July 12 - 16th, 3PM Eastern, 2PM Central, 1PM Mountain, 12PM Pacific

NAEPSDP Virtual Summer School
Moving Extension Forward: Lessons & Strategies from the Pandemic

All Extension professionals are invited to join us for this informative webinar series on where Extension goes from here. We will examine how Extension was able to respond to the challenges posed during the pandemic and how we will take those lessons and strategies into the future. 

REGISTER HERE

*All session recordings will be housed on the NAEPSDP Webinar Archives Page at: https://naepsdp.org/Webinar-Archive

VIRTUAL SUMMER SCHOOL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Monday, July 12

Employee Onboarding & Leadership Development

Presenters:
Marina Denny, Assistant Professor, Mississippi State Extension  

Lauren Ledbetter Griffeth, Extension Leadership Specialist, University of Georgia Extension

Journey with these session presenters to learn about adaptations made to their onboarding and leadership development programs for Extension during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Shifting to create new pathways to get the work done allowed for creative problem solving, teamwork, and innovation. As we transition to a more hybrid approach post-pandemic, there are several lessons to be learned that can inform future efforts to welcome new hires into the Extension family and continue with leadership development.

Tuesday, July 13

Supporting Employees through Program Development

Presenters:
OSU Extension Learning & Organizational Development Team- Teresa McCoy, Jared Morrison, Amy Kohmetscher, Debby Lewis, Danae Wolfe, and Brian Butler

When COVID-19 forced all Extension employees to transition their programs to virtual delivery, The Ohio State Extension Learning & Organizational Development team immediately went to work supporting educators. From virtual program delivery to evaluating their efforts, educators received training for all aspects of program development. The OSU LOD team will discuss the approaches they took and lessons they learned along the way. 

Wednesday, July 14

Extending Extension Programmatic Efforts Online

Presenters:
Holly Hatton-Bowers, Assistant Professor; Lisa Kaslon, Professional Development Coordinator; & Carrie Gottschalk, Engagement Zone Coordinator- University of Nebraska Extension

Renee Pusey, Coordinator of Talent Management and Professional Development & Jon Emigh, Director of Marketing & Digital Education - Penn State Extension

Employee health and wellness, including physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, is without a doubt the backbone of a strong organization. Nebraska Extension recognized and addressed this critical need by organizing and launching a novel and comprehensive staff-driven employee wellness initiative. Penn State Extension was able to continue to deliver high quality Extension programming during the pandemic through a robust online course catalog. Changes made and lessons learned throughout the process will be discussed.

Thursday, July 15

Taking a Non-Traditional Route to Delivering Traditional Extension Programs

Presenters:
David Wright, County Extension Director, & Paul Winski, County Extension Agent- Horticulture, Harris County Texas, AgriLife Extension

Julie Robinson, Associate Professor, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

Master Gardeners and Field Days are a mainstay for most Extension programs. The pandemic allowed the Harris County ANR unit to develop educational outreach programs that were only a thought prior to COVID-19 restrictions. We will look at what was implemented, what we learned and what’s next. Julie Robinson will discuss the efforts of Virtual Field Tours that began before the pandemic and then improved and enhanced during the pandemic.

Friday, July 16

Where Does Extension Go from Here? Extension Leader Panel

Presenters:
Jorge Atiles, Dean of Extension & Engagement, West Virginia University Extension; Doug Steele, Vice President, Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, APLU & Chris Watkins, Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension and ECOP Chair

In this panel session, we will hear the perspectives of three state and national Extension leaders about where Extension will go from here. Looking forward and beyond the pandemic, where do they see Extension going and how will we get there?