Professional Development Conference
Purdue Extension Professional Development Conference
Thank you for joining us for PDC on Wednesday, December 3 and Friday, December 5, 2025!
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Educator & Specialist Awards (nominations due by October 1 annually)
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.
Please review the criteria below and consider nominating a deserving Educator by October 1:
Guidelines
1. A cash award of $2,000 may be presented to one Purdue Extension Educator each year. Recipients may receive the award only once.
2. The recipient must be a current Purdue Extension Educator at the time the award is given.
3. Selection emphasis will be placed on Extension Educators who have shown:
• Innovation in content and/or delivery systems
• Efforts to engage or support the engagement of underserved clientele
• Significant and sustained program impact over a period of several years
• Resource development appropriate to the assignment
• Contribution to team or other collaboration opportunities
• Contributions to the profession of Extension (professional organizations, presentations at regional/national meetings, publications in Journal of Extension, multistate projects, etc.)
Nominations
All nominations must be limited to two pages, single-spaced, font size 11. A single set of supplementary materials can be provided for review by the selection committee. Nominations for this award are submitted to the Purdue Extension Director’s Office. Submissions must be in electronic form (Word or PDF) and emailed to Carie Herbst (herbstc@purdue.edu) by October 1. A selection committee appointed by the Director of Extension will review all nominations and make final selection of the recipient.
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, Ind. Please review the criteria below and consider nominating a deserving Specialist by October 1:
Guidelines
1. A cash award of $2,000 may be presented to one Purdue Extension Specialist each year. Recipients may receive the award only once.
2. The recipient must be a current Purdue Extension Specialist at the time the award is given.
3. Selection emphasis will be placed on Extension Educators who have shown:
• Innovation in content and/or delivery systems
• Efforts to engage or support the engagement of underserved clientele
• Significant and sustained program impact over a period of several years
• Resource development appropriate to the assignment
• Contribution to team or other collaboration opportunities
• Contributions to the profession of Extension (professional organizations, presentations at regional/national meetings, publications in Journal of Extension, multistate projects, etc.)
Nominations
All nominations must be limited to two pages, single-spaced, font size 11. A single set of supplementary materials can be provided for review by the selection committee. Nominations for this award are submitted to the Purdue Extension Director’s Office. Submissions must be in electronic form (Word or PDF) and emailed to Carie Herbst (herbstc@purdue.edu) by October 1. A selection committee appointed by the Director of Extension will review all nominations and make final selection of the recipient.
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.
Please review the criteria below and consider nominating a deserving Educator by October 1:
Guidelines
1. A cash award of $2,000 may be presented to one Purdue Extension Educator each year. Recipients may receive the award only once.
2. The recipient must be a current Purdue Extension Educator at the time the award is given.
3. Selection emphasis will be placed on Extension Educators who have shown:
• Innovation in content and/or delivery systems
• Efforts to engage or support the engagement of underserved clientele
• Significant and sustained program impact over a period of several years
• Resource development appropriate to the assignment
• Contribution to team or other collaboration opportunities
• Contributions to the profession of Extension (professional organizations, presentations at regional/national meetings, publications in Journal of Extension, multistate projects, etc.)
Nominations
All nominations must be limited to two pages, single-spaced, font size 11. A single set of supplementary materials can be provided for review by the selection committee. Nominations for this award are submitted to the Purdue Extension Director’s Office. Submissions must be in electronic form (Word or PDF) and emailed to Carie Herbst (herbstc@purdue.edu) by October 1. A selection committee appointed by the Director of Extension will review all nominations and make final selection of the recipient.
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, Ind. Please review the criteria below and consider nominating a deserving Specialist by October 1:
Guidelines
1. A cash award of $2,000 may be presented to one Purdue Extension Specialist each year. Recipients may receive the award only once.
2. The recipient must be a current Purdue Extension Specialist at the time the award is given.
3. Selection emphasis will be placed on Extension Educators who have shown:
• Innovation in content and/or delivery systems
• Efforts to engage or support the engagement of underserved clientele
• Significant and sustained program impact over a period of several years
• Resource development appropriate to the assignment
• Contribution to team or other collaboration opportunities
• Contributions to the profession of Extension (professional organizations, presentations at regional/national meetings, publications in Journal of Extension, multistate projects, etc.)
