Jaida Perkinson
Open To Relocation,TX
Summary
Developed skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and project management in hands-on, outdoor environment. Leveraged experience in physical labor and tool operation to achieve project goals and maintain safety standards. Eager to expand conservation project work utilizing strong background in collaboration and task execution. Adaptable and well-suited to thrive in unconventional environments focused on ecosystem management and land restoration.
Overview
2
2
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Conservation Crew Member
Texas Conservation Corps at American Youthworks
Austin, Texas
09.2025 - 03.2026
- Served a 900 hour term across 6 months focused on trail construction and restoration, disaster response, and ecological rehabilitation
- Built and maintained trails across Austin including Bull Creek trail, Agave neighborhood trail, Roy G Guerrero Park, the Violet Crown Trail, and the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve
- Spent over 150 hours blazing trail, pruning, bucking, performing quality control, and cutting fuel breaks
- Planted over twenty 45-gallon trees and over thirty 15-gallon trees across Travis County Metro Parks
- Engaged in tree removal disaster response in Leander from historic July 4th flooding, which was selected as the Corps Network's 2026 project of the year
- Served as Safety Swamper to ensure crew wellbeing
Operations Manager
Red Lightning Disaster Response
Lahaina, Hawaii
03.2025 - 04.2025
- Trained and led teams of volunteers in smoke remediation cleaning processes
- Captured visual documentation of the process and progress of each project
- Coordinated communications with vendors to contract services
Research Assistant
Kounkuey Design Initiative
Nairobi, Kenya
10.2024 - 12.2024
- Compiled and organized foundational research related to Nature-Based Solutions
- Engaged with communities in informal settlements to solicit and evaluate development input
- Interrogated project reports and provided analysis from a social-justice perspective
Thought Leadership Intern
Roots of Development- Haiti
Washington, DC
05.2024 - 07.2024
- Identified and solicited corporate donors
- Cultivated social media posts highlighting projects from Haitian partners
- Raised $12,000 worth of in-kind donations for 2023 Annual Event
Education
Bachelor of Arts - International Studies, Environmental Sustainability And Community-Led Development
American University, School of International Service
Washington, DC12.2024
American University Nairobi, Politics & Society Program
Nairobi, Kenya12.2024
Skills
- Chainsaw operation
- Proficient in OHLEC Standards
- Pruning
- Forest thinning
- Tree planting
- Invasive species control
- Plant identification
- Ecological & habitat restoration
- Tool maintenance
- First aid and CPR
- Erosion control
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Attention to detail
- Adaptability and flexibility
The Corps Network's 2026 Project of the Year
American Youthworks' Rebuilding Community and Hope: Rapid Response to July 4th Floods
Certification
- Forest Literacy- Texas A&M Agrilife
- FEMA: IS-559; IS-909; IS-700B; IS-100C; ISC-100; IS-288A; IS-2900A; G489
- Adult First Aid/CPR/AED- American Red Cross
- Stop the Bleed- American College of Surgeons
- OSHA-10
- Foundations of Sustainable Trails- Indiana University's Eppley Center for Parks and Public Land
- Texas Stream Team Riparian Evaluation Water Quality Citizen Scientist- The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Timeline
Conservation Crew Member
Texas Conservation Corps at American Youthworks
09.2025 - 03.2026
Operations Manager
Red Lightning Disaster Response
03.2025 - 04.2025
Research Assistant
Kounkuey Design Initiative
10.2024 - 12.2024
Thought Leadership Intern
Roots of Development- Haiti
05.2024 - 07.2024
Bachelor of Arts - International Studies, Environmental Sustainability And Community-Led Development
American University, School of International Service
American University Nairobi, Politics & Society Program