Member Spotlight: Lydia Saldaña, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

By Katie Shagman

Each month AWC Austin highlights one very special member making a difference in the communications industry in Austin, Texas. While perched atop Enoteca Vespaio barstools, we had the chance to sit down with Lydia Saldaña, Communications Director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Lydia is an experienced journalist, avid collector and lover of all things Texas. Take a minute to meet Lydia Saldaña and learn a bit about her communication philosophy and strategy.

AWC Austin: Hi Lydia! Can you first please tell us a little bit about yourself? Born-and raised-Austinite? Out-of-towner transplant? Cupcake lover? Lay it on us.
LS:  I have deep family roots in San Antonio, Texas (my hometown). I was fortunate to earn an academic scholarship to Trinity University, and transferred to UT after landing a job in Austin. My lifelong dream was to be a TV news reporter. My first job was at KLBJ radio as a reporter, and then I moved up to anchor their evening news block. It was great experience for me until I got fired after noticing and loudly commenting on the fact that my male co-anchor made three times as much as I did. But that’s another story! From there, I landed what I considered to be my “dream job” as a television news reporter for Channel 36. I stopped going to school to work for a while, but my boss encouraged me to finish my degree and allowed me to tweak my work schedule in order to accommodate school, and I graduated in 1986. I was the first one in my family to earn a college degree and it changed the course of my life. It was also a great lesson in how important it is to nurture the dreams of the people you work with, and that’s something I try to emulate now. The next chapter took me to Dallas for an assignments desk job and then reporter role at WFAA in Dallas. I was married with a very young daughter, and my husband at the time had a career taking off in Austin… so I chose family, moved back to Austin and ended up at The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. That was over 22 years ago.  I absolutely love what I do now.  When you make decisions for the right reasons, things tend to work out the way they are supposed to.

Aside from work, I’m a bit of a collector. I have OCD tendencies when things interest me (yes, I have a lot of shoes). I have a pretty amazing collection of sun faces and toasters; a lot of them are up on Pinterest.

AWC Austin: How did you hear about AWC Austin? When did you become a member? Why did you initially choose to join?
LS: I’ve known about AWC Austin for years. It’s one of those time issues. My children are grown now but earlier in my career, of course they weren’t. I was doing soccer, family stuff, travel, and I didn’t have time for many extracurricular activities. On top of that, several years ago I made the decision to pursue another personal educational goal – to earn a Master’s degree before I was 50. So I enrolled in school at age 44, taking only one class per semester due to a demanding work schedule. I graduated last May and turned 50 last August, so that goal was met.

Then, throughout all of this I was going through a bunch of personal change. Divorce. Children off to school and then launched in their adult lives. All of the sudden, my decks were clear. I was an empty nester and I thought to myself, “What do I want to be spending my time on?” The answer was clear: volunteering. I do communications consulting for several nonprofits: Campfire USA, Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve and I also enjoy cooking occasionally in the kitchen for the Open Door Pantry program at University Methodist Church. This year I decided it was time to get a little more involved in professional organizations. My desire to network initially drew me to AWC Austin. I’m a new member, but getting re-engaged is a big priority for me.

AWC Austin: Describe a day in the life of TPWD, what is the mission of the department?
LS: Our mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of our state. In my shop, our job is to communicate about the incredible resources in our state by promoting outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, and state parks. We hope folks will get involved in nature and develop a conservation ethic. We utilize a wide range of communication and education and outreach channels to get people involved, including many in-house vehicles. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine is celebrating its 70^th issue in December- we’re the longest running magazine in the state. Our Emmy award-winning PBS television series has been on the air for more than 20 years and we have a video news report program, a radio series, and of course our website and social media. We were the very first state agency to do social media and we’re using a number of different platforms. We have lots of great content to share and what we do is a perfect fit for social media. Our offerings are very well received – we have over 82K Facebook supporters at last count.

AWC Austin: What was it like to join TPWD after a career in broadcast journalism?
LS: It was a bit of an adjustment, to say the least! I had the pleasure of being hired by and worked with the legendary Marty Haag, and I absolutely loved the time I spent in that newsroom. It really was the heyday of broadcast journalism and I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to work for and learn from Marty and many others there. It was a very difficult decision for me to leave the job that I loved. I was a big city reporter working at one of the best television news operations in the country. Better yet- I was one of three reporters working out of Fort Worth, and every time I covered a story it went on the air. I remember walking in to TPWD after I accepted the job and was met with a huge hallway of cubes. At the time I had never been hunting and I passed by a brochure rack in the lobby and there was this pamphlet that was titled: “Now that you’ve killed it” – describing how to field dress a deer. I remember seeing that and thinking “Oh my God, what have I done?”