Nominations
All nominations must be limited to two pages, single-spaced, font size 11. A single set of supplementary materials can be provided for review by the selection committee. Nominations for this award are submitted to the Purdue Extension Director’s Office. Submissions must be in electronic form (Word or PDF) and emailed to Carie Herbst (herbstc@purdue.edu) by October 1. A selection committee appointed by the Director of Extension will review all nominations and make final selection of the recipient.
Resources
Listed below are the Presentations that were held at PDC 2025. Resources from the sessions that have been shared by the presenters are linked with each session. The sessions are organized chronologically by the time they were presented at PDC. Thanks to the presenters for sharing their resources with us!
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Morning Session Recording
- Including Dr. Angie Abbott's welcome and Dr. Jay Akridge's keynote presentation
Favorite Part of Working for Purdue Extension
- Summary of Responses received to opening question asked of PDC Participants.
The Importance of Laughter
- Summary of Responses for opening engagement session facilitated by Tessa Garrow.
IEPA Business Meeting Recording
Program Showcase
Recording of Program Showcase
- Extension Entomology - People and Resources to Support Extension Educators - Doug Richmond
- Entomology Outreach Programs and Resources - Emily Justus
- Small Ruminant Producers Associations, Buidling a Network - Cora Reinbolt
- Engaging with Community Development Extension Programs - Kara Salazar
- A Quick Look at the Downing Endowment - Funded Community Grant Program - Jeff Walker
- Tuberculosis Self-Management Among Rural Residents - Soo Jung Jo
- From Lab to Field: Advancing Produce Safety Through Applied Research - Amanda Deering
- Finding and Using STEM, Arificial Intelligence, and Computer Science Activities with Your Youth - Rachel Haselby
- Natural Resources Training Hub - Jessica Outcalt
Concurrent Sessions
200 Series (2:45-3:30 p.m.)
201 - Enhancing Virtual Collaboration with Microsoft Teams - Gina Avila
- Getting Started with Team Channels for Beginners (first 20 minutes of video)
- Advanced Tools for Team Collaboration (second 20 minutes of video)
- PPT Presentation for both sessions
202A - NCR-Stat Datasets: Supporting Community Development Through Cross-Regional reseaerch and Extension - Zuzana Bednarik
202B - Effective Tools for Strengthening Evaluative Thinking in Extension - Hema Lingireddy (video starts ~20 minutes)
203 - Integrating Artificial Intelligence Education Into Your Existing Lessons - Rachel Haselby
204 - Soil to Market: Integrating Production, Food Safety & Economics and Decision - Making - Renee Wiatt
205 - Incorporating Annie's Project in School Programming - Shalee Bradley
- Flyer
- Program Overview Packet
- Planning Guide
- FAQ
- Survey Links
- To be added to the Box Folder with additional resources, e-mail Shalee Bradley.
206 - Chicken Embryology - A revamp of a popular program - Mathias Ingle
207 - Your Place in IEPA: Leadership and Service Explained - Elysia Rodgers
208 - Storytelling and social media: Connecting to community, campus and beyond - Olivia DeYoung
209 - AIL Special Risk Division - Accident Coverage for Extension Programming - Erin Bain
210 - Enhancing Purdue Extension's Outreach to Military Veterans and Their Families - Joe Ricker
211 - Soft Skills: Meeting Audiences Where They Are - Caroline Everidge
212 - Registering Youth Events! (for all program areas) - Malea Huffman
213 - Supporting Youth Through Trauma-Informed Care: A Guide for Extension Educators & Volunteers - Jennifer Roth
214 - Language Matters: Using Latino, Hispanic, and Latinx Terminology Effectively in Extension Services - Cassandra Salazar
215 - Tips for Managing a Curriculum Development Team Project - Kris Parker
216 - Using Cvent: Extension's Program Online Registration Platform - Erin Watson
