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Jeanne A. Zschaechner
2001 Engineering Applications Employee of the Year

Jeanne A. Zschaechner is a visual information specialist on Region 4's Ogden, UT, Engineering Cartography and Graphics Department staff. Jeanne earned an award for stellar accomplishments in 2001 that included designing and implementing the first functional monitoring Web page that will help guide the future management of the Intermountain Region National Forests and Grasslands, preparing the report and presentation to showcase the Greys River Road as the first USDA Forest Service gas tax demonstration project to earn the Build America Award, and compiling information for 57 public USDA Forest Service roads.

Jeanne's supervisor awarded her the highest possible performance rating for her effective and efficient management of her program responsibilities in creating outstanding visual aids for all Region 4 staffs as well as for other regions and agencies. In addition to receiving certificates of merit and spot awards from several regional office staffs, year after year Jeanne receives peer awards for her outstanding work and good attitude. In the spring of 2001, Jeanne was recognized for her marketing and computer graphic support at the Leadership Improvement Conference, attended nationally by U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Interior agencies, State agencies, and private corporations.

Her mastery of the ever-changing technology of computer hardware and software enables Jeanne to produce state-of-the-art designs, documents, and graphics and to provide technical support. She regularly attends training sessions and maintains a network of people with whom she exchanges information on the newest computer technology and various media products. Jeanne freely shares her ideas and knowledge with coworkers from across the Nation who solicit her advice on how to present information and on how to best use software to complete their work.

Jeanne has established herself as the Regional Office photographer for digital and 35mm photography and for highlighting local events such as campground, plaque, and display dedications. She also maintains a photographic display of all Regional Office employees.

She is in demand for presentations on using visual aids and about the products and capabilities of her staff. Her educational background includes 2 years of fine arts study at Earlham College in Indiana and a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources management from the University of Idaho. This training gives Jeanne an edge in communicating with professionals and in understanding today's issues to create professional, creative, positive visuals that reflect the USDA Forest Service mission.

The engineering program managers rely on Jeanne's expertise to plan and develop her staff's budget and program of work. She is responsible for maintaining this visible program at a high level of precision and professionalism.

The Director of Information Systems selected Jeanne to serve on the Regional Office Monitoring Team for designing and implementing its first functional monitoring Web page, which helps guide the future management of the Intermountain Region National Forests and Grasslands. Jeanne designed and implemented Web pages for the Engineering Monitoring Web staff, for her own staff, the Interagency Leadership Improvement Training (LIT) Group, and many others.

Jeanne supports the entire engineering staff and other regional and forest staffs. She advises her customers on how best to portray their message and determines the appropriate design and layout. Her expertise with design, computer software and hardware, and achieving the most optimal final products helps them complete work assignments quickly and well.

She routinely creates a wealth of official documents such as vehicle inspection forms, posters, flyers, and brochures. Jeanne designed the National Geospatial Conference brochure for the GSTC'and an array of displays for internal and external exhibitions that encompass Historic Geographic Names Mapping and geospatial highlights for international meetings, water protection and fire prevention, and the nationally acclaimed Henry Fork's display. Jeanne also prepares electronic and other presentations for information dissemination and training, facility improvement projects, and bridge projects. She is responsible for logo and pin designs and a wide variety of visual aids for all Region 4 wilderness areas, customer service, LIT, Continuous Improvement Program (CIP), fire emphasis areas, and budget materials.

Jeanne created the reports and visuals to present the national model for the pilot gas tax project for the Greys River Road reconstruction, the region's public road inventory summary, and the roadless initiative. She assisted the regional engineering director in compiling information for the proposal of 57 public USDA Forest Service roads. Her efforts in preparing the report and the presentation to showcase the Greys River Road as the first USDA Forest Service gas tax demonstration project awarded and completed played a large role in the project's earning of the Build America Award.

Jeanne chaired the marketing committee for the Regions 4, 5, and 6 LIT Training Conference for 2 years. The cadre relies heavily on her expertise to develop an effective marketing image. She created the LIT World Wide Web page and compiled, designed, and handled the printing and production of the promotional materials (brochures, pins, flyers, and posters). She also designed, produced, and constructed a 20-ft-by-12-ft stage backdrop. Jeanne has consistently demonstrated the ability to forge effective relationships and achieve consensus with partners from national, State, and local government agencies, private companies, and contractors to generate products that best convey the desired message.

Advising and assisting fire staff specialists with fire effects and activity visuals and fire prevention messages are primary responsibilities for Jeanne during the fire season. She also creates educational material for special events such as the National Rural Fire Department Conference and the National Fire Prevention campaigns.

Jeanne designed and produced the visual aids used by Regional Forester, Jack Blackwell, which contributed significantly to the successful funding allocation by Congress for fire support for the 2001 fire season. She designed the Fire 2000 awards and medallions and handled the bidding and procurement process for these 15,000 regional awards.

The Human Resource staff and the Civil Rights staff depend on Jeanne to assist them with presentations, special emphasis displays, documents, and awards that comply with and promote affirmative action and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) standards. For 3 years Jeanne served as the Regional Office Civil Rights Action Team representative.

Jeanne's work is result oriented. She works under tight timeframes and meets deadlines promptly. She visualizes, creates, plans, designs, and executes illustrations and graphics required to transform conceptual ideas into artistic graphic display products. Jeanne provided graphic expertise for international projects such as the "Ecosystem and Scale Concepts: Effect on Environmental Information Management" publication; determined the message and design for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) posters to promote visitor opportunities in Panama; and customized a design to convey information and portray the best USDA Forest Service image to international visitors at the Snowbasin Ski Resort. Her designs and production work spawned displays, graphics, brochures, posters, and other visual aids and interpretive information for the 2001 World Cup Downhill Skiing, the America's Cup, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. She has completed special projects, including devoting time over several years to creating graphics for the publication "Monitoring the Vegetation Resources in Riparian Areas," preparing the State and Private Forestry staff's proposals for the Utah Community Forest Partnership-Trees America Planting Projects, and creating displays for multicultural celebration events.

Jeanne is active in the USDA Forest Service Women's Association and in her community. She has been a supporter of the Ogden Trail Network for the past 7 years and has helped keep the trails clean and safe. She is a captain and organizer for the Women's City Tennis League. She has contributed heavily to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, the Salvation Army, and local shelters. For the past several years she has befriended and been the main caregiver to an 83-year-old woman who struggles to live alone. She supports and contributes to the local "Sub For Santa," local theatrical organizations, community youth programs, community education programs, the Pregnancy Care Center, American Lung Association, Avon Breast Cancer Walk, local church organizations, the Ogden Nature Center youth program, and the New York City relief fund.

Jeanne is a lifetime member of the Richmond Indiana Arts Association and is also involved in the local artist community and galleries. She attends training and conferences to stay on the cutting edge with the full spectrum of visual information components. She also owns a small business in the field of writing, design, and photography and has a commercial World Wide Web domain. Both commercial operations afford Jeanne opportunities for interacting with people outside the USDA Forest Service to share ideas, discuss relevant issues, and embrace a variety of perspectives that stimulate her creativity.

Jeanne Zschaechner has demonstrated exceptional ability in refining project concepts and translating them through the visual arts into a substantial graphic legacy that effectively portrays and furthers engineering's multifaceted efforts on local, national, and international fronts to achieve the USDA Forest Service mission.

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