Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Presents Annual Honors

Colorado State University’s Cooperative Extension provides Colorado with valuable agriculture, horticulture, family and consumer science, natural resources and 4-H youth programs. Colorado State Cooperative Extension recently recognized individuals through the organization’s annual awards for their work hard to ensure the best service to the families and agricultural enterprises.

Colorado State Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni’s Cooperative Extension Award

The Colorado State Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni’s Cooperative Extension Award was given to Dana Hoag. After completing two degrees at Colorado State, Hoag earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University. He returned to Colorado State in 1993 as an associate professor. He is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. During his teaching tenure at Colorado State, Hoag has received many honors including Outstanding Teacher in Agricultural Economics, Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, Teaching Award of Merit, and the Shepardson Meritorious Teaching Award. Hoag has been extremely active in extension work at Colorado State and is well respected in the field of agricultural economics. He has published dozens of journal articles and a very popular book entitled Agricultural Crisis in America: Contemporary World Issues. He has won several awards for his teaching and has mentored many master’s and Ph.D. students.

Alton Scofeild Distinguished Service Award

The Alton Scofeild Distinguished Service Award recognizes off-campus members of the organization for their leadership, dedication and contributions to Cooperative Extension and the community in which they live. This year, the Alton Scofeild award was presented to Robbie Baird LeValley, a livestock and ranch management extension agent in the Tri-River Area. LeValley has a very practical approach to farming and ranching challenges in the Tri-River Area. From offering a Beef Management School to a Range Management School, she has helped facilitate numerous groups over the years. She has co-authored 24 publications and serves on several boards. From her work with commercial producers to small-acreage owners to entry-level agriculturalists, LeValley has helped Coloradans and citizens of the West on many diverse issues.

F.A. Anderson Distinguished Service Award

The F.A. Anderson Distinguished Service Award is given each year to a state-level professional for their outstanding service. This year’s recipient is Jan Carroll, who is a 4-H Youth Development Specialist. Carroll has many different assignments within Cooperative Extension. For example, she facilitated the design and delivery of 4-H activity sheets – which have been accessed almost 30,000 times on the Web. She has also been the principal investigator and project director for other grant-funded projects, and a co-chair and participant for many Cooperative Extension committees. Carroll has been awarded $1.3 million in external funding for Cooperative Extension projects, including Children, Youth and Families at Risk project, an initiative of USDA/CSREES. Her job is to facilitate the work of the 4-H field faculty as they involve volunteers to work with youth and families. By emphasizing collaborative work, strong impact evaluations, publication of results and entrepreneurial thinking, Carroll has continued to support 4-H agents to expand and better equip them in their work.

Diversity Award

The Diversity Award is presented to an individual who reaches out to diverse populations within our state, and is essential to the organization’s mission to support and educate diverse individuals. This year’s recipient of the Diversity Award is Ann Zander, a Boulder County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent. Zander’s work with Latino and Latina populations in the Boulder County area has had an incredible impact on the community. One nominator for this award said Zander’s efforts to keep producing the "Family Matters" and "Kiddie Letter" in both English and Spanish has been especially important in communities such as Lafayette, where more than 15 percent of the population is Hispanic. Zander also has served as a resource to other non-profits seeking to expand their outreach activities.

Cooperative Extension Team Award

The Cooperative Extension Team Award goes to Sheryl Holden and Scott Brase of the Southeast Area. Holden and Brase combined to put together a program entitled "Methamphetamine – What is Cooking in Your Community?" Their work to help stem the tide of this terrible drug that has been a detriment to urban and rural areas, was described by nominators as very powerful. The helped a large number of people to better understand this dangerous drug, how it is produced and how to recognize and avoid the dangers is poses. Because meth use cuts across several areas of Cooperative Extension – from agriculture to community wellness – their work proves how Cooperative Extension can be a true asset to communities large and small in Colorado.  

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