For Immediate Release
May 3rd, 2018
Contact: Aaron Weibe, aaronweibe@eXtension.org
Atlanta, GA. 28 Project and Program teams across Cooperative Extension representing 36 institutions attended the Impact Collaborative last week for a unique opportunity to create impactful results at the local level by increasing Cooperative Extension’s organizational readiness and capacity for innovation and change. Teams were connected with skills, tools, resources, and partners that helped expand and deepen their impact. 
Partners representing organizations external to Cooperative Extension were invited to attend the Impact Collaborative Summit and participated in our first national Partner Forum, with a guided discussion by leaders from the Institute for the Future. This forum was designed to connect private and public sector organizations focused on community impact, including leaders from Cooperative Extension, and look for future opportunities to engage collectively. After the forum, partners had the opportunity to spend time talking with teams and learning more about the work they are doing to make an impact in their states, locales, and across the nation.
After three days of hard work, teams participated in a LaunchFest where they presented their project or program to a panel of partners and Cooperative Extension leaders. Teams with top scores have been invited to apply for a grant that can be used to help fund their project or program. Top score teams (by region) included:
1890 Region: Tuskegee Public Dialogue Team (Tuskegee University)
North Eastern Region: Vermont DEI (University of Vermont)
North Central Region: Wellness in Tough Times (University of Nebraska)
Southern Region: CIVIC (University of Florida & Florida A&M University)
Western Region: HEART Team (Utah State University)
National Team: National Sustainability Summit (University of Florida, Florida A&M University, Washington State University, North Dakota State University).
The next Impact Collaborative Summit will be from October 15th – 17th, 2019, in Atlanta, GA. Registration will open in Summer, 2019. All member institutions receive five free registrations to send a team to the Impact Collaborative Summit.