Alexander DeSantis (2023)

US Forest Service
Glenwood, NM

I was the Gila National Forest's only budget staff on a team that should have had three staff members. I managed EMS, fire, and facility budgets while supporting day-to-day field operations. I served as Acting District Ranger for the Wilderness Ranger District and was prepared to make the step into the leadership of the agency with a detail as a Deputy District Ranger lined up to have been occurring at the time I write this.

I wanted to contribute positively to environmental policy, stewarding our public lands, and caring for the people that live and visit these places. This job was a dream come true for me.

As the premier federal leadership development for the United States Government, it cannot be overstated how much value the PMF program has delivered over the past 50 years. PMFs have been our top performers and most dedicated patriots. To be among those cut down in their prime is a devastating loss personally but also for the nation at large. It is in all Americans’ interest that the PMF program be restored and that the highest quality leadership is on-tap in our executive agencies.