIA Land Subcommittee. She has earned numerous honors and awards for outstanding performance and leadership.

Keisha holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a concentration in plant and soil science from Virginia State University and was recently selected for the USDA Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program.

Contact Keisha at 602-280-8808 or via email at keisha.tatem@az.usda.gov.

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