A number of Purdue Extension Professionals were recognized at the annual Purdue Extension Professional Development Conference (PDC) on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the Tippecanoe County 4-H Fairgrounds.
Awards were presented by the Indiana Extension Educators Association (IEEA), Purdue University Cooperative Extension Specialists Association (PUCESA), Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP), and the Purdue Extension Director’s Office. We wish to extend our congratulations to each of these individuals and teams on their accomplishments and on the impact they are helping Purdue Extension to make across the State of Indiana!
Recognize the outstanding work of Purdue Extension field-based Professionals and the impact their programs have achieved.
Agriculture and Natural Resources – Gina Anderson, Floyd County
Community Wellness Coordinator – Katie Davidson, Floyd, Harrison, and Clark Counties
4-H Youth Development – Megan Hoffherr, Vanderburgh County
Health and Human Sciences – Caroline Everidge, Huntington County
Recognize and encourage teamwork among Extension Professionals within the same program.
Agriculture and Natural Resources – “Passing It On: Farm Transition to the Next Generation” Team members include Gina Anderson, Floyd County ANR; Richard Beckort, Jackson County ANR; Ariel Camm-Wilson, Harrison County ANR; Julie Carrell, Orange County ANR/4-H; Molly Hasenour, Crawford County ANR/4-H; Heidi Potter, Clark County ANR; Tom Springstun, Scott County, ANR; and Danielle Walker, Washington County ANR.
Community Development – “Community Leadership Program Revision.” Team members include Cindy Barber, Daviess County CD Educator; Tanya Hall, Regional CD Educator; Patty Keating, former Porter County CD Educator; Tamara Ogle, Regional CD Educator; Kristi Whitacre, former Vigo County CD Educator; and Steve Yoder, Regional CD Educator.
4-H Youth Development – “Cultural Immersion and Teen Teaching Experience in Bethel, Alaska.” Effie Campbell, DeKalb County 4-H Educator; and Tami Mosier, Steuben County 4-H Educator
Health and Human Sciences – “SIMM: Similar Ingredients Multiple Meals.” Team members include Meranda Cooper, former Tipton County HHS Educator; Kailey Dockerty, Cass County HHS Educator; Allison Hillis, Howard County HHS Educator; Eric Hillis, Tipton County HHS Educator; Jane Horner, former Cass County HHS Educator; Joanne Lytton, former Carroll County HHS Educator; Mindy Mayes, Wabash County HHS Educator; and Jessica Riffle, Fulton County HHS Educator.
Bob Amick Award - Recognizes a 4-H Youth Development Educator with less than 10 years of service – Clint Deck, Monroe County
CES Team – “Mock Grocery Store” team. Team members include Caroline Everidge, Huntington County HHS Educator; JP Pietrowski, Huntington County 4-H Educator; and Brittney Schori, Whitley County HHS Educator.
Diversity – “Title 1 School Experiential Learning Through School to Farm Programs”, including team members Clint Deck, Monroe County 4-H Educator; Annie Eakin, Community Wellness Coordinator for Brown, Lawrence, and Monroe Counties; Ody Ekwonwa, Monroe County HHS Educator; JJ Goldsberry, Nutrition Education Program Assistant for Lawrence, Monroe, and Orange Counties; Kip Harmon, Monroe County 4-H Educator; and Edward Oehlman, Monroe County ANR Educator.
Members of IEEA recognized for their tenure level milestones, starting at 5 years, and at each subsequent 5-year interval, included the following.
