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President's Message - NEAFCS Innovation
Karen Munden (VA), President
While reading a book entitled “Educate to Innovate: Factors that Influence Innovation,” I pondered over our theme for the year which is “Enhance Our Past and Embrace Our Future.” The book revealed that there are four major characteristics of Innovation. These characteristics include: 1) Innovation is a product, process, and/or service; 2) Innovation has an impact on society in a timely manner; 3) Innovation is an improvement; not just something new; and 4) Innovation is teamwork. I went through this list and was able to check off all the innovation characteristics for the National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) and our members.
NEAFCS provides our members with various services, such as informational and educational webinars, which help members to stay abreast of current trends and events. NEAFCS has developed a marketing tool entitled “Return On Investment” to show individuals the services they will receive with their membership. NEAFCS communicates with members through Network News, the monthly newsletter, Facebook, and email. NEAFCS has improved the methods members communicate before, during, and after our Annual Session through the interactive Conference App entitled “2019 NEAFCS Annual Session,” which you can download from the app store. NEAFCS works collaboratively with members throughout the country and develops partnerships with other organizations.
I took a deeper investigation into the work we do in our local communities. Thus, I can truly say that many of us our Innovators; not only by providing new products and services but also by the positive impact we have on our communities. The manner in which we deliver our programs as well as the partnerships we have developed to conduct our work. If you can say yes to all the characteristics, CONGRATULATIONS! you are an Innovator in your local community. If you cannot say yes to every characteristic; may I suggest you attend our Annual Session scheduled from September 30th to October 3rd in Hershey, PA. This will be a special year as we celebrate our 85th Anniversary. During the conference, you will have the opportunity to learn about educational programs and researched-based best practices as well as networking with colleagues across the country that have similar interest and programs.
So please join the NEAFCS Innovation by Enhancing Our Past and Embracing Our Future.
Remember to look for the Hershey Kiss in this newsletter for your chance to be entered into the drawing for a FREE Annual Session Registration. Email me the location at [email protected] and please put Kiss in the subject line. Good Luck! Congratulations to May’s winners Rebecca Stackhouse, Rebecca Jokela, Katie Cullum, and Shea Wilson.
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Annual Session Service Project: Storybooks for Hershey Medical Center Children’s Hospital
Lynn James (PA), Tri-Liaison
I hope you are all getting as excited as I am to pack your bags to attend the NEAFCS Annual Session in Hershey! One thing I would like you to add is a storybook for our service project donation to the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital Child Life Center program. The hospital is within walking distance from the Hershey Lodge. It services all of central Pennsylvania for critical and chronic care pediatric medical needs. To learn more about the Child Life Center at Penn State Children’s Hospital, please watch this brief video.
I am sharing their book wish list here, which includes recommended titles; however, they accept books that are not listed as well. The Children’s Hospital has patients ranging in age from infant to 18 years, so a wide range of reading levels is always appreciative. All books must be brand new for infection prevention.
If you would like to donate monetarily instead of a book, we can collect both. Your generosity is highly appreciated!
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Diversity Committee: Educating Local and International Farmers
Ines Beltran (GA), Past-Chair Diversity Committee
Communities around the states have embraced the locally grown, farm-to-table culture as well as farmers from different nationalities offering new products at the Farmers Market. The foodborne disease outbreaks associated with fresh produce may increase as Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Agents and educators encourage people to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Surveys conducted in different states with farmers and market managers have identified current food handling practices that could present a food safety risk to consumers and could adversely affect the growing demand for locally grown produce.
Food Safety education for farmers is important to provide the increasing number of farmers with the tools they need to sell produce safely. Here are some important points to teach to farmers during the Food Safety for farmer program:
• Appropriate harvest and storage conditions and conditions during transportation to market
• Information of best practices for manure
• The effect of the land used on produce safety.
• The effect that the availability of farm worker toilet and hand washing facilities has on produce
• The importance of the quality of water on produce safety, and
• The effect that worker hygiene has on produce safety
Let’s help customers such as young mothers with young children, older adults and people with existing health conditions to find safe produce at the farmer markets. Safe production and marketing of local produce can reduce costs associated with foodborne illnesses, can prevent devastating losses to farmers and can help develop local agricultural markets to flourish.
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Summer! A great time to find some fun items for the silent auction
Tonya Johnson (OR), Silent Auction Chair
Greetings from your NEAFCS Silent Auction Team. As summer approaches, the markets and community events abound. There may be lots of great local items to pick up at these events and donate to the Silent Auction. Below is a bulleted list of items that are often very popular at the auction.
