eXtension RFP for Climate/Extreme Weather Fellowship

,

Cooperative Extension is positioned to be the leading national resource with the most experience with on-the-ground implementation of conservation-based programming. The eXtension Climate Coalition proposes creating a Fellowship effort as a short-term project dedicated to the compilation of program data across the Cooperative Extension System (CES).  The fellow(s), which could be one or two, will identify programming that is currently being implemented that aligns with Project Drawdown, other frameworks, and generally accepted conservation practices. Using eXtension support, the Fellow(s) will develop a repository for this information that can help the CES develop a narrative around the work being performed across the US. The repository will be dynamic, accessible, and easy for specialists, program leaders, agents and educators to update and add to. Information will include programs, success factors, and adoption rates. It will be used to help: 

  • Identify gaps in conservation/climate programming
  • Identify areas of greatest impact (or identify trends)
  • Help us identify measurements of acceleration
  • Focus CES interests on identified climate/extreme weather actions (solutions)
  • Help us tell our story around climate/extreme weather action (we will have an opportunity to seek funding and partners based on our current and future capacity)
  • Help identify where we are accelerating our impact the most
  • Empower CES Educators to align with these actions and their strengths
  • Allow for some longitudinal analysis
  • Create some continuity in our programming across the country

Deliverables: 

The Fellow(s) will lead: 

  • Offering of at least one synchronous online professional development opportunity and use of the connect.eXtension.org social intranet platform. 
  • Development and population of the Climate/Extreme Weather repository
  • Documenting current CES programs and practices in Climate/Extreme Weather and
  • Serve as the editor of Version 1 of the Real-Time Programmatic Inventory in Extension Education ePub to be published with eXtension no later than September 1, 2020. The eXtension ePub plus Connect.extension.org is a digital platform for aggregating content, tools and engagement available to all professionals in Cooperative Extension.

Responsibilities:

  • Serve in the role of editor of the ePub Version 1 and identify a review group and authors/contributors and follow the publication guidelines of eXtension. eXtension provides technical assistance and serves as publisher of the ePub. 
  • Work with eXtension to establish a 6-8 person working group of professionals within and outside Cooperative Extension to serve as an advisory committee/editorial board. Schedule the working group to help gather and curate existing research, programs and best practices using eXtension technologies.
  • Develop a timeline with milestones for the project. A suggested time frame for this project is May through August. Aiming to have the final draft completed by September 1 for broader sharing and feedback. 
  • Report on progress to eXtension regularly.
  • Offer at least 1 online professional development opportunity in the form of a webinar for Extension professionals.
  • Establish a group in Connect Extension and use it to keep in touch with the working group, the Advisory Committee and eFieldbook contributors.
  • eXtension provides technical assistance and serves as the publisher of the ePub, and data repository development and implementation. eXtension also provides technical support and marketing for professional development offerings.  

 

Compensation:   Proposals should address how they will utilize $20,000 in the Climate/Extreme Weather Fellowship effort to support the overall work.  The $20K will be to accomplish the deliverables.  Examples of possibilities include two faculty/specialists applying together and receiving stipends of $10K each to share the effort (this could be faculty at one or two institutions); one faculty/specialist receiving a stipend of 5K to oversee and guide the work of a doctoral or master’s candidate who would receive a $15K stipend. 

Reporting: The Fellow(s) will report to Megan Hirschman, eXtension Partnership and Development Specialist.  eXtension will provide $20,000 in total to support this work to the Fellow or the Fellow’s institution, depending on the best way to handle the funds for the institution. 

Timeline: 

Deadline for proposals: May 6, 2020

Start Date: May 20, 2020.

Project End Date: September 30, 2020.  This project is not static, and the philosophy will be to have 80-90% completion by September 1, and have an opportunity to introduce it to the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) at that time.  

Submit proposals (500 words or less)  and supporting documentation (resume) to:

Megan Hirschman
Partnership and Development Specialist
eXtension Foundation
Cell: 989-330-1265
meganhirschman@extension.org

 

/by

eXtension Foundation Welcomes Karl Bradley as 2020 Leadership Development Fellow

,

The eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce that Master Sergeant Karl Bradley, United States Air Force, will be serving as eXtension’s Leadership Development Fellow. Karl will be working closely with the Impact Collaborative program and its trained Innovation Facilitators from across Extension by offering professional development opportunities and engagements around leadership. Karl joins eXtension through the Skillbridge program offered by the Department of Defense for active duty service members that are separating or retiring from the military. This program provides an opportunity for service members to intern with organizations in the civilian workforce to gain new skills, training, and assist with their transition.  Karl Bradley

With over 20 years’ experience creating strong, values-aligned partnerships internationally while serving in the U.S. Air Force, Karl’s energetic transformational leadership style is infectious.  The ability to help inspire others find their “why” while connecting passion to profession underlines his favorite role…coach. He has a lifelong enthusiasm for agricultural leadership growth to help take organizations past what the science of management says is possible.

