December Announcements

From the Director

December 19, 2025

Reflections and Insights from the PDC 2025 Transformation Session

A summary has been created for Purdue Extension professionals, this supports review and reflection on the Transofrmation Facilitated session held on December 5 during PDC 2025. The session followed a Purdue Extension Transformation update from Interim Extension Director Dr. Angie Abbott and Dean of the College of Agriculture Dr. Bernie Engel. During the facilitated discussion, members of the Extension team shared how they are feeling about the transformation, along with ideas, strategies, and the supports, resources, and skills needed to move this work forward.

Thank you to Extension professionals across the state for your participation and thoughtful contributions. The content is organized by the questions asked during the session and is intended to encourage reflection and inform ongoing conversations in the months ahead as Purdue Extension continues its transformation.

2025 Transformation Facilitation Summary

ADA Compliancy

By: Lily Thill, digital communications coordinator

As we prepare for winter recess and the upcoming 2026 new year, please continue prioritizing 100% ADA compliance within our digital content, with the April 2026 deadline approaching.

Key Guidance for Cascade Content:

All materials uploaded into Cascade must be ADA compliant before uploading, effective immediately. Newly created materials should follow proper heading structure, include appropriate tagging, and have alternative text for images.
To help manage this workload, we are following phased steps to make progress more manageable and allow for deeper focus on compliance.

Unlinked/Orphaned PDFs:

On November 24, an email was sent to all county staff and Extension leadership regarding the need to remove unlinked/orphaned PDFs from Cascade. These documents are not being accessed by anyone and are not being used.
State website owners received a list of their unlinked PDFs on December 10.
Gina Price can remove unlinked/orphaned PDFs on your behalf. Email her at mailto://gprice@purdue.eduif you would like her assistance.
You may also request a report from Gina showing which documents on your site are being accessed or downloaded. This can help determine which files are most valuable to retain.

Event Fliers:

Event fliers in Cascade are not recommended. Information from fliers should be included directly in the Cascade event form instead. Fliers are not ADA compliant, and linking them may flag your page.
Reference the Hub training videos for adding events, but ignore any instructions to add fliers, as this method is no longer recommended.

Future Steps:

A list of your ADA-compliant PDFs in Cascade will be shared after the holiday break.
Additional ADA compliance trainings are expected, as this remains a top priority. Please review Eric Imboden’s PDC training for guidance on creating ADA-compliant documents in Word and Adobe.

Recommendations for Frequently Used Documents:

Consider converting heavily accessed PDFs into webpages. Provide an email address for users to request a PDF copy if needed. Webpages can be simple and easy to create in Cascade; a training video is available for reference.
For county newsletters, create the newsletter in Word without graphics (images without text are okay), then copy/paste the plain text into Extension-News for digital distribution. Make sure to watch the training video on how to add news articles in Cascade. The original Word file can then be enhanced with graphics for printed versions. This approach simplifies ADA compliance while maintaining flexibility.

Helpful Resources for ADA Compliance:

Thank you for your continued efforts in making our digital content accessible to all audiences.

PDC Updates and What's Next

By: Steve McKinley, staff development specialist

Many thanks to all who contributed to the successful completion of PDC 2025…

400+ attendees from across the state and on campus
60+ presenters who shared information from their programs, resources, and experiences
20+ Teams Organizers who assisted with the technology related to the concurrent sessions
15 members of the Professional Development Conference Committee who assisted with the logistics and planning efforts throughout the year
10 Area Directors and Area Administrators who coordinated area watch parties on day 2 of PDC

It truly takes a strong team to plan and implement PDC. I am thankful to have such a strong team supporting our efforts!

Many of the presenters have shared files and resources related to the concurrent sessions that they presented. These have been posted on the PDC Website under the “2025 Presentation Resources” accordion. From this location you will find the recording of the Teams sessions, along with any shared resources. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to learn about more of the topics presented during PDC!

Recordings of the general sessions held on Wednesday, December 3 and Friday, December 5 are also posted on the same page.

