Graduate students recently represented the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement (CREE) at the National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
NAEPSDP is an association comprised of Extension professionals from across the world. NAEPSDP members convene once a year to celebrate achievements, share research insights, and develop new strategies for program planning and evaluation. The conference took place from November 28 through December 1, 2022.
Arati Joshi, master’s student specializing in Extension education, presented research in collaboration with Dr. Lauri Baker, CREE co-founder and associate professor of agricultural education and communication, and Dr. Angie Lindsey, assistant professor of family, youth, and community sciences. Arati’s poster was titled Reimagining Local Foods: Extension’s role in communicating about local foods, and investigated producer and consumer perceptions of local and regional supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data presented was associated with the Lessons from COVID-19 project.
Karlibeth Leitheiser, master’s student specializing in Extension education and CREE support staff, presented research through a poster titled Assessing Mentorship Needs of Early-Career UF/IFAS Extension Agents in collaboration with Dr. Amy Harder, professor of Extension education.
While attending the conference, Arati and Karlibeth gained knowledge from other institutions through workshops, roundtables, and general sessions.