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Posts Tagged: Russell Hill

Three counties win Newhall Family Foundation match

Funding from the Newhall Foundation will subsidize enrollment fees and help UCCE Fresno County launch a Teen Teaching Academy with entrepreneurial high school students from Valley STEM.

Last year, Mary Ciricillo, California 4-H Foundation director, secured a $73,000 gift from the Newhall Family Foundation for 4-H Diversity initiatives, including $36,500 for Santa Barbara, Merced and Fresno counties. In order to receive the $36,500 match, UCCE had to raise funds as well as deliver the program. 

“All three counties did it!” said Lorna Krkich, Development Services director.

4-H in Santa Barbara County used the Newhall Foundation funds outreach to more children in low-income families and Latino youth in Santa Maria Valley.

4-H advisor Russ Hill in Merced County, 4-H community educator Alena Pacheco in Fresno County, and Liliana Vega, 4-H community educator in Santa Barbara County, led the successful fundraising efforts in their respective counties.

“I shared the FY19 fundraising report with the executive director of the Newhall Foundation illustrating how much each county 4-H program garnered in private support since July 1, 2018,”Ciricillo said. “I am happy to share that he was very pleased and impressed by Russ, Alena and Liliana's efforts.”

With support from the Newhall Foundation, 4-H was able to offer fee waivers, leadership conference scholarships and reduced participation fees for Merced County youth.
Posted on Friday, September 27, 2019 at 5:01 PM

Learning and Development: Measuring outcomes, professional development, new website

Writing strong impact statements

October 16, CE San Diego County Office
October 26, ANR Building, Davis
Workshop desired outcomes: Participants will gain understanding and practice organizing program activities into themes for the merit and promotion process. They will also define their program outcomes and impacts, using logic models and UC ANR's condition changes and public values. Participant will write impact statements about their programs for merit and promotion efforts, for UC Delivers and other communications. Register now

Led by:
Katherine Webb-Martinez, Assoc. Dir., PP&E
Vikram Koundinya, Evaluation CE Specialist
Chris Greer, Area IPM Advisor

Practical methods to measuring outcomes
October 15, CE San Diego County Office
October 25, ANR Building, Davis

Workshop desired outcomes: Participants will gain understanding of and experience in defining outcomes and identifying measurable indicators for their programs. They also will acquire an understanding of evaluation data collection approaches and methods used by UCCE progress on outcomes evaluation plans/efforts. Register now

Led by:
Katherine Webb-Martinez, Assoc. Dir., PP&E Vikram Koundinya, Evaluation CE Specialist
Chris Greer, Area IPM Advisor
Whitney Brim-DeForest, Rice Advisor
Darren Haver, Water Resources/Water Quality Advisor and REC/County Director

Exploring partnerships to address economically vulnerable populations
eXtension Zoom Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m.
A New Anchor Partnership Program Between Extension and Everyday Democracy
Engaging people across their community in dialogue and community change with an equity lens can directly address issues of economic vulnerability and poverty. Everyday Democracy, a national organization leading in the field of dialogue and deliberation to promote stronger communities, has recently partnered with several state Extension programs with its new “Anchor Partners” Project. This webinar will explore this new partnership program and the role it can play in in addressing structural racism, engaging all different kinds of people in public dialogue, and linking dialogue to action and positive change, specifically for those who are economically-vulnerable. Find more information here. Register here https://extension.zoom.us/j/250738699

UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development (UC WI): More than professional development

Alison Smith
Alison Smith, Agricultural Technician, Hopland REC

The UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development was a wonderful experience from start to finish. I was a bit skeptical at first about how much I would get out of it, but it far exceeded any expectations I had. It is so much more than simply a professional development and networking program. 

The program designed in collaboration with CORO encompasses leadership skills, team building, negotiation strategies and network building tools along with professional development. 