300 Series (3:45-4:30 p.m.)
301A - Equipping Yourself for a Tree Diagnostics Visit, and the New Urban Forestry and Ecology team - Ben McCallister
301B - Teaching Youth to Dig Deeper into Soil and Crop Science - Jon Charlesworth (video starts at ~20 minutes)
302A - State Fair 4-H Project Transportation Guide - Sthele Greybar
302B - Clearing the Air on Vaping - Molly Hoag (video starts at ~20 minutes)
303 - Building Stronger 4-H Prorgams with Effective Volunteer Development - Elizabeth Boyd
304 - Applying Engineering Design Method Through Two Integrated STEM Mini-Units - Kaley Mumma
305 - Indiana Diverse Farm Tours - Summer Brinkman
306 - What's That Bug? - How to submit quality photos for ID and access Entomology Extension Resources - Andrew Johnston
307 - Emerging Trends in Land Use Planning and Extension Technical Assistance - Kara Salazar
308 - Marketing That Matters: Tools, Strategies, & SMART Goals for Community Impact - Hailey Dornbusch
309 - The Instructional Design Process and How to Get Your Digitalization Projects from Planning to Implementation Faster - Nathanial Hilliard
310 - Purdue Extension's Response to September 2025 Newburgh Industrial Fire - Michael Wilcox
311 - Evaluation and Reporting Office Hours - Brad Sewell
312 - Digital Skills Lessons Onboarding - Everything You Need to Start Teaching DSL - Andrea Hatfield & Carly Holland
313 - U.S. Immigration System 101 - Esmeralda Cruz
- Presentation PDF
- IN Immigration Legal Services List
- Family Preparedness Worksheet - English
- Family Preparedness Worksheet - Spanish
314 - Getting Things Done in Extension: A Practical Workflow You Can Steal - Lais McCartney
315 - Childcare Needs in Your County (Ages: 0-5): Extension's Role in Local Solutions - Brianne Wrede
316 - Producing ADA Compliant PDF Files - Eric Imboden
400 Series (4:45-5:30 p.m.)
401A - Strengthening Connections - Sarah Hanson
401B - Working Efficiently in Distributed Teams - Tanya Hall (video starts at ~20 minutes)
402A - Collaborating with County Partners to Develop a Community Leadership Program - Ed Farris
403A - Assistive Technology Expos as Extension Outreach - Paul Jones
403B - Purdue Day of Giving - 2026 - Lily Thill (video starts at ~20 minute mark)
404 - Juntos 4-H, Discovery Programs, and 4-H Next Chapter - Jennifer Abrell
405 - Ecology of Invasive Species: an Interactive Youth Program - Ann Kline
406 - Planning an Effective Purdue Extension Master Gardener (EMG) Basic Training - John Orick
407 - Empowering Agricultural Communities: Lessons from AgrAbility on Mental Health, Accessibility, and Resilience - Bill Field
408 - Integrating Copilot into Your Day - Rachel Haselby
409 - When Blue is Green: Sustainable Blue Food Systems Driven by Integrated Aquaponics - Natalie Carroll
410 - Leading Better Virtual Meetings - Kris Parker
411 - Cultivating Evaluative Thinking in Extension: Reflection Tools and Peer Coaching for Everyday Practice - Hema Lingireddy
412 - Valencia, Spain Cultural Immersion Experience - Amanda Marciano
413 - NFL in the Classroom - Kyli Penrod
414 - Implementing a Marketing Plan for Extension Events - James Wolff
415 - Results and Next Steps: Purdue Extension Internal Needs Assessment - Working with the Hispanic/Latino Community - Esmeralda Cruz
416 - The Downing Endowment for Community Vitality: An Update and Getting Involved with the Grant Program - Jeff Walker
417 - Ed Store Open Forum - Erin Watson
FRIday, December 5, 2025
Morning Session Recording
- Dr. Bernie Engel and Dr. Angie Abbott's presentation and the discussion facilitated by Tanya Hall and Jeff Walker
- Award presentations for IEEA Individual and Team, PUCESA, and ESP
Afternoon Session Recording
- Including panel discussions:
- Embracing Change in Extension...What Our Colleagues Have Learned
- Finding Opportunities in Change...Staff Perspectives from Inside the Regional Teams
- Award presentations for Friend of Extension, Educator Tenure, IEEA Leadership, and Extension Director's Office awards (Crooks, Sharvelle, and Extension Director's)
Listed below are the Presentations and Roundtable Discussions that were held at PDC 2024. The sessions are organized chronologically by the Concurrent Session time slot in which they were offered at PDC.
