The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) Management Assistance Team (MAT) proposes a national professional development initiative to strengthen the leadership and capacity of state fish and wildlife agencies. The project will deliver high-quality training, consulting and resources to enhance staff effectiveness, improve retention, and support conservation programs funded through the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts. This initiative addresses a critical need: State fish and wildlife agencies are facing rapid changes in workforce skills requirements, loss of institutional knowledge, and increasing conservation challenges. According to a January 2025 report from The World Economic Forum: “Overall, employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030”. State agency staff have also noted the lack of coordinated, cross-agency training efforts, resulting in missed opportunities for collaboration and efficiency. AFWA’s MAT is a trusted provider of leadership and professional development to state agencies and is uniquely equipped to address this need. With decades of experience and deep connections to states, MAT is positioned to scale access to high-quality, cost-effective training and build stronger cross-agency collaboration. With support from the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP), this project will scale up delivery and coordination of professional development opportunities nationwide. This project will support two primary objectives: (1) Deliver at least 800 training engagements through online courses, live webinars, in-person workshops and on-demand trainings; and (2) Develop a dynamic training and professional development resource guide and directory to share best practices, build community among training leads and promote cross-agencies learning. MAT will expand access to its courses and webinars, while maintaining high standards of instructional quality and participant engagement. The team will track participation and outcomes to ensure broad reach across agencies. By investing in the people behind conservation, this project directly supports AFWA’s MSCGP strategic priorities to enhance workforce effectiveness and program outcomes. The benefits will extend well beyond the grant period, as training resources remain available, and the training leads network continues to drive collaboration and shared growth nationwide.