It sounds cliché to say it was a transformative experience, but it truly was. As a group of professional women from across UC, we bonded and connected despite the differences in our locations, titles, ages or experience.  The UCWIP made me consider the future of my career when I never had before. I had never thought much about my own career development or searching out mentors and sponsors. I now am actively spending time thinking about the future of my career and steps I can take to constantly improve myself as a team member, speaker, workshop leader, etc. I am building the tools to advance my career, my self-worth as a part of UCANR and my team here at Hopland REC. 

To learn more about the program and to apply (by Oct. 12, 2018), read the next article. 

Apply for UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development

It's time again! Nominations are now open through Oct. 12, 2018, for the 2019 UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development (UC WI).

UC WI aims to cultivate a vibrant, professional network of women across the UC system. It's designed for mid-career women, including academics and staff, who demonstrate the potential to advance their careers within UC.

As in the past, ANR will be sponsoring women (academics and staff) to participate in the 2019 program. Six regional cohorts (three in the north and three in the south) will be offered. Each cohort program is comprised of four sessions:

  • First session of each cohort is 1.5 days, remaining sessions are 1 day each
  • Final session of each cohort program will be a combined north and south capstone event that allows participants to make systemwide connections

The experiential program requires full, active participation; only UC ANR employees who can commit to this will be selected. More details about the expectations and logistics are included on the nomination form. 

  • When prompted for the FAU (account code) enter “999”
  • There is space on the form to add a narrative for each nominee or upload it onto the form itself.
  • Nominations should include name and supervisor consent.

If you are interested in participating in this program, please talk to your supervisor. Supervisors are asked to send in nominations by close of business Oct. 12, 2018. Late or incomplete nominations will not be considered. 

The program is a collaboration between the UC Systemwide Advisory Committee on the Status of Women and UC Human Resources, and is delivered by CORO, a nonprofit leadership-development organization that has worked with UC for the past decade. UC President Napolitano supports and partially funds the program. ANR will cover registration fees and reimburse travel expenses and half the lodging for those selected.

Apply by Oct. 12, 2018, at https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4458932/2019-UCWI-Nomination-Form.

If you have questions about the program, please contact Jodi Azulai.

New academic and staff administrative employee orientation

Goals are to provide opportunities to:

  • Learn about the ANR's Vision and Mission.
  • Learn about ANR structure and individual programs and units.
  • Interact with ANR leadership and directors.
  • Meet and network with new colleagues from around the state.
  • Get answers to burning questions about health benefits, AggieTravel and more.

Who Should Attend: All UC ANR Employees (academics, staff and affiliated staff on campuses, counties and RECs) who have not participated in an administrative orientation in the past. Priority will be given to those hired by ANR within the past year. Register here

Newly designed ANR Learning & Development website

Why does the ANR Learning & Development website have a new look?

UC ANR Strategic Plan Needs Assessment indicated that ANR employees have strategic learning needs, represented by three buckets:

Extension Delivery

Building Support

Office, Team and Personal Management

In addition, the new landing page includes the latest training opportunities, including the WebANR Café Thursday topics and a suggestions link. Check out the new website and please send us your suggestions! 

When your boss suffers from short-term memory loss

Short of writing down every word, how do you communicate with a boss who repeatedly gives input or instruction “on the fly,” but then later cannot recall what he or she approved or instructed? Often this input comes up rapidly or in response to other issues.

Signed,
Dealing with Short-Term Memory Lapses 

Find out what advice Justine Hale from Crucial Skills sends to “Dealing” here.

How to manage someone who is really defensive

The job of any manager is to get the absolute most out of their people. To achieve that, yes, you should recognize your employees' strengths and build them up. But, you also need to address their weaknesses, so they don't hold your employees back. The problem? Some people get really, really defensive when you point out a weakness of theirs. And...read more here and take the Lynda.com course “Coaching Employees through Difficult Situations.”

The best people managers develop their employees and themselves

Being an effective and professional people manager takes many skills and considerable development and the best people managers develop both their employees and themselves. 