Resources for the sessions in bold font below are available upon request. Please e-mail: Steve McKinley. Thanks to the presenters for sharing their resources with us!
Pre-Concurrent Session #1 - Updates on Blue Cross Blue Shield and Purdue Insurance for Retirees
Concurrent Sessions #1
- Summer Community Adventures
- Navigating the Diverse Landscape of Extension Education
- Engineering Design Education 101: Inspiring and Preparing the Next Generation of STEM Professionals
- Campus-County Connections: Fostering Partnerships Between Specialists and Educators
- This Could Have Been an Email: Appropriate Meeting Scheduling
- Inherited a Class Fieldtrip "aka Ag Day"
- Medicare 2025 Updates, Enrollment Steps, Medicare Advantage Plans, and Scams
- Business Office
- Engaging Youth Through Food System Activities
- Communicating Impact
- Area XI Highlights
- Emotional Intelligence & Personal Growth
- PDC Science Action Club
Concurrent Sessions #2
- Supporting Farm to School
- Writing Successful NCR SARE Grants
- 4-H Science Action Clubs
- What Makes the Teamwork Dream Work -- How Campus and Counties can Partner Through Grants
- Lawncare and Turfgrass Round Table and State Updates
- Enhancing Purdue Extension's Outreach to Military Veterans and Their Families
- Strategies for Estate Planning - Including Your Digital Assets
- Resources; Advanced Directives; Without a Will in Indiana; Estate Planning; Digital Assets Worksheet
- Fee Based Activities w/ the Ed Store
- Working With the Amish and Other Plain Communities
- 1% Makes a Difference
- 1% Leadership
- 1% Handout
Concurrent Sessions #3
- Where Do I Fit? Digital Literacy Across All Program Areas
- Compilation of Simple Impactful Program Ideas
- Grill Masters
- Inclusive Emergency Preparedness: Ensuring Safety for Individuals with Disabilities
- Veterans and Extension
- Purdue Extension Technical Assistance for Community Planning and Renewable Energy
- Land Use RSTEP
- Mental Health & Screen Time
- PADW
- Mind-Body Medicine for the Extension Professional
- FAQ; Meditation Overview; Soft Belly; Taking care of the Caregiver Flyer
- Purdue Extension Youth Protection - Protecting Our Youth and Ourselves!
- Empowering the Future: Purdue Extension's Experiences and Undergraduate Mentoring in Vietnam (or How I Learned to Eat Rice Paddy Rat)
- Vietnam PDC, Vietnam GEIN, CE Flyer
- Generative AI Uses for Extension Educators
- Reaching Underserved Audiences Through Community Collaboration
Concurrent Sessions #4
- Safe Sleep for all Communities
- Evaluation Question Banks for Purdue Extension
- The Clover Crate: Your Complete 4-H Club Year
- Delete Cyberbullying
- Developing Positive Volunteer Opportunities and Connections
- Volunteer Connection
- Management Professional Development Oppurtunities
- Writing a Personal Column
- Preventing Grain Bin Incidents Through Prevention and Emergency Response
- Are We Barking Up The Right Tree?
- Working with Special Needs Across Program Areas
- Presentation Resources: Bringing 4-H To You - Making Bird Feeder, Kitchen Skills, Bringing 4-H To You - Crafts, Sorting Activity, Hunt Tracks, All About Lightning, Animal Tracks, Purdue Extension Programming, Visual Supports Handout, 4-H Making Adaptations, Curriculum Topic Ideas
- Engaging and Connecting Indiana Communities with Technical Assistance Resources for Federal Funding
- Elevating Instruction: Breaking Free of the PowerPoint Chokehold
- Language Matters: Using Latino, Hispanic, and Latinx Terminology Effectively in Extension Services
Concurrent Sessions #5
- Healthy First Indiana: Ideas and Early Examples for Partnership
- Purdue Extension and HFI Funding, Initiative Report, Regions Map and Contacts, Resources, Quick Facts, Example Grant
- Unified Evaluation Approach: What is it? How do I access it? How do I include it in my programs?