Originally from Branson, Missouri, he holds degrees in education from Arizona State University & The University of Northern Colorado.  He has led teams ranging from 5 to 250 & held leadership positions in public relations, event planning, fundraising, finance, human resources, corporate training & procurement.  As a collaborative consultant, he secured partnerships across 49 states & 13 countries garnering millions in sponsorships.

His areas of expertise include strategic thinking, leadership development & training, public speaking, team building, community engagement & ideation.

/by

Investing In Community Resilience: What Is Trauma-Informed Practice? A Webinar Series for eXtension Members.

,

Register Here

Please Take The Pre-Test Here

The spread of COVID-19 has created a myriad of challenges for communities around the globe. The science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma, toxic stress as well as healing and resilience, can provide helpful tools for supporting communities through this time of crisis.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 15th from 3-4pm ET for the second webinar of the Investing in Community Resilience web series, What is Trauma-Informed Practice?

Did you miss the first webinar, An Introduction to ACEs and Trauma Science? eXtension members can access the recording through Connect Extension here. 

Investing In Community Resilience:
Deploying Trauma-Informed Practice for Funders & Capacity Builders

As a Cooperative Extension professional, your passion for building just, healthy, resilient communities is evident. Until recently, we have been missing critical information that can help us develop best practices to achieve such a goal.

Today, the science is clear – adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma can impact the brain and body, contributing to a host of negative outcomes in all aspects of life. Some effects can even be passed from generation to generation. In the last two decades, we have come to understand that ACEs and trauma are pervasive and distributed inequitably among vulnerable communities.

The good news is that trauma-informed, healing-centered practice can hold the keys to preventing and mitigating these impacts. Researchers, service providers, philanthropists, policymakers, community residents, and others are coming together to build a movement for resilient communities, improving outcomes in areas as divergent as health care, education, and criminal justice.

In partnership with the Scattergood Foundation, the eXtension Foundation is providing an exclusive 10-month learning series opportunity for eXtension Members focused on how Extension Professionals can use ACEs and trauma science to improve community outcomes.

This series will guide the conversation around how communities can deploy resources in creative ways to build knowledge and capacity throughout the human-serving field. The series will be delivered in three parts, each of which will include two educational webinars and one interactive learning circle:

Part I: Using ACEs and Trauma Science for More Effective Practice
March, April, May, 2020

In Part I, we will explore:

  • The science behind ACEs, trauma, toxic stress, resilience, and healing, and
  • What it means to be trauma-informed and how individuals, organizations, and communities can implement practices that reflect this knowledge

Webinar II: What Is Trauma-Informed Practice?
April 15th, 2020
3 PM – 4 PM ET

We invite you to join us for the second webinar in our Investing in Community Resilience series. The webinar will explore trauma-informed principles and frameworks and what they mean for practice at the organizational, community, and systems level.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Describe why trauma-informed practice is a critical element of effectiveness
  • Identify core elements of trauma-informed practice
  • Plan strategies for applying a trauma-informed lens

This Webinar is Presented By:

Dr, Meagan Corrado
Storiez Trauma Narratives, LLC

Meagan Corrado is a Doctor of Social Work and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  She is the creator of the Storiez Trauma Narrative intervention and has authored nine books. She is a full-time faculty member at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.  She provides therapy to inner city youth in the Philadelphia and Camden, NJ areas. She earned her DSW from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, her Masters of Social Services from Bryn Mawr College in 2009. Meagan serves as a board member on the Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice. She specializes in work with children and teenagers who have had difficult life experiences.