One of the ways ANR people managers have been developing themselves is by completing UC People Management Series Certificate modules and participating in monthly facilitated networking calls to review what they've learned, ask other supervisors for advice, and share successes. Participants enjoy scenario-based role-playing, excellent tools, a fun and challenging group assignment and networking.

A new cohort will form in January 2019. If you are interested in participating, please fill out this survey. Supervisors who complete the series will be eligible to apply for the 2019 systemwide UC People Conference and preference will be given to networking cohort participants. See what our current and past participants say about the networking cohort experience:

Russell Hill
Russell Hill, Associate 4-H Youth Advisor, UCCE Merced

“The information provided could not have been timelier! Each call and each module have improved my skills to support the staff I supervise.” 

Kim Delucchi, Office Manager, Confidential Assistant IV, UCCE Stanislaus

Kim Delucchi

“The perfect companion piece to the People Management Program are the monthly networking calls. They are a time to share and delve further into the skills learned from the modules and to discover real-life opportunities to use those skills. It is interesting to learn what your peers are dealing with as supervisors, brain-storm ideas on how to handle current situations, and find support in a confidential, caring, and nurturing environment. The networking calls provide lasting take-aways and are a chance to share your successes and challenges.”

Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 9:04 PM
  • Author: Jodi Azulai

Wilen, Soule and Haviland among Distinguished Service Award winners

The Youth Retention Study Team won the Outstanding Research award. From left, John Borba, Chris Greer, Russ Hill, Mark Bell, Car Mun Kok, JoLynn Miller, Dorina Espinoza, Marianne Bird, Kendra Lewis, Claudia Diaz-Carrasco, and Wendy Powers.

Wendy Powers, associate vice president, announced the 2018 winners of the biennial Distinguished Service Awards on April 11 at the UC ANR Statewide Conference in Ontario.

Sponsored by UC ANR and Academic Assembly Council, the Distinguished Service Awards recognize service and academic excellence in UC Cooperative Extension over a significant period of time. Awards highlight the use of innovative methods and the integration of research, extension and leadership by UC ANR academics.

Awards were given for outstanding research, outstanding extension, outstanding new academic, outstanding team, and outstanding leader. Winners for each category are listed below.

Outstanding Research - Youth Retention Study Team

The Youth Retention Study examined the retention and drop-out rates (nearly 50 percent) of first year 4-H members. The team looked at re-enrollment trends over a seven-year period to understand the phenomena of why youth leave the 4-H program. While the focus of the study was on California, the team has engaged multiple states in this effort to document the national scope of this issue, and used the data to develop tools and strategies for addressing and extending that information through peer-reviewed articles, workshops and training. Two of the factors they found reducing retention were a lack of communication and the inability to understand and navigate the 4-H program. These findings led to development of a handbook for families to navigate the 4-H program and a Project Leader Checklist for implementing the 4-H project experience. 

The Youth Retention Study Team includes

  • JoLynn Miller, CE Advisor - UCCE Central Sierra Multi-County Partnership
  • Kendra Lewis, Academic Coordinator - UC ANR Statewide 4-H Program
  • Marianne Bird, CE Advisor - UCCE Capital Corridor MCP
  • John Borba, CE Advisor - UCCE Kern
  • Claudia Diaz-Carrasco, CE Advisor - UCCE Riverside and San Bernardino
  • Dorina Espinoza, CE Advisor - UCCE Humboldt and Del Norte
  • Russell Hill, CE Advisor - UCCE Merced, Mariposa and Madera
  • Car Mun Kok, CE Advisor - UCCE Lake and Mendocino
  • Sue Manglallan, CE Advisor - UCCE San Diego
  • Kali Trzesniewski, CE Specialist – UC Davis, Department of Human & Community Development

Outstanding Extension - David Haviland

David Haviland, UC Cooperative Extension entomology and integrated pest management advisor in Kern County, won the Outstanding Extension award.

