ESP LEADS Greenup County Session

Author: Anne Stephens

Major Program: Staff Development

Leadership, personal growth, and community pride are all themes of Extension agents. As a graduate of the first cohort of ESP LEADS, I have the honor of serving on the planning team for cohort 2. I was able to host the second session in my home county which featured local leaders, our own Greenbo Lake State Resort Park/Jesse Stuart Lodge,the Stuart music/drama program, and elements of local tourism as parts of the lessons provided to attendees. The motivation behind each lesson was to encourage

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Bridging the Gap Between Agents and Specialists

Author: Samantha Saunders

Major Program: Staff Development

On May 11th, 2023, the KACAA Animal Science Committee had its first meeting via Zoom. I had stepped up to serve as the KACAA Animal Science Committee Chair and we were tasked with doing more with our committees to better serve the association and the agents. I reached out to Dr. Anthony Pescatore, Department Chair of the Animal Science Department, and asked for a meeting to get the ball rolling. He was thrilled with the idea of forming a committee for agents and specialists to have open discussi

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Youth Experiencing Homelessness Subcommittee of the Access, Equity, and Belong National Committee

Author: Kerri Ashurst

Major Program: Staff Development

Dr. Ashurst has been the national co-chair for the Youth Experiencing Homelessness National Subcommittee since Fall 2018. This is one of the 12 subcommittees of the  "Access, Equity and Belonging Committee" (AEBC), a national priority through USDA, National 4-H, and Extension Committee on Policy. Dr. Ashurst and Dr. Melissa Scheer at the University of Missouri co-chair the multi-state subcommittee, which included Extension personnel from 8 states that are conducting programmi

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Enhancing Advisory Council Resources

Author: Kimberly Henken

Major Program: Staff Development

Advisory councils are an integral part of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, providing input and feedback to strengthen needs-based programming. To support agents and enhance effectiveness of County Extension Councils, resource materials related to Kentucky’s Extension Council System underwent a comprehensive review and updating process. In addition, two focus group discussions with select agent groups identified gaps in available resources. In August 2022, a new Extension Council Resources w

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Using Non-Survey Methods in Extension Evaluation

Author: Omolola Adedokun

Major Program: Staff Development

A survey is often the first data collection technique that Extension specialists and agents think of when planning for the evaluation of their programs and outreach efforts. However, a survey may not be the most appropriate approach in every context. As part of ongoing evaluation capacity building efforts, UK Extension Evaluation Director developed and implemented a training entitled “Alternative Evaluation Methods” to provide Extension personnel with best practices for non-survey da

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