Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers Honored by Virginia Cooperative Extension

Virginia Cooperative Extension is honoring its standout faculty, staff, and volunteers who delivered stellar educational programs in 2023.

Covering a wide range of areas – from agriculture and natural resources to 4-H youth development, Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Family Nutrition Program – Virginia Cooperative Extension Program Excellence Awards celebrate incredible contributions from across the commonwealth.

“Virginia Cooperative Extension programming responds to community needs and assists Virginians with making positive life changes,” said Dan Goerlich, an associate director for Virginia Cooperative Extension. “Our district and state Extension Program Excellence Award winners are excellent examples of the impact that Extension has in our communities.”

Extension recognizes awardees each year in eight categories: community empowerment, interdisciplinary program, new initiatives, program marketing, program evaluation, program impact, program reporting, and programmatic courage.

“These awards honor the dedication and accomplishments of our Extension field faculty, staff, and volunteers,” said Matt Lail, a coordinator within Extension. “Their educational efforts throughout 2023 have been exceptional.”

Every day, these award-winning programs make a real difference, improving lives across the commonwealth.

The Community Empowerment Award recognizes efforts by Extension individuals or teams to empower groups to control the factors and decisions shaping their future, particularly in nontraditional areas and with atypical Extension audiences.

Hunter Martin and team in Halifax County received the award for “Cops and Bobber’s,” a day camp that enables youth to learn new skills and allows positive interaction with local law enforcement.

The Interdisciplinary Program Award recognizes educational programs exemplifying teamwork and cross-program cooperation within or across units, involving at least two Extension program areas and targeting underserved audiences.

Andrea Haubner in Wythe County and her team received the award for a 2023 4-H Food and Nutrition Educational Trip, where youth were able to gain confidence in skills needed to lead a healthy lifestyle, while helping them grow into adulthood.

The New Initiatives Award recognizes a new program or significant adaptation of an existing program addressing a specific need in the programming process, completed and preferably reaching underserved audiences.

Dawn Barnes and her team in Floyd County received this award for Floyd Adult Conversation Team (FACT). Barnes’ vision of a team coordinating education to aid seniors in recognizing fraud and navigating various senior issues. In 2022, stakeholders and community agencies met to form FACT, led by Barnes and Jon Vest, including members from Extension, the Agency on Aging, and local authorities. FACT facilitated a community resource event and conducted Senior Fraud Alert sessions attended by 27 seniors and aired on cable TV to over 3,000 viewers, with presentations by the commonwealth attorney, county sheriff, Extension, and the Agency on Aging.

The Program Evaluation Award recognizes outstanding evaluation efforts related to assessing intended program outcomes, using multiple methods and sharing results with stakeholders.

Andrea Davis and her team in Suffolk County received the award for the How Did Your Knowledge Grow? Evaluating the Green Thumb gardening series. Thirty-five Hampton Roads residents enrolled in the five-week program  with evaluations indicating 99 percent learned new information or skills and 97 percent intended to use the information in their gardening activities. Feedback and suggestions were collected to aid in planning the 2024 series with some attendees offering video testimonials for future marketing.

The Programmatic Courage Award encourages and rewards faculty for taking appropriate programmatic risks, recognizing new or adapted programs that did not meet intended outcomes but demonstrated courage in their attempt.

Andrea Davis in Suffolk County received this award for career training for juvenile detention post-graduates. Davis met with the instructor to discuss resources for vocational training and offered to devise an eight-week Horticulture Careers Program for inmates, covering botany, career areas, pesticide safety, and culminating in a licensure exam. Davis recruited content experts, developed project plans, and secured training equipment, while also inquiring about employment options for felons.  Lessons learned during the effort, to include an emphasis on inmate availability scheduling, will help inform planning for future efforts.

The Program Impact Award recognizes outstanding impact in participant learning, action, or environmental, economic, or social conditions resulting from an educational program, indicating methods used to determine impact.

Jennifer Ligon in Buckingham County and the Cattle and Equipment WISE (Women Increasing Skills and Education) Program team members received the award for Cattle and Equipment WISE. Cattle WISE educates and empowers women in managing cattle and farm equipment.

The Program Marketing Award is for a successful, widescale marketing effort related to an educational program, using at least four marketing methods and targeting underserved audiences, with examples submitted.

Mike Parrish in Dinwiddie County and his team received the award for the 2023 effort Virginia Cooperative Extension State Fair Exhibit Enhances Recognition and Partnerships. The 2023 State Fair attracted over 210,000 visitors, with the Extension exhibit drawing about 30,000 attendees over the 10-day event. Praised for its quality and the enthusiasm of staff and volunteers, the exhibit introduced hundreds to Extension programs and earned the Spirit of the Fair Award, enhancing public understanding of Extension services.

The Program Reporting Award recognizes efforts to effectively report Extension program outcomes to stakeholders through traditional or new technologies, with up to two examples of reporting materials submitted.

Maria Traynham, nutrition education facilitator with the Family Nutrition Program in Halifax and her team received the award for Healthy Harvest Community Garden expands impact and relations by reporting. In 2023, the prorgram gained significant recognition, including a virtual presentation by board member Maria Traynham, features in the Gazette Virginian and Virginia Tech News, and selection for the State Office of Rural Health calendar. With substantial grants and sponsorships totaling over $85,000, the program produced 6,300 pounds of food, serving 1,078 families and significantly increasing its impact.

This year’s judging panel had representatives from across the commonwealth: David Trimmer from the City of Virginia Beach Department of Agriculture; Michael Bender Jr., Bath County’s county administrator; Caroline Buscaglia, the assistant director for state government relations at Virginia Tech; and Del. Michael J. Webert of the 61st District. Dan Goerlich, an associate director for Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Matt Lail, Extension coordinator, lead the Virginia Cooperative Extension Program Excellence Awards.

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