- Youth Behavior Strategies with Trauma Informed Approach for Camp
- Farming Futures: Cultivating Mental Strengths in Agri-Youth
- Youth Curriculum Flyer
- Checking in on the New 4-H Programs: Next Chapter, Juntos, and Project Achievement
- Empowering Extension Educators: Navigating Professional Development Opportunities for Growth and Success
- Diversifying the Corn Belt: Challenges and Opportunities to Enhance Farmer and Community Well-Being
- Tips and Tricks to Have a Successful Day of Giving
- Purdue Perks: More Than Just a 401K
- Using Premier Rush to Create Videos
- Navigating Beyond Our Differences
Concurrent Sessions #6
- Parenting A Different Way: Honoring Your Strengths and Learning Some New Stuff (for Individuals Who Are Incarcerated)
- Navigating Civil Rights Compliance: Insights from the 2024 Report & Changes for the 2025 Report
- What You Should Know About 4-H Endowments
- Critical Conversations: Challenges in Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Farm Workers
- Barn Quilt Creation Workshop Series
- Cleaner & Greener: Engaging Youth Activities on Environmental Sustainability
- The Top 10 Ways to Kill a Tree (and How to Avoid Them Using Best Practices)
- Inclusion, Accessibility, and Synergy in Extension Programs
- Where Is It? - How Do I Find All These Resources I Hear About in Extension?
- Ways to Manage Yourself in Conflict Situations
Archive
Dave Mitchell’s Keynote Presentation: “Being Resilient in a Peak Performance Culture”
Becoming Resilient! is an experience that can best be described as performance psychology meets standup comedy. Participants can expect to laugh out loud while they learn even more about themselves and the potential barriers to consistent personal contentment and performance excellence.
Attendees will learn some of the critical personal qualities that predict high levels of resiliency, take an assessment to learn more about their specific orientation towards stress, identify the intrinsic rewards that are necessary for them to perform at peak levels without risking burnout, and walk away with a heightened understanding of both the general nature of stress and their own strategy for maintaining resiliency.
NOTE: the above two files are available upon request. Please e-mail Steve McKinley.Resources for the following posters/displays are available upon request. Please e-mail: Steve McKinley
- ESP – Why You Should Join
- Mastering Home Food Preservation
- Purdue’s County Extension Board Training Series
- The Sustainable Living Series: A Multi-State Approach to Online Programming
Session 1
- Building STEM Education for Youth Around UAVs (Drones)
- Link to Google Drive resources
- Equipping Youth with Digital Literacy Skills for Emerging Careers in Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources
- Smorgasbord of 4-H Volunteer Opportunities
- Succession Planning: Opportunities, Data & How to Join the Team
- Addressing Mental Health at Work – A New Extension Curriculum
- CREW Community Partnerships
- CREW Curriculum Flyer
- We’ve Been Updating Captain Cash – You’ll be Happy with the Results
- Updates on Elements, the New Reporting System
- Recording of live-stream session
- Purdue Day of Giving – Extension 101
- Strong Couples Project – A Scientifically Supported Online Program for Couples
Session 2
- Elevating Youth Voice – Establishing a Youth Council in Your Community
- A Community Planning Approach to Green Infrastructure and Hazard Mitigation
- Applications (& How To) of Private Databases – It’s Time to Go Digital
- An Introduction to Trees of Indiana
- Intro to Trees of IN PPT
- Tree Walk 50 Trees
- Tree ID-4-H-15-80A
- Which Pine is Mine
- Strategies to Increase Access to Mental Health Services in Farm Worker Communities in Post-COVID Era
- Collaborating to Provide Youth Gardening and Nutrition Education
- Purdue Agricultural Communications – Purdue Extension’s Resource for Communications Support
- Recording of live-stream session
- Managing a Split Educator Position
- Farmers Market Team
- Cvent/Fee-Based Activities
- Instructional Design – Hurdles and Hinderances
Session 3
- 4-H Grievances
- Food is Medicine in Your Community
- Assistive Technology for Farmers, Gardeners, and Others with Disabilities
- Harvest of the Month in Indiana
- Development of a Statewide Program Through Multi-Agency Collaboration
- Reaching Unserved Audiences in Southwest Indiana
- Financial Camp
- Recording of live-stream session
- Purdue Extension Digital Agriculture Curriculum
- Bridges Out of Poverty – Bring This Training to Your Community!