She completed trainings in a variety of modalities. Her experience includes clinical work in a variety of settings including community mental health agencies, residential treatment facilities, schools, hospitals, and homes. She takes a creative approach to her work with children, adolescents, and families, incorporating elements of art, music, poetry, and play therapy in her clinical practice. Dr. Meagan is also a mixed media mosaic artist who works in alcohol ink, collage, and tempered glass.  She creates layered artwork to express inner emotions, personal experiences, and elements of her life narrative. Her work has been featured in juried art shows and solo exhibitions. Dr. Meagan’s interest in creatively helping others process difficult life experiences began at a very early age when she helped family members and friends process feelings about significant life issues. Dr. Meagan’s work is inspired by her interactions with children and families as well as her own personal experiences with trauma.

Marsha Morgan, MPA
Resilience Builders

Marsha retired from Truman Medical Center (TMC) February, 2016.  There, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for Behavioral Health for 23years.  During her career of 45 years, she was always an advocate for people with mental illnesses and disabilities.  Marsha has been involved with creating trauma informed and resilient organizations since 2009. TMC was one of the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s early adopters for trauma informed care and a participant in the National Council of Community Behavioral Health’s first trauma informed learning collaborative.  Marsha’s work at TMC included creating a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders’ specialty service and bringing trauma informed practices to primary and medical specialty clinics. At her direction, grant funding was secured to initiate several innovative community projects. These projects include training community mental health providers, developing secondary trauma training for first responders, and trainings to create trauma sensitive schools.

Her community involvement includes being a co-founder of Trauma Matters KC and serving on the following community boards and committees where she consistently promoted creating trauma informed and resilient communities:  Missouri Coalition of Community Behavioral Healthcare, Chamber of Commerce Healthy KC Behavioral Health Committee, Community Network for Behavioral Health Care, and Metro Council of Community Mental Health Centers. Marsha has provided training and consultation to a variety of organizations who are committed to becoming trauma informed.

Marsha was the Kansas City team lead for the 2015 Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) meeting which was convened to advise SAMHSA on ways to create trauma informed communities.  She was a presenter at the September, 2015 Federal Partners on Trauma National Dialogue where she presented on trauma informed schools. She was also the team lead to a SAMHSA session that focused on developing outcome measures.

Since retiring from TMC, Marsha created her company, Resilience Builders.  She has co-facilitated learning collaboratives in Missouri, facilitated trauma responsive trainings for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, supported Trauma Matters KC grant implementation, and is working with the Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice, a National organization promoting trauma informed policy and practice across the nation.

Save the Date for the Learning Circle for Part I. Registration will be available soon on eXtension.org.

Learning Circle: Using ACEs and Trauma Science for More Effective Practice
May 13th, 2020
3 PM – 4 PM ET

Connect with philanthropy and extension professionals for an interactive learning circle to discuss the concepts explored in the first two webinars of the Investing in Community Resilience series.

/by

eXtension & ECOP Host National Action Dialogue – Community Based Programming in the Digital Networked COVID-19 Age

,

March 26th & April 1st, 2020
3 PM – 4:30 PM ET
Available to: All Cooperative Extension Professionals
Register Here


Panelists Include:

Chuck Hibberd, Dean & Director of Nebraska Extension
Paul Hill, Extension Associate Professor, County Director, Community Economic Development, Utah State University
Elise Lofgren, Senior Instructional Designer, Purdue University
Doug Edlund, Assistant Director of Operations, UTIA Communications, & ACE President

In partnership with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), eXtension has been mobilized to support Cooperative Extension System (CES) during this tough time of social distancing and in response we have started a webinar series to address working virtually and connecting with your audiences through digital technology. You will also find more information at virtual.extension.org and in the Connect Extension Group: Extension Response & Resources for Extension Professionals Working Online you might consider joining.

WHAT NEXT?

To take this all one step further, we will be hosting a National Action Dialogue around Community Based Programming (CBP) in the Digital Networked COVID-19 Age as a two-session online event starting tomorrow, March 26th, available for all CES professionals across the country regardless of eXtension Foundation, Inc. membership. Registration is Open

Online Event: Community Based Programming (CBP) in the Digital Networked COVID-19 Age

  • Part 1: Date/Time: Thursday, March 26, 3-4:30 PM ET
  • Part 2: Date/Time: Wednesday, April 1, 3-4:30 PM ET

Purpose/Outcome: The purpose of this National Action Dialogue is to position our universities to rapidly respond to CBP in the Digital networked COVID-19 issue by delving in, capturing collective wisdom, inspiring innovative thinking, and focusing on new opportunities, partnerships, solutions, tangible actions and collaborations on issues for farms, families, businesses, and communities that will exist long beyond this public health crisis. This is open to all Cooperative Extension professionals.

