Tag: impact collaborative

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Cornell Extension LIVCO Project Team Finds Impact Collaborative Was “An amazing team building opportunity”

As Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, I am delighted that County Associations around New York have been involved in the Impact Collaborative. One example of the success of this program is the unique, virtual opportunity for our Livingston County team to work through a creative and structured process to explore and develop a concept in a short period of time. It also helped with goals they had around team building. The Impact Collaborative provided our team with access to effective coaching and expert informants, which will help this work not only maintain momentum, but grow. The pandemic has been challenging for all of us, but this event and the process proved a bright spot for our Livingston County team.

– Christopher Watkins, PhD – Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Horticulture Section, Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension

A team from Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Livingston County came together at the recent eXtension Foundation Impact Collaborative Summit. Their association is situated on a park-like campus of more than one hundred acres. They had an idea of turning their campus into a learning laboratory for the community, with demonstration gardens and more. 

The team was one of 25 groups from across the country that participated in the first ever virtual Impact Collaborative Summit, held in October 2020. Team members participating were executive director Jolie Spiers; Jennifer Schwab, program coordinator; Bernadette Harwood, Ag in the Classroom educator; Renee Hopkins, 4-H educator; and Mark Wittmeyer, youth development team leader.

Teams participating in the Summit were provided one-on-one coaching by the Impact Collaborative’s network of Innovation Facilitators. Innovation Facilitators are Cooperative Extension professionals who are trained to provide individuals with a new way of looking at program and project development, using the Innovation Skill-Building Experience (ISBE). ISBE is a methodology that helps new and existing programs across states and institutions identify gaps in their program planning and design, ensure they are most ready for implementation, and have explored all considerations to maximize their local impact

Jolie Spiers, executive director of CCE in Livingston County spoke with us about their team, the project they are building, and their experience with the Impact Collaborative. “The Impact Collaborative served as a catalyst for us to put structure around how we approach big ideas and think out of the box,” Spiers said. “The process provided some structure for our thinking, and enabled us to grow an idea in a very short period of time.”

Each team participating in the Summit had access to “expert” Key Informants from Extension and other external organizations. Key Informants assisted teams on a range of topics, including catalyzation, innovation, program development and evaluation; community partnerships; communications, marketing and digital engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; educational technology and instructional design; visualization; and more.  

 “Our key informants inspired us to think big, outside of the box, and with the goal of having an impact outside of our own association,” Spiers shared. “As this was our first time attending, we weren’t quite sure how the process with the Key Informants worked and we signed up for something like eight slots. Fortunately our amazing coach, Amanda Benton from New Mexico State, gently redirected us to allow for more  – and much needed – time to focus on going through the workbook that was provided. Our coaches were so supportive of our idea and also helped us see how to incorporate new aspects like workforce development into the project.”

Spiers indicated that the project concept changed over the course of the Impact Collaborative in important ways, and will continue to evolve. “We started off with the idea of a botanical garden on our campus and ended up with the concept for a collaborative learning lab for our entire community. Now it’s not a garden that we’re building. We understand more fully how a garden is the catalyst for change, the catalyst to bring all aspects of our association together – parenting, nutrition, agriculture in the classroom, Master Gardeners, agricultural research, youth development – and then pull in the rest of our community in, too, with workforce development, veterans, and other potential new partners.”

The team will continue their work. They will also partner again with the eXtension Foundation for future opportunities, including the Innovation Skill-Building Experience and facilitator training, as well as attending the 2021 Impact Collaborative.

When asked about the value of the experience to their team, Spiers replied, “Attending the Impact Collaborative was an amazing team building opportunity for our association. We plan to build upon what we learned at our first Impact Collaborative.” 

To learn more about the team’s work and their experience at the Summit, listen to this podcast interview.

The Extension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative is a results-driven program that catalyzes innovative ideas through a unique, structured, and supported process. The process enables Extension to work with community partners to find and implement the kinds of solutions that will result in the greatest local impact. The Impact Collaborative program is available to Extension Foundation members. Learn more about upcoming opportunities with the Impact Collaborative program at extension.org or by joining Connect Extension at connect.extension.org. 

