2020 NUEL Regional Award Winners

June 9, 2021
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NUEL is thrilled to recognize our 2020 Regional Award Winners!

  • 1890 Region Leadership Award: Misty Layne Watkins, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent with Tennessee State University
    • Misty Layne Watkins’ Homebuyer Education Program has provided 138 counseling sessions and 8 first-time homebuyer classes, resulting in $18.8 million in mortgage loans.
  • Southern Region Leadership Award: Diana Doggett, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent at the University of Kentucky
    • Diana Doggett has provided leadership in Kentucky Extension for over 20 years. Her Central Kentucky Job Club program has helped over 5,000 un- or under-employed community members secure jobs valued at ~$8.4 million. 
  • North Central Region Leadership Award: Nicole Debose, Area Leader and Program Director, Cuyahoga County Extension, Ohio State University
    • Nicole Debose serves communities in the Cleveland area, creating a innovative interdisciplinary program and raising $1.2 million to support this work. She chaired the NUEL North Central Regional Network from 2018-2021.
  • Northeast Region Dynamic Duo Award: Manami Brown, City Extension Director, University of Maryland; Christopher Obropta, Extension Specialist and Director of the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute, Rutgers University
    • Manami Brown leads the Feed Our Future Initiative and developed the internationally recognized 4H Teen Corps Curriculum
    • In the past 10 years, Dr. Chris Obropta’s programs have trained over 70 undergraduate student interns, and helped install over 500 green infrastructure projects including rainwater harvesting systems at schools and community gardens.
  • Northeast Regional Innovative Program Award: Rutgers Food Waste Team
    • The Rutgers Food Waste Team conducted food waste audits and elementary and middle schools, held the 2019 School Food Waste Reduction Summit, and developed the Paterson Grow Healthy Project
  • Western Region Program Innovator Award: DeShana York, Director, Urban Extension & AgrAbility at University of Alaska
    • DeShana York defined and implemented urban extension in Alaska, organizing a multi-state project with the Kettering Foundation enhancing community dialogue to address emerging issues
  • Western Region Leadership Award: Brad Gaolach, Director, Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension and the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research at Washington State University

    • Under Brad Gaolach’s leadership, the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research has raised awareness of the need and opportunities for urban extension at the national level, and worked to develop the professional capacity of extension faculty and staff to address urban community needs. 
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