Turns out, I did the right thing. TPWD has an incredibly talented video shop/department- that’s what attracted me in the first place. About the time I got hired there, they went through a big change and Andy Sansom became the Executive Director at TPWD. He saw something in me I wasn’t aware of, and mentored me and in 1996 I was promoted to division director. During my tenure I’ve had the good fortune to be able to build a robust communications operation from the ground up. Of course we had the magazine, and occasionally put out a news release or two, but the media relations shop, the TV piece, web, internal communication – I was fortunate to be able to assemble a team to build it all. It’s been quite a ride. Andy Sansom is still a dear friend and a mentor. He taught me what it’s like to be a good boss, to be creative and think big. I’m not sure how it happened, but now I’m the longest tenured division director at TPWD. That must make me old!

AWC Austin: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have to coordinate with multiple agencies/state departments. What is the most important part of your role in communications and what critical communication needs often occur?
LS:  Our agency consists of eleven different divisions: Law Enforcement (game wardens stationed across state), State Parks (93 state parks) Wildlife, Coastal and Inland Fisheries along with Communications and several administrative divisions. As you can imagine, there are different personalities with different cultures in each operational division. In order for me and my staff to do what we do, we have to have open lines of communication, and have respect and trust for one another. As an example – when I started at TPWD, the unofficial law enforcement media policy was: “If you see media coming toward you, turn around and run in the opposite direction!”  Then they wondered why game wardens didn’t have much of a media profile. I played a very personal role in turning that around. I’ve done media training for nearly every single game warden since 1996. Now we have game wardens out there who are interacting with the media in a very positive way spreading the conservation message of our agency. We’re done similar training with all of the park staff and resource divisions as well. It’s nurturing and training and knowing what each division needs.

With respect to interacting with other organizations, part of that is the fact that I’ve been in this position for more than 20 years and in this town for more 30. I know people! We all serve the same mission, and other organizations and partnerships are interested in the same end goals as we are. Partnerships are critical in getting the job done. There’s no way we can do it alone, and together we’re going to do a better job of getting that conservation message out.

AWC Austin: You have a lot of experience in video communications. Can you walk us through your philosophy of what makes interesting video content for viewers? Can you speak to the evolution of video from broadcast, to web, and the integration of both worlds?
LS: THE STORY. It’s all about the story. I was reading somewhere about the incredibly high value of video and photography in social media. People expect to see, feel and hear the emotion coming across the screen. It’s all about telling a compelling story and the very best video does just that.

Video is no longer about owning the magic hat. It used to be that a certain group of folks could do it, now everyone can wear the magic hat. At TPWD, we have urban wildlife biologists who are all over Texas, and they are the interface between urban citizens and wildlife. Our audience is in the city, where the people are. Our biologists came to us  recently and said they wanted to do some video, too. It’s not PBS quality work – but I think they’re awesome. There was some concern about detracting from the quality that our viewers have come to expect from TPWD productions, but I firmly believe there is a place for both.

The mantra at TPWD is COPE – Create Once Publish Everywhere. We picked that one up at a SXSW Interactive session and have taken it to heart.  In an era of shrinking resources, you have to do that. We had a video producer who produced a beautiful piece for our television show, then wrote a manuscript for our magazine and it ended up on the website… at every piece of content produced, we’re looking at every possible place that can go. That is a better use of our resources. It’s all about identifying the content and figuring out what to do with it.

AWC Austin: Have you always had an interest in parks and wildlife? If not, what was it like to take on communications about an industry you may have not been familiar with, and where do you get your inspiration from?
LS:  When I started at TPWD, I had never heard of it. I’d never been in a state park, never been fishing or camping or hunting (are you kidding??). Today, I am absolutely passionate about all of the above.

In so many ways, when you look at the demographics of our state, I’m the demographic TPWD is trying to reach. Reaching out to diverse audiences is something I’m passionate about personally and is absolutely critical to survival of our agency and conservation of our state resources. I have to communicate with people like me and the future generations in order to continue meeting our mission in years to come.