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Impact Collaborative Announces Rev-Up Your Virtual Leadership Series for Extension Professionals Leading Five or More Peers

For 2021, the eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative program is hosting a series available to eXtension Foundation member institutions. This series is led by Karl Bradley, Leadership Development Specialist, eXtension Foundation.

Last year we all pivoted quickly as we redefined how to accomplish our work almost exclusively in shared virtual spaces. The topics in this series are a result of our work with individuals & teams from across Cooperative Extension wondering: What does effective leadership look like when we no longer have the ability to put a hand on a shoulder? How do we reduce friction, confusion & underperformance for individuals, teams and organizations?

March 24, 2PM ET
Rev-up the Trust!
It’s not time that builds trust, it’s our behaviors.  Learn what you can do to keep it from eroding and create an environment where trust can thrive!

June 23, 2PM ET
Rev-up the Communication!
It’s hard to imagine anyone leaving an organization because they were over-communicated to.  In this session we’ll discuss how we never actually get clarity, we’re always seeking it. 

September 22, 2PM ET
Rev-up the Focus!
Deciding what not to do is just as important as deciding what to do.  Being “busy” is the easy choice.  Learn the secret to doing the right things!

December 15, 2PM ET
Rev-up the Change!
We’re all experiencing change at a pace humans have never experienced before.  This can lead to confusion when it seems like the “transition” phase never ends.  Learn to help everyone navigate the chaos together!

About the Impact Collaborative

The Impact Collaborative is a bundle of services and events funded by and for our members. With the Impact Collaborative, we help Extension program or project teams succeed or fail faster for increased learning toward implementation. Our network in and outside of Extension helps strengthen projects and programs in unique ways, returning to you even stronger.  It consists of the Impact Collaborative Project Summit, Innovation Skill Building Experience, Innovation Facilitator Training & Leadership Development.  Since 2019, the Impact Collaborative has served over 6,500 Extension professionals. Over $5.7 million in grant funding has gone to Extension projects that have incubated in this program.  Find out more about our 2021 events here!

About Karl Bradley

Joining the eXtension Foundation in 2020, Karl currently serves the eight New Technologies in Agriculture & Education teams and assists with the 1890s Extension Leadership Academy as Leadership Development Specialist.  He also supports the Impact Collaborative by leading the national network of over 150 Innovation Facilitators.  He brings expertise in leadership development & training, strategic thinking, public speaking, team building & community engagement to serve the Cooperative Extension system.

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Colorado State Extension Mindful Engagement Project “Ready to go in a way we wouldn’t have been”, thanks to the Impact Collaborative Summit

“The Impact Collaborative Summit and process provided an important place for our Mindful Engagement Project team, led by Sue Schneider, to develop their concept and determine next steps. The ability to access expert key informants and resources, both pre- and post-summit, galvanized the team, enabling them to fully conceptualize and explore the potential of the project in a very short time. The pandemic has created many challenges for communities, and having this opportunity available in a virtual setting was incredibly important to moving the team’s work forward.” 

– Ashley Stokes, DVM, PhD, MBA – Associate Vice President of Engagement and Extension, Colorado State University

Mindful Engagement is a newly conceptualized project from Colorado State University (CSU), led by Sue Schneider, an Extension agent in Family and Consumer Sciences and Community Development based in Fort Collins. The team also includes CSU Extension’s Lisa Auer, who serves as the site coordinator for the Larimer County Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI); and Tony Lynch, a community champion who is a member of the 2020 FLTI cohort. The team was one of 25 groups from across the country that participated in the first ever virtual Impact Collaborative Summit, held in October 2020.

The Mindful Engagement project will leverage community champions seeking to affect social change, through mindful engagement practices geared toward individual and collective compassionate resilience. The community champions are alumni of a 20-week Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI). FLTI seeks to build individual and community capacity, bridge the gap between local residents and decision makers, and encourage the co-creation of programs and policies that reflect the diversity of community voices. 

