Specialists from the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources’ Soil and Water Extension Team partnered with UK Innovate on a National Science Foundation-funded project to mentor faculty and staff from George Mason University (GMU) on research translation and community outreach strategies. The project included periodic virtual exchanges and the first year culminated in a site visit to UK’s campus in June 2024 to tour research and outreach facilities and engage with additional faculty and staff. The second year included additional virtual exchanges and culminated in a more robust site visit to Lexington, KY in May 2025 where the Extension Team curated a day-long workshop highlighting several examples of Extension community engagement. The workshop included a site visit to Andover Greenspace to learn more about community-engaged research and sustainable urban landscapes. The team from George Mason is learning how they can engage with their local northern Virginia communities to develop locally relevant research as well as share the wealth of knowledge they develop on campus. The GMU visitors were interested to learn about how the community greenspace protects water quality that contributes to Jacobson Park lake, how the community has acquired grants and partnerships to install native plants to enhance biodiversity, and how the greenspace contributes to the overall health of the community. This collaboration with GMU has expanded to include examining the Virginia Climate Center at GMU as a model for future climate initiatives at UK, thus expanding this relationship beyond the initial intent of the project.