A large part of my inspiration comes from the incredible work that my staff does. Our education and outreach staff interact with people all over the state engaging them in outdoor activities. I’m plugged into everything we produce: I read every magazine manuscript, I review every piece of video, I read every news release. I also have the good fortune of traveling around the state. My staff has helped me appreciate and love the natural and cultural resources of our state even more. Of course, getting out and experiencing it is a huge perk of the job.

AWC Austin: What has been your most proud professional accomplishment?
LS: Assembling the most incredible team of communications, marketing, education and outreach professionals anywhere. I would put my team against any team anywhere, they’re absolutely incredible. In terms of a body of work – I am very proud of the Texas the State of Water communications initiative that ran from 2001-2011. We produced 10 special issues of our Magazine, 5 hour long video documentaries, several which were voiced by Walter Cronkite and we leveraged every piece of content to the fullest on the web and as educational resources. The material is still being actively used today. We didn’t have money to do pre or post surveys or anything like that, but I believe our efforts really helped elevate awareness of the importance of water for wildlife and water conservation.

AWC Austin: What communications trends do you see for the future?
LS:  I’m a news junkie, so the thing that’s most interesting to me is how consumers choose the news they’re going to consume. They make the choices/decisions instead of having it packaged up for them. I find that incredibly interesting. You must stay sharp on getting traditional news out there, but you have to be cognizant of the other ways that people consume news. Social media too, of course. When we started social media, we just did it. We didn’t ask for permission. Most of the time it’s really important to plan, but sometimes you just have to go out there, go with your instincts, and do what you have to do.

AWC Austin: So what’s next? Any future plans or goals/dreams you hope to make come true?
LS: Achieving that Master’s degree has opened up a new door for me- I am teaching a public relations course at Texas State University this semester. I am enjoying it immensely and I hope my students will get half as much out of it as I will. The older I get, the more I appreciate mentoring/sharing/helping young people develop their talents and see what their talents are. We have a great internship program at TPWD and I have a very personal interest in making sure that the interns who come to TPWD get the most out of their experience.

I’m also interested in exploring how my experience might translate into a corporate or agency environment at some point in the future. I am a few years away from potential retirement from TPWD so another transition might be on the horizon. Then again, I love my job and feel very, very fortunate to be able to do what I do at a place like TPWD. I just might be one of those “lifers” who stay for decades past their retirement eligibility!

AWC Austin: What is your favorite live music venue/theater/etc in Austin?
LS: Hyde Park Theater: I’m there once a month without fail. Ken Webster does incredible work. I’ve been to every production they’ve done over the last couple of years.  I also love Zachary Scott Theater and am looking forward to seeing their new building. I also enjoy popping in to the Saxon Pub. I recently had a friend come in town and I suggested checking out a show at Saxon. It was a random band, it was incredible and we kept laughing that it was TUESDAY!

When the weather’s cool I love a walk around Lady Bird Lake. This town has so much to offer. Now that I’m an empty nester, I have time to enjoy it all, and I do.

AWC Austin: Describe your perfect date night in Austin. Where would you go?
LS: I love good food and good conversation. A perfect date night always includes a really nice meal and wine, live music, and depending on the date, perhaps dancing. I usually like to try restaurants I haven’t been to before.

AWC Austin: Personal motto?
LS:  “We live with the consequences of our own choices.” Choose wisely, and then don’t gripe about the results, because you’ve made the choice. Also, always stay on the high road, that’s something I say all the time.

AWC Austin: What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
LS: How important relationships are. At the end of the day, the work may still be there, but it’s the relationships between people that matter the most. If those relationships are good, everything else kind of falls into place. Never forget that.

AWC Austin: Any words of wisdom for new or seasoned communicators starting (or restarting) a career?
LS: Keep yourself open to any new experience. No matter how scary it might seem. When you make the right decisions for the right reasons, things tend to work out the way they’re supposed to.

Lydia Saldana’s Resource Rundown:

• TPWD website (of course!)
• KUT. Best radio station ever. I would love to be a radio reporter for KUT for a day. Or a week. Or forever! They do awesome work.
• PR Daily. I give my students a quiz each week on the content on this site. Good stuff.
• News Taco. Just because.
• TPWD Facebook page. Just for fun. Check it out!