David Haviland has been the UC Cooperative Extension entomology advisor in Kern County and affiliated IPM advisor with the UC IPM Program since 2002. He has developed an exemplary extension program to address the needs of clientele and support continued productivity in the third largest agricultural output county in the nation. Haviland's extension program is based on continuous needs assessment, applied local research to solve problems, collaboration with multiple partners, and extension programming focused on grower and pest control adviser adoption of improved pest management practices. Haviland uses his research outputs to drive his prodigious extension program. This includes 430 presentations to more than 32,000 people, primarily to farmers and pest control advisers. Haviland has developed a national and international reputation through publishing the results of his research in peer-reviewed scientific publications, and by giving national and international presentations.

Outstanding New Academic - Katherine Soule

Katherine Soule, UC Cooperative Extension director and youth, families and communities advisor in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, won the Outstanding New Academic award.

Katherine Soule has been the youth, families and communities advisor since 2013 and director of Cooperative Extension in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties since 2017. Soule has guided programming to increase diversity and reach of the 4-H Youth Development Program. She has more than doubled overall youth participation to more than 16,000 youth in the two counties and increased Latino youth participation by almost 500 percent in less than 4 years. In addition, Soule has built a multicultural, bilingual UC CalFresh staff that focuses on developing sustained engagement with partnering school districts, administrators, teachers, families and other community-based organizations. In the previous two years, the UC CalFresh staff provided nutrition education to more than 17,000 youth; more than 8,500 families and community members attended community events where they received nutrition education; led peer educators in the participation of 4,700 hours of programming and engaged more than 6,600 students in nutrition and physical activities education. The Statewide 4-H Director said, “Despite the large assignment, she has provided incredible leadership in both program areas in both counties.” In partnership with 4-H volunteers and the California 4-H Foundation, she has raised $300,000 annually from grants and gifts to support and advance 4-H programming in Santa Barbara County. This youth, families and communities program also serves as the model for program integration and growth.

Outstanding Leader - Cheryl Wilen

Cheryl Wilen, UC Cooperative Extension area integrated pest management advisor for San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, won the Outstanding Leader award.

Cheryl Wilen is the area integrated pest management advisor for San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties. Throughout her 23-year career, Wilen's work has represented outstanding leadership through a continual focus on positive changes.  Wilen has been an effective leader in the Statewide IPM Program, ANR and the western region. In this role, she has provided significant input on CE advisor performance and advancement evaluations, represented IPM advisors to UC IPM leadership, and coordinated the annual extension planning meeting for IPM advisors and affiliated advisors. In addition to significant leadership in UC IPM, Wilen was the ANR Strategic Initiative Leader for Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases from 2014 to 2017. She led development of the strategic initiative goals and worked with Program Teams and Workgroups to address these goals. Wilen's leadership style is a direct reflection of her approach to research and extension. If she identifies an important unmet need, then she seeks to address it. Similarly, when she identifies a leadership need that she is capable of meeting, she steps up to help the organization move forward. Her leadership is consistently pragmatic and focused on results.

Outstanding Team - Dairy Quality Assurance Environmental Stewardship Program Team

The Dairy Quality Assurance Environmental Stewardship Program Team won the Outstanding Team award. From left, David Lewis, Greer, Bell, Deanne Meyer, Jeffery Stackhouse, Betsy Karle and Jennifer Heguy.

This team of CE specialists and CE advisors has provided outstanding service to California's dairy farmers as a partner in the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP) through applied research, development of monitoring methods and tools, and implementation of educational programs to help dairy farmers comply with state water-quality law. The team developed the educational component of the “Environmental Stewardship Short Course,” delivering 377 short course workshops (750 classroom hours) throughout the state to date. They developed tools for producers including a lab manual for manure analysis, an e-learning module for sampling methods and an on-line decision support tool. These extension products were based on a prodigious research record including 15 peer-reviewed papers. The Dairy Quality Assurance Environmental Stewardship Program Team is an excellent example of UC ANR academics working together and with government and industry partners under the Sustainable Natural Environment Strategic Initiative. As a result of the team's work, the industry quickly reached a 95 percent compliance rate with water quality reporting requirements.

