Rose Marie Hayden-Smith
(She/Her/Hers)
Emeritus - UCCE Advisor in Digital Communications in Food Systems & Extension Education; Editor, UC Food Observer; Food and Society Policy Fellow
M.A. U.S. History, UC Santa Barbara. 2005
M.A. Education, UC Santa Barbara. 1992
B.A. English, University of California, Santa Barbara. 1982
Hayden-Smith is an Emeritus UC ANR Cooperative Extension advisor. Most recently, she served as a UCCE Digital Communications in Food Systems & Extension Educator. She continues to serve as the editor of the UC Food Observer, a communications platform in support of UC's Global Food Initiative. She writes a regular blog about food and agriculture.
She directed the 4-H program in Ventura County, coordinated the Master Gardener program, and served as the office's first female county director. She also served as the Strategic Initiative Leader in Sustainable Food Systems. She has developed programs for youth and adult extenders in food systems/agricultural literacy, garden-based learning and youth and community gardening.
Hayden-Smith is also a practicing U.S. historian and a nationally-recognized expert in the history of youth/school gardening; Victory Gardens; extension education; and federal policy relating to agriculture/education. A Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, her national advocacy work focuses on encouraging a national effort to promote school, home, and community garden and urban agriculture efforts; public policy relating to food systems, gardening, education and urban agriculture.
She received the Bradford-Rominger Award in 2013, and is also the recipient of two fellowships from UC Santa Barbara for her research work in U.S. history.
Her book, "Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War 1", published by McFarland, was released in spring 2014.