The Mindful Engagement Team partnered with the eXtension Foundation through the Impact Collaborative Summit. Teams participating in the Summit were provided one-on-one coaching by the Impact Collaborative’s network of Innovation Facilitators. Innovation Facilitators are Cooperative Extension professionals who are trained to provide individuals with a new way of looking at program and project development, using the Innovation Skill-Building Experience (ISBE). ISBE is a methodology that helps new and existing programs across states and institutions identify gaps in their program planning and design, ensure they are most ready for implementation, and have explored all considerations to maximize their local impact

In addition, each team participating in the Summit had access to “expert” Key Informants from Extension and other external organizations. The Key Informants assisted teams on a range of topics, including catalyzation, innovation, program development and evaluation; community partnerships; communications, marketing and digital engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; educational technology and instructional design; visualization; and more.  

The Mindful Engagement project is responding to the need to provide additional training to FLTI alumni that highlights mindfulness and compassion in community work. The project team has identified – with the community – five pillars that they believe will elevate mindful engagement. They are creating curriculum, training, and a mini-grant program to support the project. The team’s coach was Karl Bradley, who serves as the eXtension Foundation Leadership Development Specialist. He is also a Colorado resident. 

When asked what it was like to have a coach embedded within the team, Schneider replied, “It was amazing…We were able to work through how we’re communicating around the program with him. He offered so many ideas about experts we might work with in the future, how we could  connect with eXtension Foundation resources in the long-term…he was really thinking into the future the next ten steps, and what might support our work and how eXtension Foundation could be part of that support.” 

Access to Key Informants also proved important to the team. Schneider noted that those conversations enabled the team “…to begin to grapple with complicated things, including curriculum delivery, what it is the longer-term vision, and what kind of funding sources should be thinking about…everything from solidifying our team and commitment to this to getting external perspectives on our process and methodology…”

Schneider indicated that the Summit “…galvanized our thinking.” She said that the Summit helped solidify the team, enabled them to realize the full potential of the project, and formulate ideas about next steps. Based on input they received at the Summit, the team decided to include a trauma resilience pillar in their work. They were also able to draft a project timeline and garner ideas about grants and fundraising through a post-event activity. 

Bradley – who was embedded with the team throughout the Summit – said, “The team’s expertise was only surpassed by their passion to help the citizens of Colorado.”

Schneider has positive things to say about the team’s experience. “The Impact Collaborative Summit was an amazing experience on multiple levels. Our team was able to put dedicated time into collectively thinking about how to develop a responsive and action-oriented mindfulness training program for community leaders. We had access to a set of brilliant thinkers and experienced Extension leaders who asked really tough questions and helped us explore a range of options for our program. And we were introduced to the vast resources that eXtension has to offer specialists in the field. This was a worthwhile investment of time that continues to reap benefits…We’re ready to go in a way we wouldn’t have been.”

To learn more about the Mindful Engagement Project and the team’s experience at the Summit, listen to this podcast interview with team leader Sue Schneider.

The eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative is a results-driven program that catalyzes innovative ideas through a unique, structured, and supported process. The process enables Extension to work with community partners to find and implement the kinds of solutions that will result in the greatest local impact. The Impact Collaborative program is available to eXtension Foundation members. Learn more about upcoming opportunities with the Impact Collaborative program at extension.org or by joining Connect Extension at connect.extension.org. 

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Workforce Readiness & Makerspace Team from Oregon Brings Community Partners to Impact Collaborative Summit, Wins Seed-Funding Grant for Western Region

“The Impact Collaborative provided an ideal space for the Malheur Workforce Readiness team to work through a structured process that challenged their thinking and assisted them with building a strong, informed, foundation. It equipped them with critical insights on how to best evaluate their program and the potential impact, and better communicate and engage with their partners moving forward” – Anita Azarenko, Interim Vice President – Outreach and Extension, Extension Director, Oregon State University. 