Dairy Quality Assurance Environmental Stewardship Program Team includes

  • Deanne Meyer, CE Specialist – UC Davis, Department of Human & Community Development
  • Betsy Karle, CE Advisor and UCCE Director– UCCE Glenn
  • Jennifer Heguy, CE Advisor – UCCE Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced
  • David Lewis, CE Advisor and UCCE Director – UCCE Marin and Napa
  • Jeffery Stackhouse, CE Advisor – UCCE Humboldt and Del Norte

 

 

Krkich named Executive Director of Development Services

Lorna Krkich
Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that we will be joined by a new colleague, Lorna Krkich, who has accepted the position of UC ANR Executive Director of Development Services. She will begin the position on Dec. 29.

Lorna brings a wealth of experience in income development, relationship building and strategic planning for future growth and sustainability. She has deep roots in California and is an alumna of UC Santa Cruz.

Working with The Salvation Army, Lorna developed funding opportunities, and trained and managed major gift officers across four states. Her program, in which she achieved well over annual goals and initiated a lapsed-donor process, resulted in 60 percent growth across the territory. During her time with the American Lung Association, she worked with staff and volunteers to build community presence and implement new fundraising initiatives in mid-level and major giving, increasing corporate donations by 900 percent in three years.

We are very excited to have Lorna working with us to grow our UC ANR programs, rebuild our academic footprint and improve our research infrastructure. Please join me in congratulating and supporting Lorna in her new appointment.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

Posted on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 4:53 PM

Names in the News

Emma Fete
Fete joins 4-H as advisor for San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties

Emma Fete joined UCCE as an area 4-H youth development advisor for San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties on Dec. 4, 2017.

For five years prior to joining UCCE, Fete taught and developed various courses including online and hybrid variants as an instructor for the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. As a part of an interdepartmental team, she evaluated general education requirements for undergraduates. Fete also served on the Diversity Committee, analyzing and recommending departmental policies, hiring and recruiting strategies, and implementing training programs to best represent and serve diverse populations.  From 2010 to 2012, she worked as an assistant language teacher for the Hiroshima Board of Education in Japan, where she taught and developed coursework in three prefectural high schools and a special needs school. From 2007 to 2010, Fete worked at WOSU Public Media, where she helped manage WOSU radio programming, fundraising and development efforts, and the station's community activities. She also has experience in local and state government as well as child-focused local non-profits. Fete is a dedicated horsewoman who was an enthusiastic 4-Her in her youth and continues to coach 4-H participants today.

Fete earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in communication at The Ohio State University and a B.A. in broadcasting from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.

Fete is based in Stockton and can be reached at (209) 953-6118 and emfete@ucanr.edu.

Kate Wilkin
Wilkin named area forestry/fire science and natural resources advisor 

Katherine “Kate” Wilkin joined UCCE on Sept. 18, 2017, as an area forestry/fire science and natural resources advisor in Sutter, Yuba, Butte and Nevada counties.

Prior to joining UCCE, Wilkin was a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley where she developed techniques for the California Air Resources Board to better estimate wildfire emissions and collaborated on an ecosystem services project, including water and carbon, of restored fire regimes. From 2011 to 2016, she was a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley, and at Cal Poly from 2007 to 2009. Wilkin also worked at Yosemite National Park, National Park Service's Inventory and Monitoring Program, California State Parks, and The Nature Conservancy on complex environmental issues including forest health, wetland restoration, fire management, visitor-use, and mine reclamation. She has been a member of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council since 2011.

Wilkin completed a Ph.D. in environmental science, policy and management from UC Berkeley, an M.S. in biology from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, and a B.S. with a double major in biology and interdisciplinary studies (environmental science) from The College of William and Mary.

Wilkin is based in Yuba City and can be reached at (530) 822-7515 and kwilkin@ucanr.edu.

Oguns joins ANR as financial analyst

Tayo Oguns

Tayo Oguns has joined Resource Planning and Management Office as a financial analyst.

