Life experiences that brought me to this moment in time

Storyteller

I retired from Extension in January 2024 to deepen my personal storytelling journey. I love words (Illinois ag communications graduate). My superpower rests in taking the complicated and making it understandable, finding the sliver of extraordinary and elevating it above the noisy clutter. I think every good storyteller needs that perception, that discernment, to grasp what is obscure and see what is not evident.

My professional career starts and ends with Extension. In the middle, I was a news reporter, blogger, photographer, marketer, inspirational content creator, and publisher of two breed association cattle publications. In the years I wasn’t paid to do Extension, I volunteered. All told, it’s been 41 years since I jumped into the deep end of the Extension pool.

I served Illinois Extension in many roles all with the goal of helping people find the information they needed to solve the problems which kept them from living better lives.

Cheerleader and mentor

I suppose I most love helping others get better (isn’t that why we do Extension). Nearly all of you have to do some marketing task to be successful in your work. It’s not your day job, so I have created templates and training to help you do that part of the job that needs to be done so you can get on saving the world. That passion has taken me to many Extension systems across the country, as well as my favorite conferences of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents and the National Extension Technology Community. Check out the list of all the training opportunities available to your state.

And, I am that whisper in your ear that says, “You’ve got this” when you need it. Why? Because there were days I desperately needed to hear it myself. The work you do is not easy, so let me remind you how important you are to this work.