Malheur Workforce Readiness is a project from Oregon that is a grassroots collaborative effort co-led by Barbara Brody, Extension Faculty, Oregon State University Extension and Nickie Shira, STEM & Innovation Coordinator, Frontier STEM Hub – Malheur Education Service District.The team also includes Erin Carpenter, Project Director, Eastern Oregon Workforce Board; Melodie Wilson, Education Technology & STEM Specialist, Frontier STEM Hub – Malheur Education Service District and Jerry Peacock, Eastern Oregon Career Technical Education Regional Coordinator. 

This is a workforce readiness program for underserved youth that connects the learning needs of youth to the talent needs of industry resulting in a more inclusive and vibrant local economy. They do this by equipping youth with job-ready skills breaking the cycle of poverty, unlike traditional career-technical education programs that end when students graduate from high school. According to Shira, “we have two components to our project…the overarching project is workforce readiness and we are combining that with the makerspace to provide opportunities for students at the schools with internships and connecting them to local career and job opportunities. The project seeks to narrow the opportunity gap that so many of our students face…”

In 2020, the team partnered with the eXtension Foundation through its Impact Collaborative program at the Impact Collaborative Summit. Teams that participated in the Summit were provided one-on-one coaching by the Impact Collaborative’s network of Innovation Facilitators, including twenty six coaches. Twenty-five Key Informants from across Extension and other external organizations assisted teams on a range of topics, including catalyzation, innovation, program development and evaluation; community partnerships; communications, marketing and digital engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; educational technology and instructional design; visualization; and more.

The team leveraged the opportunity to participate in the Impact Collaborative program as a way of formalizing their work together and equipping the team with new skills and tools. “Bringing all of us together and identifying what our roles are and those needs makes us more successful…This opportunity helped us with our skill sets and gave us some other tools to move us forward…We had never been through a training like this as community partners. In my opinion, it really helped,” said Brody. 

The Impact Collaborative trains Cooperative Extension professionals in its Innovation Skill-Building methodology to provide a new way of looking at program development and innovation to assist local teams develop projects or programs more quickly, and strengthen program design. Trained individuals are referred to as Innovation Facilitators and there are currently 151 trained through the Impact Collaborative. At the Summit, Innovation Facilitators serve as coaches with teams to help identify gaps in project and program planning. For the Malheur Workforce Readiness team, their coach was David Keto, Communications & Technology Manager, University of Wyoming. 

“The whole coaching model worked really well for me; David was alongside us wanting us to succeed. It’s hard in a rural community to have resources like this, even in my Extension office, so having the coach was great and his connections had a ripple effect that expanded our capacity,” Brody said about her experience having a coach assigned to her team. Regarding the Key Informants, she shared “when the Key Informants asked us difficult questions and identified our gaps…that was a huge area of growth for me. It enabled us to put together an evaluation matrix for our team. Lastly, it was reassuring that what we were trying to say about our project was able to get across.”

As part of the Summit, teams were invited to apply for $5000 seed-funding grants funded by the Impact Collaborative. One grant was awarded to one team from each Cooperative Extension region that applied. The Malheur Workforce Readiness team received the award for the Western Region. When asked about their next steps and how they plan to leverage these funds, Shira stated “we received additional funding from the Oregon Community Foundation, the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development Board, and the Eastern Oregon Workforce Board to support this initiative. We are looking to hire an internship coordinator and we have funding for a two-year position to build a solid foundation for the program. With the seed-funding grant, we’ll be able to use that to focus on the evaluation piece. It will be really beneficial for us to make sure that we know the best way to move the needle forward, and how we’re going to evaluate it as we go through the process of implementation to have good measurements. It will also really help us communicate with our partners moving forward.”

Reflecting on the team’s experience and the value of participation, Brody shared that “it was hard work, but it was done extremely well…I liked the remote opportunity and I honestly don’t know if we could have participated because of the cost of travel. I don’t know how the Impact Collaborative matched the coaches with the teams, but David was a great fit for us because he understands rural remote and the environment we work in… I’ve gone back to the Impact Collaborative workbook and tools numerous times…I’ve never had an opportunity like this…it was refreshing to get this learning experience and it’s a comfort knowing that I can email, and someone will help connect us to what we need.”

eXtension’s Impact Collaborative program is available to eXtension Foundation members. The Impact Collaborative fosters the incubation of innovative ideas and provides a unique, structured, and supported process that enables Extension to work with community partners to find and implement the kinds of solutions that will result in the greatest local impact. eXtension Foundation members can learn more about upcoming opportunities with the Impact Collaborative program at extension.org or by joining Connect Extension at connect.extension.org. 