  • The first day in Part 1, this event will offer a speaker(s)/panel to seed the conversations around the topic and time will be allowed for small breakout groups to discuss the issues and groups will report back the main outcomes of their conversations to the entire attendance.
  • The second day in Part 2, the top issues will be explored more deeply by breakout groups to share strategies for addressing these issues and potential needs to address the issues.

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. This work is supported by your membership dollars and funding from USDA-NIFA, grant no. 2019-41595-30123. For more information on eXtension membership, please visit eXtension.org.

/by

eXtension Hosts Lisa Zeeveld, COO BELAY Solutions, for Webinar on Virtual Work & Culture

,

Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, How to Embrace the Virtual Culture In Your Team


March 24th, 3 – 4 PM ET
Available to eXtension Members Only
Register Here

Christine Geith, CEO, eXtension Foundation, and Beverly Coberly, COO, eXtension Foundation, will be interviewing Lisa Zeeveld of BELAY Solutions about virtual culture. eXtension has been working with BELAY Solutions since 2016 to provide virtual assistants for the organization.

According to Christine Geith, “BELAY Solutions’ CEO, Bryan Miles, wrote the best book on virtual organizations that I’ve ever read.” The eXtension Foundation will be giving away free books to the first 20 registrants that participate in this webinar.

Description

‘How do you know someone is actually working when everything is virtual?’ It’s a question that, as a 100-percent remote company since 2010, we get asked a lot.

Additionally, brick-and-mortar organizations struggle to understand what virtual offices look like, how to overcome the inherent challenges of a virtual workforce, the benefits of going remote, and how to establish and foster a rich remote culture to maintain engagement.

Thankfully, BELAY COO Lisa Zeeveld knows a thing – or million – about organizational perspectives regarding an online workforce and will share her insights with us!

About BELAY Solutions

At BELAY, we’re a 100-percent virtual company with 10 years of experience providing virtual specialists to help your organization grow. Whether our clients need a Virtual Assistant, Bookkeeper, or Web Specialist, we have the right team member ready to help any organization excel without the added stress of having to do everything on their own. We search the entire country to find the right contractor to meet every client’s needs so that they can get back to what only they can do: growing their organization.

About Lisa Zeeveld

“I’m the COO and original culture cultivator at BELAY, the leading virtual staffing solutions company. I ensure that the optimum people and processes are in place to allow BELAY to realize maximum profitability since the success of an organization begins and ends with its people.

I thrive in creating dynamic and healthy cultures by developing recruiting strategies for hiring ideal team players, launching programs to increase team member engagement, creating initiatives that cultivate over 95-percent retention, and leveraging technology for innovative solutions.

With my Series-6 Limited Securities and Health and Life Insurance licenses, and prior experience in corporate finance and personal wealth management for several Fortune 500 companies, including Arthur Andersen and Weber Shandwick, I’m uniquely equipped to drive strategic initiative success by focusing on the company goals holistically.

I am fanatical about people and numbers, the utilization of agile methodologies, bottom-line profitability, and creating opportunities for professional and personal growth. I’m also a lifelong learner as an avid reader, history buff, and architecture geek.”

Register Here

/by

eXtension Launches Connect Extension: A Hub For Learning, Professional Development, & Collaboration

,

The eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce a new platform for all Cooperative Extension professionals, Connect Extension.

Connect Extension provides an interactive social space designed for this specific community of educators and professionals. All Cooperative Extension professionals can access our national calendar to share webinars and events system-wide and with the public.

eXtension members can access their member benefits in Connect Extension made possible through our Impact Collaborative program.

Register Your Free Account Here

Upcoming Learning Opportunities in Connect Extension

eXtension Social Café
Every Thursday from March 26th – April 30th
1 PM – 2 PM ET
Available to All Cooperative Extension Professionals

The eXtension Social Café will provide a weekly opportunity for informal, drop-in conversations and questions about the effective use of social media and communications in Extension work. Each Social Café will open with a 5-15 minute “tutorial” of a tool or feature on commonly used social platforms, or a brief showcase of a Cooperative Extension employee who is using digital communications in innovative and effective ways. The remainder of the time will be devoted to sharing, discussion and Q&A.

