To Extension Directors and Administrators and System Friends,
Throughout this extremely challenging year, Extension has done what it does best-serve the people of this nation both thoughtfully and selflessly. As 2020 comes to a close, we are reminded of what it takes to truly lead the critical work we do, and we thank you for your leadership and dedication to the enduring mission of Extension. We wish you and your loved ones a safe and pleasant holiday and may the New Year be kind to each of you.
Caroline (Crocoll) Henney, Sandy Ruble, and Roger Rennekamp
Caroline (Crocoll) Henney, Sandy Ruble, and Roger Rennekamp
Learning for Leaders Coming Friday, January 8th - Last Monday, December 14th, this list of Extension Directors and Administrators and 1994 Extension Leaders were invited to register for 2 virtual conversations on Racial Equity in Leadership.
-- 1/8/2021, 3-4:30 p.m. ET - "Inclusive and Equitable Organizations – An Evidence Based Model"
-- 2/5/2021, 3-4:30 p.m. ET - Working Title: "Improving Inclusivity in Our Institutions and ECOP"
To learn more and register, look for the email message from carolinecrocoll@extension.org sent on behalf ECOP Chair Chris Watkins, subject: Dates for Racial Equity Leadership Sessions. Contact Sandy Ruble to answer any questions.
Cooperative Extension Helps Communities Mask-Up - This fall, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with USPS and the National Council of Textile Organizations offered to provide free face coverings to community-based organizations that would be willing to distribute them to community members. Twenty-four land grant institutions, including three 1890s and one territory ordered, received, and distributed a total of 441,000 masks to residents of their respective states. Mask were provided to food banks, childcare facilities, SNAP-Ed and EFNEP program participants, farm workers, and 4-H families. Several states engaged young people as health ambassadors to distribute masks to as many as fifty additional community-based organizations. By utilizing its distributed network, Cooperative Extension placed masks in the hands of many of the nation’s most under-resourced individuals and their family members. For more information about this effort, contact Roger Rennekamp, Extension Health Director at rogerrennekamp@extension.org.
eXtension Fellows for Health and Well-Being - Erin Yelland, LaToya O’Neal, and Caitlin O’Brien have been selected to serve in one-year fellowships dedicated to advancing Extension’s work in health and well-being. Yelland is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at Kansas State University with a specialty in gerontology. O’Neal is a medical sociologist by training and is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Health and Wellness at the University of Florida. O’Brien is the Director of Learning and Impact at the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation and specializes in trauma-informed practice. Through their fellowships, each will devote a portion of their professional time to systemwide work. The fellowships are made available through generous support from the Molina and Scattergood Foundations. For more information about the fellowships, contact Roger Rennekamp, Extension Health Director at rogerrennekamp@extension.org.
National 4-H Council Announces Election of Two New Leaders to its Board of Trustees - Jon Boren, Associate Dean and Director of New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service, and Abby Durheim, 4-H Young Alumni Advisory Committee member and a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Boren and Durheim will support Council’s mission to increase investment and participation in the nation’s largest youth development organization. They will be key partners in the Board’s work to support the 4 H system’s ambitious goal of reaching 10 million young people by 2025, with a special focus on promoting youth voice and supporting 4-H’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