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Five Extension Project Teams Receive Seed-Funding Grants from Impact Collaborative Summit

Twenty-five teams representing twenty-six Cooperative Extension institutions attended the first Virtual Impact Collaborative Summit on October 13th and 14th. Using technology – including Zoom and virtual whiteboards – participants were connected with tools, resources, coaches, facilitators, and Key Informants in a customized experience designed to catalyze their work.

Teams were provided one-on-one coaching from twenty-six of our Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Facilitator network. Twenty-five Key Informants from across Extension and other external organizations assisted teams on a range of topics including catalyzing innovation; program development and evaluation; community partnerships; communications, marketing and digital engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; educational technology and instructional design; visualization; and more.

All teams were invited to apply for seed-funding grants made available by the eXtension Foundation with the opportunity of awarding one grant per Cooperative Extension region and to an additional team with a nationally focused program. 14 applications were received and five teams were selected. Descriptions of each are listed below:

National Team Award

Globalizing Extension Innovation Network
 South Carolina State University, Virginia Tech, University of Kentucky, North Carolina State University, Florida A&M University, University of Minnesota, Penn State University, Purdue University

A Globalizing Extension Innovation Network for the US CES community which creates space for collaboration and connection, enabling global engagement, impact sharing, visibility, advocacy, and resource acquisition unlike standalone efforts.

Western Region Award

Malheur Workforce Readiness
Oregon State University

A workforce readiness program for underserved youth that connects the learning needs of youth to the talent needs of industry resulting in a more inclusive and vibrant local economy by equipping youth with job-ready skills breaking the cycle of poverty, unlike traditional Career Technical Education programs that end when students graduate from high school.

Northeastern Region Award

Tioga County Workforce
Cornell University

A training program for people, ages 14-24, that connects individuals with disabilities to a community collaboration enabling; education, engagement, and workforce goals unlike current structures that see many young people fall through the cracks.

North Central Region Award

Cook County Composting Initiative
University of Illinois

As the second most populous county in the nation, we believe Cook County can take the lead in reducing methane gas emissions from landfills by diverting organic waste through composting initiatives, thus helping to mitigate climate change and enhance the quality of our environment.

1890 Region Award

Bulldog Tenacity Youth Intervention and Prevention Support
South Carolina State University

An at-risk intervention program for non-violent and unintentional contact youth that reduces recidivism rates and further contact with DJJ and/or any other law enforcement agencies by providing support, intervention and education programs based upon evidence, research-based best practices enabling citizenship, financial literacy, college and career readiness.

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2021 Impact Collaborative Events: Registration Open NOW for eXtension Members!

eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce open registration for several 2021 events in our Impact Collaborative program. This includes registrations for the Innovation Skill-Building Experience and the Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training. 

These events are for everyone inside eXtension Foundation member institutions. The eXtension Foundation invites all members to participate in the Impact Collaborative program to build skills in innovation, hone project & program development, and leverage national resources that the Impact Collaborative program provides to our members. 

eXtension Foundation members can click the links below to access event registration pages. Members can also find a listing of events on the home page of eXtension.org, on the Learn Calendar in Connect Extension, or in the Impact Collaborative Subgroup in Connect Extension. 

Innovation Skill-Building Experience (ISBE)

Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training 

Impact Collaborative Summit

Additionally, eXtension Foundation members will have the opportunity to participate in 50-60 other offerings next year made available through our Impact Collaborative program. In 2020, more than 5000 Cooperative Extension professionals leveraged eXtension’s member offerings on topics that were responsive to the needs of the system including remote work, digital engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and more.

2021 offerings will include learnings around leadership development, technology and social media, health, and other customized events created by request from anyone from our member institutions to meet the evolving needs of Cooperative Extension. For suggestions or inquiries on member offerings, please contact impact@extension.org. 