Hosted by Rose Hayden-Smith, PhD, Technology in Extension Education Fellow

Dr. Hayden-Smith has most recently served as a Cooperative Extension advisor in Digital Communications in Food Systems & Extension for the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. She’s the editor of the UC Food Observer, a communications platform in support of UC’s Global Food Initiative.

She previously led the 4-H and Master Gardener programs in Ventura County, where she also served as the first female director of Extension. Hayden-Smith was also the leader for UC ANR’s statewide initiative in sustainable food systems. She is a practicing historian and has published extensively about gardens as a civic enterprise in America.  She was a Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, advocating for a new Victory Garden movement.

Her book, “Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War 1”, published by McFarland, was released in spring 2014.
To participate, please create your Connect Extension account. This event is listed on the main calendar

Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, How to Embrace the Virtual Culture In Your Team
March 24th, 3 – 4 PM ET
Available to eXtension Members Only

Christine Geith, CEO, eXtension Foundation, and Beverly Coberly, COO, eXtension Foundation, will be interviewing Lisa Zeeveld of BELAY Solutions about virtual culture. eXtension has been working with BELAY Solutions since 2016 to provide virtual assistants for the organization.

According to Christine Geith, “BELAY Solutions’ CEO, Bryan Miles, wrote the best book on virtual organizations that I’ve ever read.” The eXtension Foundation will be giving away free books to the first 20 registrants that participate in this webinar.

Description

‘How do you know someone is actually working when everything is virtual?’ It’s a question that, as a 100-percent remote company since 2010, we get asked a lot.

Additionally, brick-and-mortar organizations struggle to understand what virtual offices look like, how to overcome the inherent challenges of a virtual workforce, the benefits of going remote, and how to establish and foster a rich remote culture to maintain engagement.

Thankfully, BELAY COO Lisa Zeeveld knows a thing – or million – about organizational perspectives regarding an online workforce and will share her insights with us!

About BELAY Solutions

At BELAY, we’re a 100-percent virtual company with 10 years of experience providing virtual specialists to help your organization grow. Whether our clients need a Virtual Assistant, Bookkeeper, or Web Specialist, we have the right team member ready to help any organization excel without the added stress of having to do everything on their own. We search the entire country to find the right contractor to meet every client’s needs so that they can get back to what only they can do: growing their organization.

About Lisa Zeeveld

“I’m the COO and original culture cultivator at BELAY, the leading virtual staffing solutions company. I ensure that the optimum people and processes are in place to allow BELAY to realize maximum profitability since the success of an organization begins and ends with its people.

I thrive in creating dynamic and healthy cultures by developing recruiting strategies for hiring ideal team players, launching programs to increase team member engagement, creating initiatives that cultivate over 95-percent retention, and leveraging technology for innovative solutions.

With my Series-6 Limited Securities and Health and Life Insurance licenses, and prior experience in corporate finance and personal wealth management for several Fortune 500 companies, including Arthur Andersen and Weber Shandwick, I’m uniquely equipped to drive strategic initiative success by focusing on the company goals holistically.

I am fanatical about people and numbers, the utilization of agile methodologies, bottom-line profitability, and creating opportunities for professional and personal growth. I’m also a lifelong learner as an avid reader, history buff, and architecture geek.”

eXtension Members: To register for this learning opportunity, please create your Connect Extension account, and navigate to the Extension Responses & Resources for Extension Professionals Working Online group. You will find it listed there. 

/by

Extension Response to COVID-19 & Resources for Extension Professionals Working Online

,

The purpose of this website is to provide a means through which Extension educators and administrators can share with their Cooperative Extension colleagues various resources and guides about teaching and working virtually, and provide a listing of current institutional responses to COVID-19. The current list of resources is just a beginning; it needs your additional contributions and expertise. As indicated by the note just below the search box on the right, you are encouraged to share other resources with us by sending an email to contact-us@extension.org.

/by

Supercharge Your Projects and Programs at the Impact Collaborative Summit!

,

When: April 28th & May 6th, 2 PM – 4 PM ET
Where: Virtual
Who Can Attend? eXtension Member Institutions
Deadline to Register: April 15th, 2020

Register here

A couple of weeks ago, we announced that registration had opened for our virtual Impact Collaborative Summit. Our Virtual Impact Collaborative Summit will continue as scheduled for eXtension members, but we have shifted the focus of the event to helping our members co-create solutions to deliver Extension programs virtually. This opportunity will also help increase participants’ confidence in creative delivery of programs.

