Troy Gipps

Experience

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  Freelance Photographer & Writer

  Sept 1988 - now

  Nature Photographer/ Outdoor Writer

  • Shoots photographs and writes articles and essays for publication in print and electronic media.• Published in The Boston Globe, Above & Beyond: Canada's Arctic Journal, Paddler Magazine, Them Days: Stories of Early Labrador, CHE-MUN: The Journal of Canadian Wilderness Canoeing, Massachusetts Wildlife, The Grafton News, and The Marlborough Enterprise.

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  Self Employed

  Jul 1992 - Aug 2003

  Wilderness Expedition Leader & Photographer

  • Planned and co-led six wilderness canoeing expeditions in northern Quebec and Labrador, Canada.• Canoed over 1,800 miles of wilderness rivers on trips ranging from 20 to 50 days.• Retraced the ill-fated 1903 Leonidas Hubbard Expedition route through the interior of Labrador; member of the first canoeing team since 1905 to transverse the interior of Labrador by canoe from Goose Bay to Ungava Bay, a distance of 650-miles.• Served as chief photographer and subsistence hunter and fisherman on all expeditions.• Documented expedition activities in a personal journal.• Hand-coded an html website to catalog expeditions and promote wilderness canoeing: http://www.wildernesscanoe.org.• Collected insect specimens for donation to the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology. Show less

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  Appalachian Trail

  Sept 1994 - Nov 1994

  Thru-Hiker (Solo Long-distance Backpacking)

  • Solo thru-hiked 725 miles of the Appalachian Trail.• Photographed the journey and kept a daily journal.

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  Massachusetts National Guard

  Jan 1997 - Jan 2007

  • Served as the senior personnel management officer for a statewide organizational restructuring.• Lead a team of eight personnel officers and non-commissioned officers in support of the Massachusetts National Guard's Emergency Operations Center.• Conducted sensitive personnel investigations for the Chief of Staff.• Served as the senior adviser to the National Guard's State Education Services Manager. • Administered $12.7 million in state and federal tuition assistance.• Wrote, designed and managed the nation’s most comprehensive state-level Army National Guard education benefits web site.• Provided informational briefings to over 2,500 employees.• Communicated benefit information to 8,000 customers.• Designed a statewide marketing plan.• Provided attrition management seminars for executive leadership.

  • Personnel Management Officer (Major)

    May 2003 - Jan 2007

  • State Education Services Manager, GS-1740-11 (Captain)

    Jan 1997 - Jun 2003
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  Grafton Land Trust

  Sept 2001 - now

  Hunting Program Coordinator / Kestrel Project Leader

  • Wrote a comprehensive hunting policy.• Responded to all inquiries from hunters, abutting land owners and the public-at-large.• Published monthly electronic newsletters for hunters and birders using Constant Contact.• Issued over 130 hunting permits annually.• Hosted an annual hunting meeting for permit holders.• Shot photographs and wrote articles to promote land trust activities.• Edited bi-annual membership newsletter.• Built a Facebook following; shot photographs, produces video, and wrote content to increase social media traffic (https://www.facebook.com/GraftonLandTrust).• Established a Vimeo page to showcase local wildlife trail camera, hunting, and outdoor recreation videos (https://vimeo.com/user22595491) • Implemented and manages an American kestrel nest box monitoring program in Grafton, Massachusetts which has been successful for the past 9 years. • Served as Vice President of the Grafton Land Trust for four years. Show less

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  National Guard Bureau

  Feb 2007 - Feb 2010

  • Lead a staff of 40 active duty military and contract employees.• Served as a national subject matter expert on Department of Veterans Affairs and military education benefit programs.• Performed Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) duties for four contracts that provide centralized education counseling, marketing, training and administrative support.• Served as the senior web content writer for a national website.• Designed curriculum and taught a variety of course material.• Served as a guest speaker at national-level events.• Managed a federal budget. Show less

  • Branch Chief (Major), Education Support Operations

    Sept 2008 - Feb 2010

  • National GI Bill Programs Manager (Major)

    Feb 2007 - Aug 2008
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  Troops to Teachers

  Nov 2009 - May 2016

  Regional Coordinator, New England

  • Responsible for marketing, recruiting and administering this K-12 public school teacher-transition program across the six-state New England region; co-developed a national marketing communications strategy.• Developed and manages a regional volunteer mentorship program; built a staff of over 140 volunteers.• Wrote a national policy to govern the Troops to Teachers Volunteer Mentorship Program. • Developed and maintained a regional website.• Designed, wrote and published a quarterly newsletter.• Established and manages Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts.• Provides briefings and follow-on career counseling services to program participants.• Appears on radio and television programs.• Plans and participates in press conference and media events with elected officials. Show less

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  Military Personnel Services Corporation

  Nov 2011 - Jun 2013

  Employment Specialist (DoD Contractor)

  • Forged partnerships with private industry and organizations to enhance civilian employment opportunities for veterans.• Served as a liaison between the Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts (ABCMA) and the military community for the purpose of promoting ABCMA's Merit Apprenticeship Program which provides a pathway for veterans and other job seekers to enter the construction industry.• Developed a website to promote the Merit Apprenticeship Program (www.meritapprentice.org)• Used the "Hero2Hired" website (https://h2h.jobs/) to identify construction industry apprentice candidates for ABCMA's Merit Apprenticeship Program. See our "Construction Trade Apprentice" job posting at Hero2Hired. Show less

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  National Guard Bureau

  Sept 2014 - Dec 2019

  Marketing / Social Media Specialist, Education Services

  • Develops and implements a variety of marketing and outreach campaigns designed to enhance understanding and use of Army National Guard (ARNG) education benefits and services. • Manages the national Facebook page for the ARNG Education Services Branch, https://www.facebook.com/arngeducation; average monthly reach of 80,000 people. • Manages the national Twitter page for the ARNG Education Services Branch, https://twitter.com/arngeducation. • Coordinates a nationwide effort to expand participation in employer-sponsored Registered Apprenticeship (RA) training programs. • Serves as the primary liaison to the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship. • Conducts outreach and builds partnerships with major RA-sponsoring employers. • Serves as a national subject matter expert on the use of GI Bill benefits for RA. • Communicates RA position vacancy information to 350,000 Army National Guard soldiers through a network of state-level education services and employment personnel. Show less

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  Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife

  May 2016 - now

  Editor, Massachusetts Wildlife

  • Oversees, coordinates, designs, and produces Massachusetts Wildlife magazine—a quarterly, 40-page, subscription-based magazine—circulation 25,000. (https://www.mass.gov/dfw/magazine) • Shoots photographs for a wide range of MassWildlife print and electronic publications. • Writes and produces MassWildlife flyers, pamphlets and informational, promotional, and educational publications, including lay-out and art, illustration, and photo selection. • Edits the Massachusetts Guide to Hunting, Freshwater Fishing, and Trapping Laws—circulation 185,000.• Works with Communications and Outreach Coordinators, provides relevant content for agency website and social media. • Responds to correspondence involving inquiries from the public, press, and other state and private agencies. • Acts as MassWildlife representative/spokesperson at various events, functions, and show displays.• Active member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. Show less