The NUEL steering committee is composed of 17 people including three representatives from each of ECOP’s five regions, one from ECOP and one from NIFA. The steering committee provides overall direction and assumes an active role in decision-making. The idea is to maintain a balanced representation from each region and to retain institutional knowledge. Steering committee members serve a two year term. The steering committee meets on a monthly basis via conference calls.
Current Members:
North Central Region
Nicole Debose, The Ohio State University, Regional Caucus Leader
County Extension Director, Cuyahoga County Extension
12200 Fairhill Road, Cleveland, OH 44120
216.429.8200 ext. 225 debose.8@osu.edu
As County Director in Cleveland, Ohio, Nicole shares her experience in strategic planning, program development, project management, fundraising, and cultural competency while promoting the strengthening of families and communities, the enhancement of urban agriculture systems and the expansion of local business opportunities. She provides support to 26 staff, including Educators, Program Staff and Interns. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning, Design and Development, a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration with a concentration in Informatics.
Carrie Edgar, University of Wisconsin, Communications Action Team Chair
Dane County Extension Director, University of Wisconsin Madison, Division of Extension
5201 Fen Oak Drive, Madison, WI 53718
608-224-3706 edgar@countyofdane.com
As the Dane County Extension Director in Madison, Wisconsin, Carrie provides administrative leadership and is responsible for resource management, program planning, community assessment and evaluation, and staff supervision. Prior to this role, she was a County Director in Illinois for 12 years. In addition to her administrative role, Carrie has done a great deal of food systems work both in Illinois and Wisconsin. She has a Masters degree in Child, Family and Community Services and a Bachelors degree in Communications.
Marie A. Ruemenapp, Michigan State University, NUEL Chair
Marie A. Ruemenapp is an academic specialist and the co-director of the Urban Collaborators in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University. She is one of the founding members of NUEL and is recognized nationally as an expert in Extension’s urban work. Ruemenapp has over 30 years of community-based Extension experience with Michigan State University in program planning and evaluation; employee recruitment, hiring, training and supervision; fiscal and grant management; partnership building; and organizational leadership. She has led numerous local, regional, statewide and national Extension initiatives. Ruemenapp has provided effective leadership and supervision to multiple, large teams of diverse staff across broad geographic areas. She has a broad set of experiences working and networking with a broad variety of people and organizations effectively, including community and political leaders, as well as campus-based administrators, faculty and staff. Ruemenapp holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications, a Master’s degree in Family and Child Ecology Community Services with a minor in community development, and a Doctorate in Planning, Design and Construction with an emphasis in Urban and Regional Planning, all from Michigan State University.
Northeast Region
Manami Brown, University of Maryland, Regional Caucus Leader
Manami Brown began her University of Maryland, Baltimore City Extension career as a 4-H Youth Development educator in 1998. Ms. Brown was appointed as the City Extension Director in 2007 where she manages a diverse group of faculty, staff and volunteers. Under her leadership the Extension’s multifaceted community focused programming meets the interests and needs of residents in the Baltimore Region and the state of Maryland. The program’s goal is to increase all of its participant’s social, human, and financial management skills in order to support future personal, educational and career success. As a tenured 4-H educator, Ms. Brown has received multiple awards. She also serves as a contributing author of the “Be the E: Entrepreneurship” curriculum from the National 4-H curriculum library. She has been a leader in integrating the practices of youth development with those of community development through research-based programs in the City of Baltimore and Dakar, Senegal, West Africa in the areas of entrepreneurship, workforce readiness, environmental science, and service-learning. Ms. Brown holds a BSW from Morgan State University and a M.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University.
