April 2024: Monthly Director’s Letter

Dear Extension Family,

This past Wednesday was Administrative Professionals’ Day, and it was fitting to hold the 43rd annual South Carolina Association of Extension Administration Professionals (SCAEAP) Conference this week. The 3-day conference included professional development training, team-building activities and a community service project at the Lowcountry Harvest Hope Food Bank location. I want to echo Dean Yarrow’s comments in his email from Wednesday wherein he expressed his appreciation for administrative professionals. Our Extension administrative team is extensive. They anchor the headquarters of our field operations office on campus and span the entire state to ensure our county offices are operational and welcoming. The impact they make through their interactions with the general public on an extensive level and their expertise in working alongside Agents and Specialists to support programmatic efforts is exemplary. Their skill sets are versatile, and they must be adept at pivoting to manage frequent multi-tasking. I want our administrative professionals to know I do not take them for granted, and neither must anyone else. Please make sure you take the time to acknowledge the importance of their work and deliberately thank them for their service to the Clemson Cooperative Extension mission.

The University would like to recognize an even larger group—all Clemson employees. The annual Employee Appreciation Luncheons will begin in mid-May, and the complimentary buffet-style lunch event will be held on campus and in various locations around the state. Please read the Clemson News story to identify the date of the closest Luncheon location to your office. In this case, there is such a thing as a free lunch.

Youth Focus

It was amazing to see the efforts of our youth-focused program teams celebrated by our legislative leadership at the State House last month. These events showcase the impact of Cooperative Extension programmatic efforts on a large scale, and the engagement with and visibility of our presence gets better every year. Between the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Legislative Appreciation Day and the South Carolina 4-H Legislative Day, over 1,000 youth, volunteers and staff gathered at our State House in Columbia. That is beyond noteworthy. These events are a vital opportunity for our youth to share their personal 4-H stories with legislators, discuss the benefits of local programming in their home communities and have the opportunity to watch the legislative process in person. Additionally, our legislators will understand their support for funding Extension is life changing. There are an overwhelming amount of issues to address and solve locally, nationally and globally. Providing our youth with these experiences will significantly impact not only their knowledge but it will fuel their realization of the ability to invoke change in the future.  

State Extension Advancement Council

The State Extension Advocacy Council (SEAC) is a statewide organization whose membership provides support for the South Carolina Cooperative Extension Service at the state level, which includes Clemson Cooperative Extension and SC State University 1890 Research & Extension. SEAC members are selected by geographic regions in the state, have expertise or interest in Extension issues or subject matter and commit to two years of service. I am excited to share that SEAC has been newly organized in an effort to more closely align its function in supporting the Extension mission. The expertise and backgrounds of our new members represent various agribusiness sectors and focus areas relevant to Extension programming. At the SEAC orientation meeting last month, we delivered presentations about the status of our Extension programs, personnel, county advisory councils and budgets and also shared news about recognitions and recent events. SEAC will meet two to three times annually in different locations around the state, and I look forward to the progress ahead.

2024 South Carolina Ag + Art Tour

You may not know our bragging rights about the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour being the largest free farm and art tour in the nation. This tour is coordinated by our very own Agribusiness Program Team under the direction of Dr. Will Culler, Senior Agribusiness Agent. Commissioner Hugh Weathers of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture referred to it as “a tribute to the beauties of agritourism.” The tour begins on May 4 and runs through June 30 across 20 of the state’s counties. The dates and participating sites and artisans are available on the agandarttour.com website. Please consider visiting a tour stop in your county or a nearby one to enjoy the festivities and support agritourism.

Salesforce

I am thankful for our Salesforce team members who continue to help us navigate the new technology. They are making great progress in working with the program teams and districts to address unique circumstances. There are now two dashboards available wherein you can view the outstanding work being done throughout Extension:

• Agent Activity Dashboard 
• County Activity Dashboard 

You can utilize the Salesforce chatter feed to ask questions or send an email to Ms. Becca Hedden at rthomp7@clemson.edu. Salesforce office hours will continue to be held every Monday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. through the Zoom link. 

Recognition

It makes me proud to hear about the various recognitions bestowed on members of our hard-working team, and I would like to share the achievements of the following individuals.

• Ms. Janet Steele: Society of American Foresters, Presidential Field Forester Award 
• Ms. Lori Thomas: 4-H Salute to Excellence Award, Southern Region Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer
• Ms. Sherry Davis-Livingston: McDonald Elementary School Volunteer of the Year
• Ms. Heather Nix: CAFLS College and PSA Award, Outstanding Junior Extension Agent 
• Mr. Ben Boyles: CAFLS College and PSA Award, Outstanding Senior Extension Agent 
• Dr. David Coyle: CAFLS College and PSA Award, Outstanding Junior Faculty in Extension
• Dr. Sarah White: CAFLS College and PSA Award, Outstanding Senior Faculty in Extension
• Dr. Bhupinder Farmaha: SSA Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Division New Division Chair-Elect 

Transitions and New Employees

We have several employees who have recently changed job roles within Cooperative Extension. Ms. DeAndra Cooper has transitioned from the 4-H Youth Development Program Team to the Rural Health and Nutrition Program Team to serve as the Rural Health and Nutrition Agent for Williamsburg and Florence Counties. Ms. Alana West of the 4-H Youth Development Program Team, formerly an Agent, has accepted the Assistant Director position for the team. Mr. Jonathan Tate, formerly the Assistant Grounds Supervisor, is now the Operations Manager at the T. Ed Garrison Arena and Expo Center. 

Please help me in welcoming the newest members of our Extension family: 

• Ms. Shanna Baker, Administrative Assistant for the Chester County office
• Ms. Samantha Brown, Horticulture Agent for Anderson County
• Ms. Hannah Conover, Livestock and Forages Agent for Anderson, Pickens and Greenville Counties
• Ms. Melanie Enniss, Administrative Assistant for the Lee County office
• Ms. Lindsay Jameson, Administrative Assistant for the Barnwell County office
• Ms. Lillian Ledford, 4-H Youth Development Agent for Oconee County
• Ms. April Martin (not pictured), Administrative Assistant for the Marion County office
• Ms. Anaston Porter, Water Resources Agent for Pickens County
• Ms. Leona Ransdell, 4-H Youth Development Equine Program Coordinator
• Hunter Taylor, Livestock and Forages Agent for Abbeville County.

In Closing …

Our next ‘Drop-in with the Director’ Zoom session will be held on Wednesday, May 1, at 8:00 a.m. A reminder email with the Zoom link will be sent out the day before. We have had some great discussions in our past sessions, and it has allowed me to acquire valuable feedback. Please don’t hesitate to join in, even if just to listen. 

As always, please take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Cooperative Extension.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

• May 2: Clemson Extension T.E.A.C.H. Center Drop-In, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to visit our new space located at the Citadel Mall in Charleston, which includes a classroom and conference room, informal workroom space and flex offices for visiting staff. RSVPs are not required but are appreciated—email Ms. Amy Dabbs at adabbs@clemson.edu.
• May 15-17: SCACAA & SCAE4-HA Joint Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference. Holiday Inn, 2225 Boundary Street, Beaufort.