- Community Development and Technical Assistance to Advance Environment and Energy Justice in the Great Lakes Region
- What is ESP? Why Should I Join?
Session 4
- The Art of Nature: Day Camp in Bethel, Alaska
- Objectives and Learning Map
- PPT
- Smarter Not Harder – Deliver a State-Wide Program
- Purdue on the Farm, What it Means for Us and You
- Enology Extension for Extension Educators – these are Dr. Butzke’s online offerings complimentary to Extension Educators
- Reducing Fall Risks in Older Adults
- Engaging with the Results of the Purdue Extension Program Evaluation Professional Development Study Through Nominal Group Technique
- Canva Tips & Tricks
- Recording of live-stream session
- Finding Harmony
- Reviving the Purdue Extension EDEN Network
- EDEN 101
- Emergency Prep Discussion
- Addressing Adult Vaccines in Rural Communities: What is Extension’s Role?
- Day Away for DEI – Innovative Opportunities for DEI Professional Development
Session 5
- Implementing the POULT Program in the Classroom – STEM Based Elementary Curriculum on the Indiana Turkey Industry
- Community Leadership Program 2024; New Version of an Impactful Extension Program
- Interactive Risk Management Activities
- Local Coalition Engagement: Best Practices for Building, Maintaining and Problem Solving
- Show Me the Money (Youth Financial Program)
- Working with Special Needs Audience Through Extension
- Curriculum Topic Ideas
- Visual Supports Handout
- Melt and Pour Soap Making
- Melt and Pour Soap Visual Guide
- Positive Vibes Only – Office and Team Communication
- Recording of live-stream session
- Leveraging Partnerships and Experience to Flight Invasives
- Families Tackling Tough Times Together: Empowering Family Resilience in Indiana’s At-Risk Families
- The Unwritten Rules of Extension: Stuff Nobody Else is Going to Tell You
- Resources available:
- Free New York Times subscription
- Free Washington Post subscription
- Resources available:
Session 6
- Budgeting, Managing Debt and Introductory Investing
- PPT
- The Role of Extension in Building Equitable Public Engagement and Integrating Health in all Policies in Monroe County
- Gearing up for Safety: Production Agriculture Safety Training for Youth and Beginning Ag Workers
- Cross-Program Collaboration Opportunities
- Snacks to Feed Those in Need – Helping Students in Ohio County Who are Food Insecure to Learn, Grow and Thrive!
- Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Extension Impact: A Team Approach
- Conducting Purdue Extension Needs Assessments
- Recording of live-stream session
- Needs Assessment PPT
- Chat GPT: An Educator’s Secret Sidekick
- Teaching Cultural Competency to Community Groups
- Photos Zip File
- The Nature of Teaching: Next Steps
Purpose
The Purdue Extension Professional Development Conference (PDC) serves multiple objectives. It offers an annual platform for Purdue Extension Professionals across various program areas to engage in professional development, foster collegial relationships, and expand their networks. It serves as a gathering point for professionals from Purdue's campuses, regional offices, County Extension Offices, and Ag Centers, and Purdue Extension Retirees. Additionally, the conference aims to acknowledge the achievements of Purdue Extension and its professionals, highlighting their positive contributions to Indiana residents. Moreover, it serves as a conduit for keeping Extension Professionals updated on the latest news, research, and opportunities both within Purdue University and throughout Indiana, ensuring they remain informed and equipped for their roles.