Richard Alomar, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Executive Committee Secretary
ra462@sebs.rutgers.edu
Bio coming soon
Carol Parker, Cornell University, National Urban Extension Conference Action Team ChairProgram Leader, Cornell Cooperative Extension – NYC
40 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
212-340-2922 cmp10@cornell.edu
As a Program Leader for Cornell University Cooperative Extension-NYC, Carol provides leadership to the Nutrition and Health Program Area in NYC. The position involves long term strategic planning, program management, fund development, program development, evaluation, coordination of several nutrition and health programs for limited resource families (EFNEP and Farmers Market Nutrition Education program) and coordination of special projects in collaboration with community-based organizations. Carol works closely with the program and administrative leadership and Cornell University faculty to develop and implement many large scale community based nutrition programs, develop nutrition education training programs, conduct training for both paraprofessional and professional nutrition and health educators, both within and outside the organization. She conducts presentations of community nutrition education best practices and research findings at professional conferences locally and nationally. Additionally, she acts as liaison to the NYS EFNEP as well as other programs that address the needs of low- income residents in NYS. She is the current chair for the National Urban Extension Conference Action Team 2018-20.
Southern Region
Vacant
Brenda Rogers, University of Florida, Professional Development Action Team Chair
Southwest District Extension Director, University of Florida IFAS Extension – Plant City Campus
1200 North Park Road Plant City, Florida 33563-1540
813.757.2129 bgrogers@ufl.edu
Katherine R. Williams, North Carolina State University, Executive Committee Vice Chair
Western Region
Edward C. Martin, University of Arizona, Regional Caucus Chair
Maricopa County Extension Director
Professor/Extension Specialist, Dept. of Biosystems Engineering
4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85044
602-827-8232 ecmartin@arizona.edu
Dr. Ed Martin is the County Extension Director for University of Arizona, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension. He is the chief administrator for the office of almost 80 employees who bring science-based research to help solve real life problems to improve people’s lives, communities and the economy in Maricopa County and beyond. Dr. Martin is also an Extension Irrigation Specialist and Professor in the Biosystems Engineering Department at Arizona. Originally from Michigan, he received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. From 2007 – 2012, he served as the Associate Director for Extension for the Agriculture and Natural Resource programs at the University of Arizona. In 2012, he was asked to serve as interim director for Maricopa County Cooperative Extension and in 2013, named County Extension Director.
fxmoncloa@ucanr.edu
Bio coming soon
Eric Killian, University of Nevada, Executive Committee – Action Team Liaison
killiane@unce.unr.edu
1890 Region
Anthony Tuggle, Tennessee State University
Anthony Tuggle began work for the Rutherford County Extension Service in 1995 working as a 4-H/Agricultural agent with 50/50% responsibility. Anthony came to Tennessee Extension after graduating from Alcorn State University with a BS in Agriculture Economics and a MS in Animal Science. He has worked for TSU Extension for 22 years. He has served as County Extension Director for 10 years becoming the first TSU pay rolled employee hired to oversee both UT and TSU programs as county director. As County Director, he is responsible for the day to day operations of the office. Anthony grew up in Coffeeville, MS (Yalobusha County) where he was involved in FFA and Sports.
ECOP Representative
Jason Henderson, Purdue University, ECOP Representative
Associate Dean and Director, Purdue Extension
A nationally recognized expert in agricultural and rural issues, Jason R. Henderson is the Senior Associate Dean in the Purdue University College of Agriculture and Director of Purdue Extension. In this role, he leads statewide public engagement and research-based education in 4-H Youth Development, Agricultural and Natural Resources, Community Development, and Health and Human Sciences. As Purdue’s Assistant Vice President for Engagement, he provides leadership in university-wide initiatives that connect Purdue expertise and resources to statewide needs and helps form effective partnerships to grow Indiana’s economy and improve quality of life for its residents.
Jason previously served as Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. While serving as the Bank’s regional economist and Nebraska representative, he also led Federal Reserve efforts to track agricultural and rural economies, including the Tenth District Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions and the Federal Reserve System’s Agricultural Finance Databook. He also managed the Main Street Economist, a bimonthly publication covering economic issues affecting rural areas, and has published more than 60 agricultural economics research articles in academic and Federal Reserve publications on such topics as land values, entrepreneurship, electronic commerce in agriculture, demographics, and many more. He holds masters and doctorate degrees in agricultural economics from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Central College in Pella, Iowa.
NIFA Representative
Vacant