As you all know, COVID-19 has created challenges across Cooperative Extension and across the nation. As a result of a survey conducted across the system last week, eXtension is currently focused on serving Cooperative Extension in two primary areas in response to COVID-19:

1. Providing resources, professional development, and learning opportunities around working virtually.

Using our technology platforms and tools, we’ve launched a resource site at virtual.eXtension.org available to the entire Land-Grant University system with new content being added everyday from all across Cooperative Extension. Additionally, we have launched a new platform, Connect Extension, available to the entire system. Within the platform, eXtension members have exclusive access to professional development, learning opportunities, and opportunities for collaboration.

2. Co-creating solutions for delivering Extension programs virtually

Our network of Key Informants from in and out of Cooperative Extension will be ready to help accelerate finding solutions to the challenges of delivering Extension programs virtually. For this Summit, there is no requirement to participate as part of a team and we have streamlined our registration process. We invite individuals from our member institutions to be part of this event.

/by

Engage & Empower Online Assists with Co-Creation of Farm and Farm Family Risk and Resilience Guide for Extension Educational Programming

,

In May 2019, eXtension’s Impact Collaborative program launched its Engage and Empower Online (EEO) platform. EEO is a social intranet platform powered by LumApps that has been customized for eXtension members and partners to deliver strategically-themed professional development and networking opportunities that allow participants to discover opportunities, scale their talents, multiply ties generating positive change, and leverage their time efficiently at the pace of change. Included in the EEO platform are opportunities to take advantage of exclusive publications, virtual events through the Impact Collaborative, webinars, and Learning Circles. 

In November 2019, the Impact Collaborative hosted a Learning Circle series, Creating Thriving Family Farms, as one of its EEO offerings. This Learning Circle was led by Bonnie Braun, Professor Emerita, University of Maryland School of Public Health and Extension; Maria Pippidis, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension; and Dr. Jesse M. Ketterman, University of Maryland Extension Educator. 

The Creating Thriving Family Farms Learning Circle explored frameworks, assessment and teaching tools for professionals to use for managing their own stress and for working with their clientele. It enabled participants to explore an integrated approach to physical, mental, emotional and financial health and well-being of individuals, families and farms with the end goal of building farm enterprises that can face and address change, with accompanying stressors, effectively. For four weeks, Braun, Pippidis, and Ketterman met once per week for a video conference with Learning Circle participants, and maximized the social intranet features of the EEO platform to deliver assignments, solicit feedback, and engage more deeply in the content between those meetings. 

Braun, Pippidis, and Ketterman leveraged the experience of the participants in the Creating Thriving Family Farms Learning Circle to assist with the review and development of a Farm and Farm Family Risk and Resilience Guide for Extension Educational Programming. The guide and three additional tools in a toolkit were shared through the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and the Northeast Region Extension Risk Management Education websites. This guide was created to provide a framework as a starting place for programming that not only informs but moves individuals, families, professionals, and public policy makers to take action to prevent or mitigate sources of stress (Braun & Pippidis, 2020). According to Ketterman, “the Learning Circle platform (EEO) allowed participants to engage in meaningful discussions which contributed to the final product.”

This Learning Circle was grounded in adult education and ten of the participants took time to review and provide feedback on the first edition of the guide. These participants were listed as reviewers in the final product and include:

  • Leslie A Forstadt, Ph.D., Extension Associate Professor, Human Development Specialist and Director, Maine Agricultural Mediation Program, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
  • Erin Kimbrough, Program Manager, Texas A&M University
  • D. Elizabeth Kiss, Ph.D., Extension Specialist Family Financial Management, Kansas State University Extension
  • Sonja Koukel, Professor/Extension Health Specialist, New Mexico State University Extension
  • Teresa Matteson, Soil Health Coordinator, Benton Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Makenzie McLaurin, Program Coordinator, Texas A&M University
  • Heather Neikirk, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University Extension
  • Anu Rangarajan, Sr. Extension Associate, Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Emily Wilmes, Extension Educator, Livestock & Director, Rural Stress Task Force, University of Minnesota Extension
  • Lorna Wounded Head, Family Resource Management Field Specialist, South Dakota State University Extension

According to Braun, “Learning Circle participants were at once both learners and co-creators. Their questions and critiques helped us improve the guide.”

