Hutchins, Greg

Greg Hutchins

WI 4-H Youth Development Director

Greg Hutchins joined the University of Wisconsin-Extension as State 4-H Youth Development Director and Assistant Dean in 1994, following 20 years of Extension 4-H Youth Development work in Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Alabama. He served 15 years as the Wisconsin State 4-H Director. In 2009 he left 4-H Youth work and began new administrative duties in the Extension Vice Chancellor’s office.

After a 41-year Extension career, Greg retired in 2015 as Associate Vice Chancellor of UW-Extension. Greg believed in the civic value of the 4-H community club. He saw it as a laboratory where youth participated in democratic practices and self-governance, while also serving their community and growing through new relationships and new experiences. He believed 4-H was a program where any young person could have success and be a contributor, and he believed in the importance of volunteer leadership.

Greg worked to expand the outreach of 4-H to new audiences, and he encouraged staff to be creative and inclusive with their programs. He was proud of the experiential nature of the 4-H program, and the “learn-by-doing” design of 4-H education. During Greg’s tenure as the 4-H Program Director, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents honored the 4-H Youth Development program with their Regents Teaching Excellence Award, making 4-H the first Extension program to earn that UW system award.