- Jewelry
- Artisan crafts
- Local items
- Small baskets
- Hand-made items from NEAFCS members
Once you have your item(s), send a picture and the completed Silent Auction donation form to Elizabeth Lane so it can be uploaded into the Online Gallery.
Don’t forget to check out the online gallery to get a preview of items to bid on at the auction.
Get outdoors, find some fun items for NEAFCS, and enjoy!!!
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PILD Reflections
Julie Garden Robinson (ND), Vice President of Public Affairs and PILD Planning Team Member
Misty Harmon, Ohio State University Extension
Attending PILD enabled me to expand upon the things I had learned last year while participating in NELD (National Extension Leadership Development Program). We learned how USDA and NIFA help fund extension and we met with some of the leaders from the different agencies. Returning to Washington DC after having 9 months to reflect and grow, was a great opportunity. I was able to revisit some of the aids I met last year and remind them of the work we are doing, in addition to meeting with others for the first time. Attending the meetings with other educators from Ohio enabled me to learn more about what other program areas are doing to help meet the needs of our communities, our state, and our nation.
In addition to the work that I do as a Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, I can speak to the work of others. PILD helped to reinforce the necessity of having a clear and concise message in order to tell effective stories. I enjoyed working on our elevator speech during the NEAFCS session and hearing about the work being done around the country. Karen (Munden) was so enthusiastic and welcoming to all of us during that session. Overall, PILD was a great chance to learn even more about extension and our government, and how to more effectively utilize information to tell stories about our work. Thank you for this opportunity!
Vanessa Hoines, North Dakota State University Extension
 Thank you to NEAFCS for the opportunity to attend PILD. What a memorable experience from the general session speakers to networking with fellow Extension colleagues. And who could forget the presentations by flashlight! “Innovation Through Lean Experimentation,” presented by Paul Hill in the dark, really made you rethink the idea of innovation. The story he shared about the high jumper who invented a new way to do the sport was enlightening and gave me pause to think about the things I do automatically. Should I be looking for new ways to complete this project?
The updates from NIFA were excellent, giving us a national perspective of the cooperative extension system and I especially enjoyed the capnote presentation by Dr. Doug Steele. Being able to share personal stories of success and impact statements from our programs with staffers of our Congress members was a great opportunity. It was exciting to create our presentation and work through the materials and tips that were shared for working with staffers. We were definitely feeling prepared and ready to present when it came time for “the ask.” Again, this opportunity will allow me to continue to serve my community with a renewed sense of purpose for what I can offer to my county and beyond. Thank you again to NEAFCS for the opportunity to attend the PILD conference.
Kirstin Dagny Jensen, the University of Idaho Extension (shown on the far right)
 A big thank you to NEAFCS and my state association (IEAFCS) for the opportunity and support to attend PILD 2019! This year’s theme was Enhancing Leadership Capacity for Emerging Issues and I thoroughly enjoyed the conference, the great speakers, the opportunities to network with other Extension professionals across the nation, and the experience of meeting with state representatives on the Hill. After a jaw-dropping night monument tour, the conference started out with a little bit of humor and some good ‘ole Extension flexibility with "lights out"! After a warm welcome, one of the keynote speakers, Paul Hill, gave an inspiring and humorous talk on economic development strategies through leadership and engagement and I even was lucky enough to win one of his books – "We've Tried That Before: 500 Years of Extension Wisdom".
I enjoyed spending time with other educators who were at the conference representing NEAFCS. We worked together on developing a 3 to 5-minute elevator speech based on our association’s national and state impact statements. One of my favorite moments was the opportunity to go to the “hill” and meet with staff from Idaho’s state and government offices. I enjoyed getting to share what we can and do accomplish in Extension and felt very well received. The ending keynote speaker, Dr. Douglas Steele, was an inspiring talk encouraging us to not keep "Extension as the best-kept secret". Attending PILD was an awesome experience and one that I am excited to share with all Educators across my state.
Susan Johnson, Kansas State University Research and Extension
 As President of our affiliate of NEAFCS, it was an incredible experience to represent Kansas at the PILD Conference. I have been engaged in many leadership conferences during my 40-year Extension career; however, the PILD experience far surpassed any of them. The Washington Twilight Tour was a perfect way to set the scene for the week ahead. Keynote Speaker, Paul Hill, was a true master at overcoming the electrical outage as he discussed "Innovation is a process – one can't apply the same model to new problems, new thinking. In Extension, we may have one career – we don't want to get too efficient, too good at something because we might get stuck doing the same thing." I also appreciated Dr. Marshall Stewart's remarks on building strong messages that are clear, concise, and valid. A top-notch break-out session on “Wicked Problems – How Naming and Framing Creates Space for Dialogue” was a session that we can take home and utilize immediately and effectively. The small group interactions illustrated a community scenario on the importance of differentiating between positions, interests, and values.