For 2020, the Impact Collaborative is continuing to host Learning Circles and other professional development opportunities for eXtension members through the Engage & Empower Online platform. Members can register for a free account at eXtension.org/register or learn more here. Included with the 2020 offerings is a ten-month series in partnership with the Scattergood Foundation on Investing in Community Resilience and Deploying Trauma-Informed Practice. The first part of this series begins on March 11th, 2020 with a webinar. Interested members can learn more here.  

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.

Braun, B., & Pippidis, M. (2020). Farm and Farm Family Risk and Resilience Guide for Extension Educational Programming. University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, 1.

/by

45 Cooperative Extension Professionals Join eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Program as Innovation Facilitators

,

In February 2020, the eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative program hosted its first Innovation Facilitator training for the year. 45 new Innovation Facilitators representing 18 Land-Grant universities completed the training, joining 107 others that represent 49 Land-Grant Universities.

Participants spent three days learning the Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-Building methodology and obtained skills and tools that will help catalyze innovation with local project and program teams and also assist with the delivery of the Impact Collaborative program nationally. Additionally, Innovation Facilitators serve as coaches at the national Impact Collaborative Summit to help project and program teams across Cooperative Extension identify gaps in their project and program planning and connect those teams to resources that help fill those gaps.

This particular training session was unique as it marks the first time that the Impact Collaborative has delivered the Innovation Facilitator training virtually. Some highlights from this training include:

  • 100% of participants responded that they would likely or possibly recommend this training to others.
  • 98% of participants stated they would definitely or probably use the information presented in the training.

The newest Innovation Facilitators are:

Colorado State University

Lacey Taylor

Florida A&M University

Alejandro Bolques
Conchita Newman
Dreamal Worthen
Sandra Thompson

Fort Valley State University

Cynthia Wilson Willis
Terrence Wolfork

Kansas State University

Gayle Price
Laurie Chandler
Rachael Clews
Robin Eubank-Callis
Trudy Rice

New Mexico State University

Amanda Benton

North Dakota State University

Kelli Anderson

Oklahoma State University

Cindy Conner
Claude Bess
Jane Carpenter
Kegan Herrick
LaDonna Hines

Penn State University

Capri Stiles-Mikesell
Kimberly McCarthy
Mary Alice Gettings
Natalie Aiello

Prairie View A&M University

Cynthia Pierfax

Purdue University

Kara Salazar

South Dakota State University

Ann Taecker

Southern University

Gerald Williams
Krystle Allen
Tiffany Franklin

The Ohio State University

Michael Schweinsberg

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Alda Norris

University of Maryland

Catherine Liu

University of Minnesota

Kristen Mastel
Michael Compton
Regina McGoff

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Beth Nacke
Carroll Welte
Crystal Powers
Holly Hatton-Bowers
Linda Reddish
Shawn Kaskie

University of Wyoming

Mary Louise Wood

Virginia Tech

Megan Seibel
Melanie Barrow

The training was led by the Impact Collaborative team alongside ten previously trained Innovation Facilitators that served as coaches during the training including:

  • Tira Adelman, eXtension Foundation
  • Ashley Griffin, eXtension Foundation
  • Megan Hirschman, eXtension Foundation
  • Molly Immendorf, eXtension Foundation
  • Annie Jones, eXtension Foundation
  • David Keto, University of Wyoming
  • John Porter, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Kittrane Sanders, North Carolina State University
  • Donna Schwarting, University of Idaho
  • Bekah Sparks, Mississippi State University
  • Chuck Stamper, University of Kentucky
  • Stacy Wang, North Dakota State University
  • Jason Weigle, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Allison Young, Kentucky State University

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.

/by

Quick Links

Find Extension in Your State
Search Extension
Impact Collaborative
Connect Extension

About
Team & Board
Annual Report
Contact Us

Membership
Campus
Ask Extension
Tools

Privacy Policy
Accessibility Statement
Terms of Use
Careers

Extension Foundation Logo

Our mission is to empower a national network of community-based educators, volunteers, and partners to turn knowledge into real-world solutions for stronger communities and people.

Terms of Use

Cooperative Extension Logo

The Extension Foundation is a nonprofit established in 2006 by Extension Directors and Administrators nationwide. Extension Foundation is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP).

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

This website is supported in part by New Technologies for Ag Extension (funding opportunity no. USDA-NIFA-OP-010186), grant no. 2023-41595-41325 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Stay up to date with the Extension Foundation.

Subscribe