He serves a critical role in strategic planning for future UC ANR staffing and personnel initiatives.

Prior to joining ANR, Oguns was a financial analyst at UC Berkeley.

He earned a bachelor's degree in finance at University of Massachusetts – Amherst and an MS in business analytics at Saint Mary's College of California.

Oguns is based at UCOP and can be reached at (510) 987-9028 and Tayo.Oguns@ucop.edu.

Pete Goodell
UC IPM members win international awards

Three of the twelve awards announced for the upcoming International IPM Symposium will be given to UC Integrated Pest Management Program members.  

Peter Goodell, UC IPM advisor emeritus, and Frank Zalom, professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and former Statewide IPM Program director, were selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The European Grapevine Moth Team was selected for an IPM Team Award for achieving the eradication of European grapevine moth only six years after its discovery in 2009. Team members helped growers in infested counties to monitor the pest and apply control measures on a timely basis. The team's research and extension efforts helped growers avoid losses to the pest every year until it was finally eradicated in 2016.

Frank Zalom
The European Grapevine Moth Team includes Lucia Varela, UC IPM advisor for the North Coast; Monica Cooper, UC Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor in Napa County; Walter Bentley, UC IPM entomologist emeritus; Larry Bettiga, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Monterey County; Kent Daane, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management; Rhonda Smith, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Sonoma County; Robert Van Steenwyk,  UC Cooperative Extension specialist in UC Berkeley ESPM; Joyce Strand, UC IPM academic coordinator emeritus; and Zalom.

Goodell started his IPM career in 1981 as an area IPM specialist during a time when farmers sprayed their fields based on a calendar date. Determined to reduce the use of broad-spectrum pesticides being used while still increasing yields, Goodell worked with growers, other IPM experts and organizations including the Natural Resource Conservation Service to promote the use of scouting for pests and the reliance on thresholds and degree-day models to determine when to treat.­­­

Zalom, extension entomologist at UC Davis, also has an impressive record of furthering IPM. Zalom began in 1980 as the IPM Coordinator in California. Although he was responsible for advancing IPM in the state, Zalom championed the idea of promoting IPM on a regional and even national level. For 16 years, he co-chaired the American Public Land-grant University National IPM Committee, leading to the development of the Regional IPM Centers. Zalom believes that the science and implementation of IPM will reduce the impact of pests and pest management on agriculture and the environment.

One of Zalom's most successful projects was IPM implementation in almonds. Because of his research on navel armyworm, damage from the pest fell from 8.8 percent in 1978 to less than 1.5 percent in 1990, with a 40 percent reduction in insecticides.

The winners will receive their awards and recognition at the 9th International IPM Symposium March 19-22, 2018, in Baltimore, Md. 

From left, Bob Van Steenwyk, Lucia Varela, Rhonda Smith and Frank Zalom of the European Grapevine Moth team show in 2016 accepting a UC ANR Distinguished Service Team Award.

CAL FIRE honors Quinn-Davidson

Lenya Quinn-Davidson

Lenya Quinn-Davidson, UCCE fire advisor in Humboldt County, has been selected to receive a CAL FIRE Partnership Award.

“As one of the team members helping work towards the statewide goals for using prescribed fire, your work with CAL FIRE, local cooperators and other stakeholders has created invaluable partnerships and expanded the training opportunities that many agencies were previously unable to access,” Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director, wrote to Quinn-Davidson. “It is important to CAL FIRE to work collaboratively with our partners to achieve our common goals. In this instance, your cooperative approach produced results which exceeded the normal expectations. I thank you for your efforts to further the mission of CAL FIRE.”

Yana Valachovic, UCCE director and forest advisor in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, said, “This is an incredible achievement for someone early in their career and it is strong evidence of her leadership skills and all around excellence!”

Quinn-Davidson will receive the award on Jan. 8 at a ceremony at the California Highway Patrol Academy in Sacramento.  

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