The NEAFCS Association Meeting was valuable in working together to create an elevator speech that conveys who we are and the impacts that individuals and families are experiencing through behavior change. Having a better understanding of the complexity of APLU and NIFA was eye-opening and intriguing. Dr. Doug Steele was captivating as he challenged us to connect the dots throughout Extension, become people-centered, and emphasize being timely, relevant, trusted, and local. We cannot continue to talk about the WHAT – we have to share the WHY. To bring all of the parts of the PILD Conference into the whole prepared us to visit with our congressional legislative assistants on the last day. Our team discussed the WHY Extension is important in Kansas as a convener and educator and how our programs positively affect the citizens and stakeholders of our state. As a First-Timer, this was an amazing opportunity to discuss important issues that help improve the people’s lives and to share the knowledge gained with our co-workers and association members, finally, to remember: A meaningful life is meaningful work.
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Mid-Year Board Meeting Highlights
Jessica Trussell (MO), Secretary
The NEAFCS Mid-Year Board meeting on May 6th & 7th and utilized video conferencing technology to connect with one another, hear reports, discuss member benefits, and discuss the direction of NEAFCS.
The 2019 Hersey Tri-Liaisons brought everyone up to speed on planning for Annual Session 2019, Hershey, PA. The pre-conference and in-depth sessions are scheduled and moving forward. The Welcome Event, which will be in Chocolate World, is definitely something to look forward too. The service project was discussed and is highlighted in a separate article in this month’s eNEAFCS Newsletter.
President Munden and the other officers gave updates and shared progress toward specific goals and objectives. It is clear from the reports of board members that our committees are moving forward and continually working to make sure our association continues to support our members, be fiscally responsible and improve each and every year.
It is hard to believe that we are already over halfway through the year, please know that the board is active and will continue to provide outstanding professional development for its membership. I look forward to seeing you in Hershey!
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85th Anniversary - The Extension Worker's Code
Chris Kniep (WI), 85th Anniversary Committee member
“Believe in your work”
“Study and serve the people”
“Don’t be afraid to say, “I do not know”
“Forget yourself and boost for all”
“Make opportunities”
“Don’t mail that sarcastic letter”
“Be courageous”
These “pearls” of wisdom come from the history of Cooperative Extension and are just a few of the guiding principles written about by T. J. Talbert in “The Extension Worker’s Code”, Extension Bulletin No. 33, published by the Division of College Extension at Kansas State Agricultural College in February 1922. At one time, the entire USDA CSREES workforce was provided a copy. The printed bulletin was a pocket-size booklet that covered everything from basic decorum to building relationships and reached as many people as possible with research-based educational programs.
I was introduced to the publication at a national meeting, kept a copy on file, have shared it with many colleagues and shared a few favorite principles at my retirement gathering. I understand in some states it is still shared and used as a tool for talking about extension work and how to plan, implement and evaluate programs.
Each principle is followed by a short narrative, for example, the principle "Keep cool":
“Keep Cool: Control your temper and keep cool, whether making out delayed reports and expense accounts, stuck in the mud at midnight without lights, tired, hungry and almost worn out (but still obliged to be away from home and on the go) or on blue Monday or other days when it seems that everything is going wrong.
To learn more about Extension’s history, our history and why NEAFCS professionals do what we do, please visit The Extension Worker’s Code.
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Meet the Executive Board: Vice President for Public Affairs
Julie Garden Robinson (ND)
Hello! I am wrapping up my term as the Vice President for Public Affairs. Getting to know so many of you through my work with the various subcommittees has been a highlight of my career. I have especially enjoyed learning about and share your many successes in the Impact Reports, which my subcommittee and I assemble. We are working on ways to promote your successes even more, so please “like” the NEAFCS Facebook page. As we evolve as an organization, I also note the need to remain “nimble” and innovative with changes with technology.
As I reflect on two years on the NEAFCS board, I think about how much I learned about the inner workings of our association by being involved on a national level. I encourage you to consider becoming involved if you are not already. You can take small steps as I did, by joining a subcommittee and then becoming chair.
Professionally, I serve as an Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist and Professor at North Dakota State University. I spend lots of my time writing and manage grants, working with grad students and undergrad interns, writing curricula and providing training and technical support in all aspects of nutrition, food safety, entrepreneurship, and health. Personally, I am married with three kids (ages 24, 21 and 15) and three dachshunds. I also have served as a music coordinator for my church for about 20 years.
I encourage you to stay (or become) actively involved in NEAFCS at the state and/or national level. I appreciate that NEAFCS put your trust in me in this role. I hope to see you in Hershey in the Fall of 2019.
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