ECOP extends its sincere appreciation and best wishes to Dr. Carrie Castille, USDA NIFA Director, as she soon embarks on
a new opportunity at University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. During her 14 months as NIFA Director, Dr. Castille hired and promoted 168 employees to build a strong, vibrant agency. Under her leadership, employee satisfaction measures dramatically increased, the agency resumed its national leadership role in 4-H, and the spirit of partnership with stakeholders across the nation soared. Dr. Castille will conclude her service at USDA in April and assume her new role July 1, 2022, pending approval of the UT Board of Trustees Executive Committee.
Only 7 Weeks Left to Nominate - The 2022 National Extension Awards program co-sponsored by USDA-NIFA and ECOP was launched on February 1 and the deadline to nominate is only about 7 weeks away
May 1. Winning nominations for worthy Cooperative Extension professionals (min. of 50% EFT/FTE university appointment in Extension) require an investment of time and effort to prepare. Extension Directors and Administrators are required to prepare letters of recommendation for the Excellence in Extension Awards. There is no requirement for this for the Diversity Award. For complete details, visit
www.aplu.org/CESAwards. Tips for winning words are found
here.
Invitation to Help Identify Regional and National Investments for Rural Recovery and Development - The four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) are leading an effort to identify the issues diverse rural stakeholders see as top priorities for rural recovery and development. The RRDC's invite research and Extension Directors and Administrators and their community partners to participate in
both a Regional Session (broad local context) and National Topic (issues of national importance) Sessions. Please (1) register
here to participate and (2)
share the invitation to participate with field Agents/Educators and community-based partners engaged in economic, workforce, and community development activities in rural and coastal areas and small towns. These 90-minute, free sessions will run from March 22 through April 26, 2022. After registering, visit the recently launched
a Data Dashboard to explore outcomes from the national stakeholder survey that drove topics for the Listening Sessions.
USDA NIFA Information Now Available in Spanish - With a key priority of enhancing accessibility, USDA NIFA is reducing barriers to agency information and programs. A first step has been to add Spanish versions of critical agency information. A list of links to resources that are now available in Spanish is located
here.
Priester Award Nominations Open - The Priester Awards will be awarded during the 2022 National Health Outreach Conference May 4-6, in Kansas City MO. The purpose of the award is to recognize Extension programs that positively influence the health of people across the US by providing leadership to expand Extension’s capacity to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. Access links to additional guidance, applications instructions, and the nomination form are available
here.