Those with 5-year tenure include:
Britt Copeland – Jefferson County
Jo Gilreath – Warrick County
Allison Hillis – Howard County
Mathias Ingle – Howard County
Megan Jasperson – Perry County
Kurt Lanzone – Parke County
Cora Reinbolt – Bartholomew County
Geoff Schortgen – Wabash County
Danielle Scott- Madison County
Ashley Shufflebarger – Marion County
Adam Tyler – Fountain County
Lupe Valtierra – Lake County
10-year tenure staff members include:
Liz Beiersdorfer – Dearborn County
Caren Crum – Carroll/Clinton Counties
Esmerelda Cruz – Clinton County
Lesley Lodmell – Lawrence County
Mindy Mayes – Grant County
Katie Whiteford – Clark County
Julie Wilson – Randolph County
James Wolff – Allen County
Educators celebrating 15 years with Purdue Extension are:
Molly Hoag – Wells County
Julie Jones – Lake County
Jenna Nees – Putnam County
Elysia Rodgers – DeKalb County
Kyle Weaver – Switzerland County
One Educator has served Purdue Extension for 20 years:
Beth Vansickle – Madison County
Two Educators have served Purdue Extension for 25 years:
Scott Gabbard – Shelby County
Carla Kidwell – Warrick County
Educators celebrating 35 years with Purdue Extension are:
Bill Horan – Wells County
Susan Peterson – Hamilton County
Two Educators have served Purdue Extension for 40 years:
Annetta Jones – Porter County
Tom Springstun – Scott County
The leadership of a program area section within IEEA is a four-year commitment – secretary, vice-president, president, and past-president. Those who have completed their term as president and are transitioning into a past-president role include:
Agriculture and Natural Resources Section – Mathias Ingle, Howard County
Community Development Section – Kayla Wright, Marion County/Campus
Community Wellness Coordinator Section – Katie Davidson, Clark, Floyd, and Harrison Counties (continuing in 2025)
4-H Youth Development Section – Rachael Smith, Marion County
Health and Human Sciences Section – Caroline Everidge, Huntington County
The leadership of the umbrella professional association for Purdue Extension is a four-year commitment – secretary, vice-president, president, and past-president. The 2024 IEEA President was Katie Whiteford, 4-H Educator and CED, Clark County.
Rachel Peden-McCarty, Monroe County. Click here to read the story about Rachel and watch a video of her impact with Purdue Extension.
Spirit of Extension Award
Objective: recognize outstanding service or contributions to extension specialists’ programs, services, or practices.
Recipient: Midwest Regional Turf Foundation
Ann Hancook Award
Objective: To encourage and recognize cooperation between Extension Educators and Specialists in programs focusing on families.
Recipients: “Succession Planning” Team, submitted by Dr. Ken Foster, Professor of Agricultural Economics. Team members include: Shalee Bradley, Johnson County ANR Educator; Heather Caldwell, former Fayette County ANR/4-H Educator; Linda Curley, Lake County HHS Educator; Ed Farris, Huntington County ANR Educator; Kelly Heckaman, Area Extension Director; Nicholas Held, Spencer County ANR Educator; Tricia Herr, Montgomery County ANR Educator; Martin Huseman, White County ANR Educator; Michael Langemeier, Agricultural Economics Specialist; Maria Marshall, Agricultural Economics Specialist; Jenna Nees, Putnam County ANR Educator; Jeff Pell, Hendricks County ANR Educator; Courtney Schmidt, Miami County ANR Educator; Kyle Weaver, Switzerland County ANR and 4-H Educator; Renee Wiatt, Agricultural Economics Specialist; and Phil Woolery, Pulaski and Starke Counties ANR Educator.
And, the “Center for Families” Team, submitted by HHS Specialist, Kelsie Muller. Additional team members include: Joyce Miles, Center for Families; Melissa Franks, Center for Families; Lisa Graves, Interim HHS Program Leader; Meagan Salomon, Vanderburgh County HHS Educator; Jamie Jo Lowder, Owen County HHS Educator; Susan Peterson, Hamilton County HHS Educator; Tonya Short, Knox County HHS Educator; Chelsea Brewer, Dubois County HHS Educator; Marcia Parcell, Dearborn County HHS Educator; and Jane Horner, former Cass County HHS Educator.
Early-Career Award
Objective: To recognize outstanding contributions to Purdue Extension by Specialists/Administrators with up to 10 years of service.
Recipient: Dr. Wenjing Guan, Vegetable Crops Hotline Editor and Clinical Engagement Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, specializing in Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production.
Mid-Career Award
Objective: To recognize outstanding contributions to Purdue Extension by Specialist/Administrators with 11-20 years of service.
Recipient: Dr. Shaun Casteel, Associate Professor of Agronomy, specializing in Soybean Production Systems and Small Grains.
Career Award
Objective: To recognize outstanding contributions to Purdue Extension by Specialists/Administrators with over 20 years of service.
