Interview with Timothy Kiefer, June 11, 2021

Interview Summary

Timothy Kiefer, born on Earth Day, grew up in rural Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin/Stout in hotel restaurant management. He was invited, as a generalist, to the Dominican Republic to work in the Environment Sector. Tim’s technical training on soil conservation, nurseries, reforestation, and coffee familiarized him with different parts of the country. He was assigned to Loma de Aguacate, an isolated, mountainous community of 300 families in the Cordillera Septentrional. He was to assist the coffee association. Tim ended up working with individuals. In his second year Tim began and continued in his third year working with a group of women to produce hand roasted coffee grounds to gift shops for tourists. He focused on capacity building of individual members: marketing, bookkeeping, etc. He also worked with a youth group, reforestation, and the Sociedad Ecological del Cibao. Tim learned that all things are built on relationships and culture. He is contract technical trainer with Entrena for the environment and business sectors from 2001 through 2012 and currently Training Director on staff as of 2017 to the present.

Interview Keyword

Wisconsin Rural community Earth Day University of Wisconsin/Stout Hotel restaurant management Dominican Republic Environment Generalist Pre-service training Technical field trips Soil conservation Jarabacoa Nurseries Reforestation La Cumbre Coffee Santo Domingo Santiago Navarrete Cordillera Septentrional Loma de Aguacate Coffee Association women’s group revenue generating project Ecological Society environment education reforestation National Park Los Haitisis environmental youth movement community engagement Construye tus suenos build your dreams priority culture Dominican Republic (Country of service) August 1986 – December 1989 (Years of service) Environment Sector

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