Photo belongs to the Dallas County Conservation Board

Dallas County Conservation’s newest Outreach Coordinator Jeni Baker discusses her shift in job occupation following over a year in her new role.

Baker tells Raccoon Valley Radio that she previously worked at the Tyson Foods Pork Plant in Perry before its closure in June of 2024. Baker was one of approximately 1,300 employees who lost their jobs, but explains that she’s grateful to have found another opportunity in Perry in early August of 2024, as her family is in the area and didn’t want to battle a long commute. She believed it would’ve been fun to work at the conservation, but admits that it was a brand new experience for her.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s kind of nice to step into a new position here. Still learning the ropes, still trying to figure out how everything works, and when Curt (Cable) took over the director (position), that was a big change at the same time, so we were all learning new positions at the same time, but it’s been good so far.”

Baker says her co-workers have been amazing and she is becoming more comfortable with working alongside the naturalists to determine the monthly programming.