Recipients: Dr. Colleen Brady, Professor in the Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication Department, and Horse Extension Specialist.
And also, Dr. Maria Marshall, Professor, Agricultural Economics Department; Director, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development; and Director, Purdue Institute for Family Business.
Leadership Award
Objective: Recognize an individual’s leadership and contribution to a specific and highly effective Extension program.
Recipient: Dr. Darcy Telenko, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology, focused on the management of soilborne and foliar pathogens of agronomic crops.
Team Award
Objective: Recognize innovative Extension Programming by a team of Specialists and their allied partners.
Recipient: Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute (FEMI) Team, submitted by Allison Kingery, Research Administrator and Managing Director of FEMI. Team members include Allison Brown, Food Science Extension Specialist and Research Associate; Kelsey Budreau, Manager, Pilot Plant; Christian Butzke, Professor of Food Science; Subhashis Chakraborty, Extension Administrator, FEMI; Amanda Deering, Associate Professor of Produce Food Safety; Brenna Ellison, Professor, Agricultural Economics Undergraduate Program Coordinator; Ken Foster, Professor, Agricultural Economics; Maria Marshall, Professor and Extension & Outreach Coordinator, Agricultural Economics; Madison Mehringer, Business Development Administrator, Associate; Darmendra Mishra, Associate Professor of Food Science; Patrick Nycz, Food Business and Marketing Program Advisor; Senay Simsek, Department Head and Professor, Food Science; Athira Syamala, Research Associate, Senior – FEMI; and Renee Wiatt, Family Business Management Specialist, Department of Agriculture Economics.
Objective: Recognize a graduate student that has made outstanding contributions to the Cooperative Extension Service and shows exceptional promise in this role.
Recipient: Ana Gabriela Morales-Ona, Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Agronomy.
ESP Distinguished Team Award
Objective: Recognize outstanding efforts of Extension staff teams for responding to and incorporating into a specific educational program one or more critical issues.
Recipient: Area 2 Robotics Encounter, with team members Katie Whiteford and Sam McCollum, 4-H Educators in Clark and Floyd Counties, respectively.
ESP Visionary Leadership Award
Objective: Recognize an ESP member whose significant accomplishments have resulted in leading Extension forward in new directions.
Recipient: Katie Whiteford, 4-H Educator and County Extension Director in Clark County.
Paul B Crooks Outstanding Extension Educator Award
The Crooks Award recognizes Extension Educators who have demonstrated excellence in Extension programming. Dr. Paul B. Crooks served as an Extension agent in Benton, Fountain, and Morgan Counties before becoming administrator of the statewide Better Farming-Better Living program in 1954. He later served as Associate Director of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service from 1962-82. Crooks also served as national president of Epsilon Sigma Phi in 1969, a group that recognized his leadership in 1973 with its Distinguished Ruby Award.
A plaque and a $2,000 cash award are presented to the winner of the Crooks Award.
The 2024 recipient of the Crooks award is Richard Beckort, Ag and Natural Resources Educator and co-CED in Jackson County. Click here to learn more about Richard’s career accomplishments.
Eric G Sharvelle Distinguished Extension Specialist Award
The Sharvelle award recognizes Extension Specialists who have served the people of Indiana by demonstrating a high degree of proficiency and professionalism during their careers, along with a track record of excellence in Extension programming. The Sharvelle Award is given each year in memory of Eric G. Sharvelle, who was a Purdue professor of botany and plant pathology from 1946 to 1975. The award was established in 1985 by Dr. Derek and Sybil Sharvelle of Battle Ground, IN.
A plaque and a $2,000 cash award are presented to the winner of the Sharvelle Award.
The 2023 recipient of the Sharvelle award is Dr. Brian Richert, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences and Extension Specialist in Nutrition and Management. Click here to learn more about Brian’s career accomplishments.
Purdue Extension Director’s Award
Steve McKinley, Purdue Extension Staff Development Specialist, is the 2024 recipient of the Purdue Extension Director’s Award. The award honors someone who truly embodies the spirit of stepping up and stepping in—going above and beyond for Extension. McKinley has led Extension’s efforts to implement a brand-new youth protection process and training