The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) is launching a webinar series, titled, Striving and Surviving, aimed at helping U.S. regulatory professionals deal with budget cuts and general uncertainty. Designed to respond to the current climate of budget cuts and uncertainty in the U.S. government, the webinar series will help food and drug regulatory professionals navigate new and exacerbated challenges.

Sessions will focus on key areas such as navigating a reduced budget, finding process improvements capable of making departments more efficient, restoring a sense of resilience in the face of unpredictability, and leading through change. AFDO will cover new topics in the webinar series as they evolve.

Coming up on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 from 12:00–1:15 P.M. ET is the session “Best Practices for Handling Budget Cuts to Food Safety Programs.” The session will cover guidance developed by AFDO to help food program managers prepare for the loss of grant funds, including determining strategies, evaluating resources, and determining how those resources are allocated to help avoid staff layoffs.

Future sessions include:

• “Leading Through Change: Strategies for Navigating Uncertainty in Public Service” on Thursday, March 6, 205 from 12:00–1:15 P.M. ET
• “Holding Steady: How to Lean Into Resilience” on Wednesday, March 12 from 12:00–1:15 P.M. ET
• “Doing More With Less: How to Streamline Your Operation When Funding Is Cut” on Thursday, March 13 from 12:00–1:15 P.M. ET.

More information about individual sessions in the Striving and Surviving webinar series, including registration, can be found at www.afdo.org.