2021 Membership is required to participate in the Impact Collaborative program. For membership inquiries, please contact membership@extension.org. For assistance with registration, please contact impact@extension.org. 

More about Impact Collaborative Events!

Innovation Skill-Building Experience

Do you have a project idea that needs incubation, innovation, and ways to get to implementation and impact faster?

Are you looking to learn about design thinking and lean experimentation combined with Cooperative Extension’s best practices for solving important community issues?

Are you interested in becoming an Innovation Facilitator/Coach for future Impact Collaborative events and to support your institution’s teams and teams across the nation?

Are you already an Innovation Facilitator or a team member who would like a refresher on the Innovation Skill-Building process?

If you answered yes, to any of these questions then join us to explore the Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-building experience in a whole new way: The ISBE  will meet via Zoom for four sessions covering specific ISBE building blocks to spark ideas, increase innovation, and turbocharge implementation to ultimately create local impact.

Innovation Facilitator Training

Are you someone who is always looking for new ways to improve?

Do you like adopting innovative ideas and helping others along the way?

Would you like to be a leader that helps teams design cutting edge programs/projects that make real impact?

If so, please consider joining our Innovation Facilitator team!

Our Innovation Facilitator training provides you new ways of looking at innovation.  Once trained, you are an invaluable asset in helping teams develop projects or programs more quickly, and connect them with national resources. You will use our innovation incubator process to bring fresh ideas aligned with institutional goals to every team you work with.

Today, there are 151 Innovation Facilitators across Cooperative Extension working to synergize innovative efforts in their own states, institutions, and supporting regional & national teams.

Who Should Participate?

We recommend Extension Directors and Administrators select individuals with these qualities:

  • Individuals with program leadership experience
  • Individuals who work effectively with your leadership team
  • Individuals who possess strong confidence in facilitation
  • Individuals who are effective in working alongside leadership teams and program leaders to catalyze innovation across the organization

Impact Collaborative Summit

The Impact Collaborative Summit is a team event. Community partners are encouraged to participate on teams. We highly recommend sending teams that include 3-8 individuals focused on a project or program aligned with state/institutional strategic priorities and/or community issues.

Since 2019, teams that incubated with eXtension’s Impact Collaborative program received $5.7 million in grant and partnership funding. 65 project and program teams participated in the past three national Summits, and 92% of participants reported that they would recommend the experience to others. Learn more at extension.org/success about teams that have participated in our Impact Collaborative program.

The Impact Collaborative Summit helps increase Cooperative Extension’s organizational readiness and capacity for innovation and change by connecting teams with skills, tools, resources and partners that can expand and deepen their impact. Participating teams will receive one on one support from coaches to help identify gaps in their project and program planning, and have access to our network of expert Key Informants to help fill those gaps.

For 2021, our Impact Collaborative program is being delivered virtually. We invite members to take advantage of their membership benefit by sending project and program teams to the Impact Collaborative Summit.

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eXtension Foundation Welcomes Karl Bradley as Leadership Development Specialist

The eXtension Foundation is pleased to announce that Karl Bradley will be serving as eXtension’s Leadership Development Specialist. Karl originally joined the eXtension Foundation team in April 2020 as the Leadership Development Fellow while transitioning from full-time active duty service in the United States Air Force. His internship with the eXtension Foundation was made possible through the Skillbridge program offered by the Department of Defense for active duty service members separating or retiring from the military.  This program provides the opportunity for service members to intern with organizations in the civilian workforce to gain new skills, training, and assist with their transition during their last months in the military. 

Throughout his Fellowship, Karl worked closely with the Impact Collaborative program and its trained Innovation Facilitators from across Extension by offering professional development opportunities and engagements around leadership. He led workshops which were open to all Cooperative Extension professionals and had a critical role with the delivery of the 1890s Extension Leadership Academy in partnership with Fort Valley State University. 

