ECOP Monday Minute 12.16.13

Congratulations, Chrystal – Please join the National ECOP Office in celebrating the exemplary contributions of Chrystal Checketts who has accepted a position at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension effective January 6, 2014. Since March 2011, Chrystal has been a critical member of the Executive Director and Administrator Team providing leadership for revamping the financial reporting system, updating the ECOP website at www.extension.org/ECOP, transitioning the Extension awards to an online process, establishing a consistent appearance for all ECOP communications, and assuming a substantial role on the ECOP Extension Centennial Task Force. She can be reached at chrystal.checketts(at)extension.org through January 3, 2014. Thank you, Chrystal, for your commitment to excellence, your attention to detail, your consistent professionalism, and for choosing Cooperative Extension for your next career move.

ACTION: NEDA 2014 Registration Open  – Register at http://muconf.missouri.edu/NeXC-NEDA2014/ for the National Extension Directors and Administrators (NEDA) Meeting, planned by the ECOP Executive Subcommittee, March 24-27 at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento in Sacramento, CA. NEDA will meet jointly with the National eXtension Conference (NeXC). These two events will highlight shared programming and independent business meetings and networking. NEDA will begin Monday evening with a reception and continue through midday Wednesday. An optional session Monday afternoon will provide tips and tools for engaging with social media. ECOP will meet Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. Other NEDA participants are welcome to attend additional NeXC programming through Thursday.

ECOP Announces 2014 Directory – Appointments for ECOP and its various committees and task forces have been made by Cooperative Extension regions as shown in the 2014 directory at https://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=4977. ECOP Chair Jimmy Henning, University of Kentucky, together with immediate past chair, Daryl Buchholz, Kansas State University, sincerely thank those who completed terms of service and those who have accepted new responsibilities. ECOP’s key role is representing Cooperative Extension as a national system. See www.extension.org/ECOP for details.

World Hunger Summit – Auburn University and the Board on Human Sciences invites you to the 9th Annual Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit on February 28-March 2, 2014. For details, see www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org.

USDA Ag Outlook Forum – Registration is open for the 2014 USDA Ag Outlook Forum February 20-21, 2014 in the Washington, DC area. See http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/. The Extension Centennial will be featured in an opening video, an exhibit and a session setting the stage for the next 100 years of Cooperative Extension excellence.

APLU 2014 Annual Meeting Early Registration – The pre-registration rate for the 2014 APLU Annual Meeting, November 2-4 in Orlando, FL, runs through January 31, 2014. To register, go to http://www.cvent.com/d/t4q93z.

Opportunity to Feature 4-H Talent – Doug Steele, Co-chair of the Extension Centennial Task Force, encourages directors and administrators to consider the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, as a way to feature 4-H and other talent from your Cooperative Extension programming during the centennial year. The Millennium Stage www.kennedy-center.org/millennium features free performances every day of the year at the Kennedy Center. For details, contact Diana Ezerins, Community Engagement Programming Coordinator, Millennium Stage, 202.416.8043, dmezerins@kennedy-center.org.