In this issue…
Notes from WACAA President
Scholarship Award Deadline
Communication Award Winners
Retirement Announcements
NACAA AM-PIC Conference
Agents Remembered
Officer Profile
Notes from WACAA President
Greetings all!
For those who don’t know me, I am Liz Binversie and just began my term as President on July 1, 2020. I’m excited to enter into this new role and continue working with you all. I also wanted to introduce this year’s board officers who we will be spotlighting over the next issues of the newsletter:
Amber O’Brien: President-Elect
Richard Halopka: Past President
Alana Voss: Treasurer
Kaitlyn Davis: Secretary
Sandy Stuttgen: Director
Lyssa Seefeldt: Director
I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well. This time of year typically involves a lot of transition and changes as the new WACAA officers come on board. Recent global events have added even more transition, change, and uncertainty. While this certainly is a difficult time period in our professional and personal lives, it has been inspiring to see how everyone has come together in support of each other during these challenging times. I have seen a lot of innovation and creative ideas to continue the great work Extension does in supporting our local and state communities. I am confident we will be a stronger organization because of it. Please continue to reach out to colleagues and friends and don’t hesitate to contact me if there’s anything I can do to support you.
Scholarship
The WACAA board voted to extend the scholarship award deadline, especially with everything going on. The new deadline is September 1, 2020. Scholarship amount is $200 and applicants must be members for at least two years. For other eligibility and application information visit: https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/wacaa/scholarships/
Communication Award Winners Announced
A number of colleagues received state, regional, and national recognition for the communication entries submitted. There is tremendous work and resources submitted in this year’s entries. Special thanks to Joy Kirkpatrick and Alana Voss as Communications Award Co-Chairs for organizing and facilitating completion of this year’s award process. Appreciation is also given to Greg Blonde for putting together the recognition document and forwarding to the media. You can read all about this year’s winners here: https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/wacaa/2020/05/08/2020-award-winners/
Retirement Announcements
Greg Blonde from Waupaca County and Scott Gunderson from Manitowoc county have announced they will be retiring next month. It is difficult to do justice to the exemplary work and impact these two individuals have made both in this organization and to the communities they’ve served over their careers. Please check out these articles that highlight the achievements and impact Greg and Scott have made locally and statewide: Greg Blonde’s article, Scott Gunderson’s article. They will both be truly missed and WACAA is lucky to have had educators of their caliber and dedication who embody what an extension educator should be. Greg and Scott have been tremendous colleagues to work with and words cannot express the depth of appreciation for their support and mentoring over the years. Please take an opportunity to congratulate them if you haven’t had a chance yet. We appreciate your service to our organization and wish you the very best in retirement.
National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Annual Meeting & Professional Improvement Conference (AM-PIC)
Just announced today the conference will not be taking place in-person and will be offered as a completely virtual event. In addition, the conference is free this year. Registration details will be coming soon. More information about the NACAA AM-PIC conference can be found here: https://www.nacaa.com/
…and Meet the NACAA candidates
Join us on July 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM Central Time for a discussion with candidates for NACAA offices. Information about candidacy for positions will also be discussed. This is a great opportunity to meet the future leadership of your NACAA.
Current candidates include:
Secretary
Connie Strunk – South Dakota
Vice President
Phil Durst – Michigan
Matt Herring – Missouri
Treasurer
No candidates
1-year term for a maximum of three years. Nominations can come from any region.
The following positions will be elected during regional caucus meetings at the national meeting
Western Region Vice Director
Southern Region Vice Director
*Information about candidacy for national offices is available in NACAA Policy Handbook Section 5-1
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Meeting ID: 953 4988 7931
Password: NACAA
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Agents Remembered
We are asking your help so we can update membership when agriculture agents pass away. For current members, please let us know if you hear of anything in the local newspapers or from support staff. For newer current members, if you have support staff who have been serving in their position for a while they could be a great person to ask to help keep you in the loop. For Life Members, please let us know if you hear of any colleagues who have passed away and we will be sure to add it on the Agents Remembered webpage. It is our goal to keep everyone updated as best as we can.
Officer Profile
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Liz Binversie is the current President of WACAA. Prior to this, she served on the board as President-Elect and Secretary. Liz began working for Extension in 2013. She grew up with three brothers near Baltimore, Maryland and enjoys watching movies and playing the piano. What I enjoy most about being part of WACAA: Building camaraderie with colleagues. The people are what makes working for this organization really worthwhile. Current favorite quotes: “Every life experience presents an opportunity to become wiser and grow stronger.” “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss |
