Ashley Griffin Named New Innovation Facilitator Manager for eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Program
Ashley Griffin, Impact Collaborative Program Manager and eFieldbook Producer for the eXtension Foundation, will assume responsibilities as the Innovation Facilitator Manager for eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Program. 
Griffin has been part of the eXtension staff since 2005, starting as a Content Design Leader for eXtension’s 70+ Communities of Practice and Learning Networks. Beginning in the Fall of 2017, Ashley accepted a new position with the eXtension Foundation as the Impact Collaborative Program Manager which incorporates design thinking and lean experimentation into member experiences to better serve the Cooperative Extension Service. As part of the New Technologies for Cooperative Extension USDA-NIFA Cooperative Agreement in partnership with Oklahoma State University, Griffin leads the production of eFieldbooks for project fellows associated with the program. Prior to her time with the eXtension Foundation, she gained practical extension programming experience and delivered content through distance learning technologies as the coordinator of the Kentucky 4-H Horse Program from 1996-2002 and later served as an Extension Communications Specialist for the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture. Ashley has a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences and her Master of Science degree in Equine Nutrition from the University of Kentucky.
She will serve as the primary point of contact and liaison to the 152 current Innovation Facilitators trained in the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building methodology, assist in leading future Innovation Facilitator training sessions, and provide a connection to this group for future Impact Collaborative events and professional development opportunities.
Griffin will be taking over these responsibilities for Dr. Annie Jones, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, who has served as eXtension’s Innovation Facilitator Manager since 2019 on a one-year appointment. Jones will be continuing her role at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology and Division of Extension as Professor, Organization Development and Tribal Nations Specialist.
During her time as the Innovation Facilitator Manager for the Impact Collaborative, Jones led the training of more than 100 new Innovation Facilitators representing 50 land-grant universities across Cooperative Extension. Innovation Facilitators play a crucial role in the delivery of the Impact Collaborative program and also serve as a local resource to Extension Directors and Administrators in catalyzing innovation with local programs.
Jones played a critical role in the delivery of three national Impact Collaborative Summits, and led ten local Innovation Skill-Building events across the nation for more than 800 Cooperative Extension professionals. She has also been a leader in the Impact Collaborative’s transition to a virtual program for 2020 to make it more accessible to eXtension members, ensuring the success of its first virtual Innovation Facilitator Training and co-leading the delivery of the first virtual Innovation Skill-Building Experience.
About the eXtension Foundation
The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.