Thanks to each person who submitted a “PDC Shout-Out” to highlight the excellent work by our Purdue Extension colleagues and outstanding programs and resources. This video presentation is available to view at your convenience.

Congratulations to each of the award winners announced at PDC 2025! Your accomplishments are to be celebrated! Award photos are posted on the PDC Website under the “2025 PDC Photos” accordion.

Articles recognizing the Crooks, Sharvelle, and Director’s Award winners; Friend of Extension; and all Extension Professionals who were recognized at PDC are posted on the PDC Website.

Please hold December 2-4, 2026, for Professional Development Conference. Exact dates and format for PDC 2026 will be announced at a later date.

NELD 2026

Purdue Extension is proud to announce that Gina Avila, James Wolff, Kelsie Muller, and Elysia Rodgers have been selected to participate in the prestigious North Central Extension Leadership Development (NELD) program. This recognition highlights their dedication, expertise, and shared commitment to supporting Purdue Extension’s work to strengthen individuals and communities through meaningful programming and leadership.

James Wolff serves as County Extension Director (CED) and Senior Extension ANR Educator in Allen County.
Gina Avila is a Community Development Educator in Porter County.
Kelsie Muller is an Extension Specialist in the Department of Human Development and Family Science within the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Elysia Rodgers serves as County Extension Director (CED) and Extension ANR Educator in DeKalb County.

The NELD program is designed to build leadership capacity across Extension at all levels. Through a series of transformative experiences, participants gain the vision, courage, and tools needed to lead effectively in a rapidly changing world. NELD provides opportunities for current and future Extension leaders and administrators to:

Develop a deeper understanding of self and enhance personal effectiveness through assessments, coaching, feedback, and individual goal setting
Learn, apply, and reflect on effective leadership, organizational collaboration, and change strategies
Strengthen decision-making skills, improve Extension programming effectiveness, and promote lifelong learning
Broaden understanding of Extension at the local, state, and national levels
Build a strong national Extension network

Kansas State University will host the 2026 NELD conference, continuing a 35-year tradition of leadership development excellence. The program is designed for Extension professionals across the North Central region, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Workshops are led by professionals with regional expertise, and participants are selected for their potential to shape the future of Extension at both the state and regional levels.

The selection of Gina, James, Kelsie, and Elysia is a testament to their impact within Purdue Extension. They will bring back valuable insights, skills, and strategies to strengthen our collective efforts to serve communities throughout Indiana.

Congratulations to these individuals on this well-deserved accomplishment. Their continued leadership and contributions are sure to make a positive impact on Extension and the communities they serve.

Day of Giving

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first-ever Giving Tuesday for Purdue Extension! Together, Extension received 57 gifts across 20 counties, making this inaugural effort a strong success.

The top participating counties by number of gifts were:

Wabash County
St. Joseph County
Boone County (tied)
Morgan County 4-H (tied)

Giving Tuesday will become an annual fundraising opportunity for Purdue Extension. With the knowledge that it will always fall on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, future efforts will include more advance planning and coordination. This initiative provides a meaningful way for communities to show their support for Purdue Extension as part of their year-end giving, and participation is expected to continue growing in the years ahead.

Purdue CARET Day at the Statehouse

By: Steve McKinley, staff development specialist

County Extension Directors,

Purdue CARET Day at the Statehouse will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, on the 2nd Floor North Atrium, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. (ET).

All Purdue CARET members are invited to attend, along with County Extension Directors. Registration is open through Friday, January 16.

This event provides an important opportunity for Purdue CARET members to share their enthusiasm for legislators’ continued support of Purdue Extension, agriculture, research, and teaching. Their ongoing investments ensure we can continue to deliver information, resources, and insights that help Hoosiers build vibrant communities, strong families, and profitable businesses.

Purdue CARET members have been asked to schedule, coordinate, and communicate directly with legislative staff about their visits and lunch invitations. The CED’s role is to support them, not complete this task.

Thank you for empowering your CARET members to share the impact and difference Extension is making locally.