While his internship has concluded, Karl will continue his work with the eXtension Foundation. As part of the New Technologies for Ag Extension program, he is serving as the Leadership Development Specialist to eight project teams from across Extension. Karl is also serving eXtension’s Impact Collaborative program as the new manager for the Innovation Facilitator Network, building upon the five years of leadership and work of Molly Immendorf, Ashley Griffin, and Annie Jones. Additionally, he is offering leadership development services for Cooperative Extension professionals including team workshops and individually-focused services. 

Karl has over 20 years’ experience creating strong, values-aligned partnerships internationally while serving in the U.S. Air Force. He inspires others to find their “why” while connecting passion to profession in his favorite role…coach. He has a lifelong enthusiasm for agricultural leadership growth to help take organizations past what the science of management says is possible.

Originally from Branson, Missouri, he holds degrees in education from Arizona State University & The University of Northern Colorado.  He has led teams ranging from 5 to 250 & held leadership positions in public relations, event planning, fundraising, finance, human resources, corporate training & procurement.  As a collaborative consultant, he secured partnerships across 49 states & 20 countries garnering millions in sponsorships. His areas of expertise include strategic thinking, leadership development & training, public speaking, team building, community engagement & ideation.

Learn more about our leadership development offerings here or by sending a message to:

Leadership@extension.org

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25 Teams Participate in First Virtual Impact Collaborative Summit

For Immediate Release
November 3, 2020
Contact: Aaron Weibe, aaronweibe@eXtension.org

Twenty-five Project and Program teams representing twenty-six Cooperative Extension institutions attended the first Virtual Impact Collaborative Summit on October 13th and 14th. Using technology – including Zoom and virtual whiteboards – participants were connected with tools, resources, coaches, facilitators, and Key Informants in a customized experience designed to catalyze their work.

The Summit kicked off with a thought-provoking keynote by Dr. Scott Reed, Emeritus Vice Provost-University Outreach & Engagement, and an eXtension Catalyst, who spoke about “Legacy and Future: Disruptive Innovation Wins.”  

Teams were provided one-on-one coaching by the Impact Collaborative’s network of Innovation Facilitators, including twenty six coaches. Twenty-five Key Informants from across Extension and other external organizations assisted teams on a range of topics, including catalyzation, innovation, program development and evaluation; community partnerships; communications, marketing and digital engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; educational technology and instructional design; visualization; and more.

After two days of hard work, teams participated in a showcase, where they presented their project or program to the Summit community and beyond. All teams have been invited to apply for seed funding grants to support their projects. A graphic summary of the projects is included below:

Results

Highlights of the participant feedback evaluation include:

  • 93% of participants got what they needed
  • 95.3% will recommend the Impact Collaborative Summit to others
  • Aspects of the event that were most useful 
    • Team Time (83.7%)
    • Team Coaches (83.7)
    • Key Informants (79.1%)

When asked “What did the Impact Collaborative Summit provide that you can’t get anywhere else?”, participants offered the following responses:

  • The Collaborative helped us to focus on a clear impact statement and messaging to improve our grant application
  • Focused time around a single opportunity with interested colleagues and volunteers; tools specifically designed to hone in on strategies to address issues
  • One-stop-shop for personalized feedback and advice from subject matter experts… without having to secure the services of an external consultant
  • Fresh perspectives, mentorship, connectivity with peers across the country
  • Expert input
  • Help!
  • Tools and resources to move our project forward to fruition

The next Virtual Impact Collaborative Summit is slated for October 12th and 13th, 2021. 

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Impact Collaborative Trains 31 New Innovation Facilitators

In August 2020, the eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative program hosted its second Innovation Facilitator training for the year. 31 new Innovation Facilitators representing 12 Land-Grant universities completed the training, joining 153 others that represent 50 Land-Grant Universities.

Participants spent six sessions learning the Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-Building methodology and obtained skills and tools that will help catalyze innovation with local project and program teams and also assist with the delivery of the Impact Collaborative program nationally. Additionally, Innovation Facilitators serve as coaches at the national Impact Collaborative Summit to help project and program teams across Cooperative Extension identify gaps in their project and program planning and connect those teams to resources that help fill those gaps.

All Cooperative Extension professionals can easily find their locally trained Innovation Facilitator on the Connect Extension Platform. The video below provides instructions on how to do that. 

The newest Innovation Facilitators include:

Clemson University

  • Jackie Jordan

Cornell University

  • Roberta Severson
  • Bonnie Collins
  • Kelly Campbell
  • Laura Biasillo

Kansas State University

  • Tom Buller
  • JoEllyn Argabright

North Dakota State University

  • Molly Soeby
  • Carrie Johnson

Oklahoma State University

  • Cheryl Newberry
  • Jennie Till

Purdue University

  • Laurynn Thieme

Southern University

  • Kiyana Kelly
  • Angell Jordan

Oregon State University

  • Deborah John

University of Arizona

  • Patty Merk

University of Hawaii at Manoa

  • Hallie Cristobal
  • Jensen Uyeda
  • Joshua Silva
  • James Friday
  • Judy Scoville-Layfield
  • Jeff Goodwin
  • Mark Thorne
  • Nancy Ooki
  • Kristen Jamieson
  • Christine Hanakawa
  • Roshan Manandhar

University of Idaho

  • Lindsey McConnell-Soong

University of Nebraska – Lincoln

  • Megan Burda
  • Terri James
  • Angi Heller
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TWO Impact Collaborative Events for eXtension Members – August 2020

For August 2020, eXtension’s Impact Collaborative program has two exciting opportunities for eXtension members. Register today to reserve your spot!

Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building Experience Online

August 4, 6, 11, & 13
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET
Available to eXtension Members Only

Join us next month for an online Innovation Skill-Builidng Experience (ISBE). The ISBE has been revised with a new block format, fresh content, new activities, and new worksheets to meet the evolving needs of Cooperative Extension professionals. If you’ve participated in an ISBE before, you’ll find new online tools to support your virtual collaboration, checklists to determine where to best focus your energy, and improved methods for documenting progress.

Do you have a project idea that needs incubation, innovation, and ways to get to implementation and impact faster? Are you looking to learn about design thinking and lean experimentation combined with Cooperative Extension’s best practices for solving important community issues? Are you interested in becoming an Innovation Facilitator/Coach for future Impact Collaborative events and to support your institution’s teams and teams across the nation? Are you already an Innovation Facilitator or a team member who would like a refresher on the Innovation Skill-Building process?

If you answered yes, to any of these questions then join us to explore the Impact Collaborative’s Innovation Skill-building experience in a whole new way: The ISBE  will meet via Zoom for four sessions covering specific ISBE building blocks to spark ideas, increase innovation, and turbocharge implementation to ultimately create local impact.

Register

Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training

August 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, & 28
1:00 PM ET – 3:00 PM ET
Available to eXtension Members Only

Become an Innovation Facilitator. The Impact Collaborative’s network of Innovation Facilitators are trained to provide individuals with a new way of looking at program and project development to help new and existing programs across your states and institutions identify gaps in their planning, ensure they are most ready for implementation, and have explored all considerations to maximize local impact.  With the updates to our Innovation Skill-Building Experience including the new block format, content, activities, and worksheets – we also encourage previously trained Innovation Facilitators to join us.

Locally trained Innovation Facilitators can be an asset in helping teams develop their projects or programs more quickly, and connect those teams with resources available nationally. They can work locally with teams through our design-thinking process to bring fresh ideas aligned with institutional goals.

There are currently 120+ Innovation Facilitators across Cooperative Extension working locally to catalyze innovation in their own states and institutions, and supporting Extension teams regionally and nationally.

Who Should Participate?

Our recommendations to Extension Directors and Administrators for selecting individuals to participate include:

  • Individuals such as a program leaders
  • Individuals that work closely with your leadership team
  • Already possess strong confidence in facilitation skills
  • Can be effective in working alongside leadership teams and other program leaders to catalyze innovation throughout the organization.

Register

About the eXtension Foundation

The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension is embedded in the U.S. Cooperative Extension System and serves on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs. This work is supported by your membership dollars and funding from USDA-NIFA, grant no. 2019-41595-30123. For more information on eXtension membership, please visit eXtension.org.