Tag: innovation facilitator training

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45 Cooperative Extension Professionals Join eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Program as Innovation Facilitators

In February 2020, the eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative program hosted its first Innovation Facilitator training for the year. 45 new Innovation Facilitators representing 18 Land-Grant universities completed the training, joining 107 others that represent 49 Land-Grant Universities.

Participants spent three days 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.

This particular training session was unique as it marks the first time that the Impact Collaborative has delivered the Innovation Facilitator training virtually. Some highlights from this training include:

  • 100% of participants responded that they would likely or possibly recommend this training to others.
  • 98% of participants stated they would definitely or probably use the information presented in the training.

The newest Innovation Facilitators are:

Colorado State University

Lacey Taylor

Florida A&M University

Alejandro Bolques
Conchita Newman
Dreamal Worthen
Sandra Thompson

Fort Valley State University

Cynthia Wilson Willis
Terrence Wolfork

Kansas State University

Gayle Price
Laurie Chandler
Rachael Clews
Robin Eubank-Callis
Trudy Rice

New Mexico State University

Amanda Benton

North Dakota State University

Kelli Anderson

Oklahoma State University

Cindy Conner
Claude Bess
Jane Carpenter
Kegan Herrick
LaDonna Hines

Penn State University

Capri Stiles-Mikesell
Kimberly McCarthy
Mary Alice Gettings
Natalie Aiello

Prairie View A&M University

Cynthia Pierfax

Purdue University

Kara Salazar

South Dakota State University

Ann Taecker

Southern University

Gerald Williams
Krystle Allen
Tiffany Franklin

The Ohio State University

Michael Schweinsberg

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Alda Norris

University of Maryland

Catherine Liu

University of Minnesota

Kristen Mastel
Michael Compton
Regina McGoff

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Beth Nacke
Carroll Welte
Crystal Powers
Holly Hatton-Bowers
Linda Reddish
Shawn Kaskie

University of Wyoming

Mary Louise Wood

Virginia Tech

Megan Seibel
Melanie Barrow

The training was led by the Impact Collaborative team alongside ten previously trained Innovation Facilitators that served as coaches during the training including:

  • Tira Adelman, eXtension Foundation
  • Ashley Griffin, eXtension Foundation
  • Megan Hirschman, eXtension Foundation
  • Molly Immendorf, eXtension Foundation
  • Annie Jones, eXtension Foundation
  • David Keto, University of Wyoming
  • John Porter, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Kittrane Sanders, North Carolina State University
  • Donna Schwarting, University of Idaho
  • Bekah Sparks, Mississippi State University
  • Chuck Stamper, University of Kentucky
  • Stacy Wang, North Dakota State University
  • Jason Weigle, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Allison Young, Kentucky State University

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 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.

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Ashley Griffin Named New Innovation Facilitator Manager for eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Program

Ashley Griffin, Impact Collaborative Program Manager and eFieldbook Producer for the eXtension Foundation, will assume responsibilities as the Innovation Facilitator Manager for eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Program.

Griffin has been part of the eXtension staff since 2005, starting as a Content Design Leader for  eXtension’s 70+ Communities of Practice and Learning Networks. Beginning in the Fall of 2017, Ashley accepted a new position with the eXtension Foundation as the Impact Collaborative Program Manager which incorporates design thinking and lean experimentation into member experiences to better serve the Cooperative Extension Service. As part of the New Technologies for Cooperative Extension USDA-NIFA Cooperative Agreement in partnership with Oklahoma State University, Griffin leads the production of eFieldbooks for project fellows associated with the program. Prior to her time with the eXtension Foundation, she gained practical extension programming experience and delivered content through distance learning technologies as the coordinator of the Kentucky 4-H Horse Program from 1996-2002 and later served as an Extension Communications Specialist for the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture. Ashley has a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences and her Master of Science degree in Equine Nutrition from the University of Kentucky.

She will serve as the primary point of contact and liaison to the 152 current Innovation Facilitators trained in the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building methodology, assist in leading future Innovation Facilitator training sessions, and provide a connection to this group for future Impact Collaborative events and professional development opportunities. 

Griffin will be taking over these responsibilities for Dr. Annie Jones, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, who has served as eXtension’s Innovation Facilitator Manager since 2019 on a one-year appointment. Jones will be continuing her role at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology and Division of Extension as Professor, Organization Development and Tribal Nations Specialist. 

During her time as the Innovation Facilitator Manager for the Impact Collaborative, Jones led the training of more than 100 new Innovation Facilitators representing 50 land-grant universities across Cooperative Extension. Innovation Facilitators play a crucial role in the delivery of the Impact Collaborative program and also serve as a local resource to Extension Directors and Administrators in catalyzing innovation with local programs.

Jones played a critical role in the delivery of three national Impact Collaborative Summits, and led ten local Innovation Skill-Building events across the nation for more than 800 Cooperative Extension professionals. She has also been a leader in the Impact Collaborative’s transition to a virtual program for 2020 to make it more accessible to eXtension members, ensuring the success of its first virtual Innovation Facilitator Training and co-leading the delivery of the first virtual Innovation Skill-Building Experience. 

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 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. 

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eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Announces Innovation Facilitator Training for 2020

BECOME AN IMPACT COLLABORATIVE  INNOVATION FACILITATOR 

February 18th – 20th, 2020
12 – 4 PM EST
Registration Deadline: February 13th, 2020
Location: Virtual

 

This year, our Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training will be delivered virtually and there is no limit on the number of individuals that can participate. This training is for individuals from eXtension member institutions and the cost is included with membership.

*Participants must have the approval of their Extension Administrator or Director to participate. 

Register Here

About the Innovation Facilitator Training

This training will 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. 

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 107 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.

 

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eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Offers 2nd National Innovation Facilitator Training of 2019 in March

BECOME AN IMPACT COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION FACILITATOR 

March 12 – 14, 2019
Registration Deadline: February 18th, 2019
Atlanta, GA

Due to popular demand, we have decided to host another national Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator training to ensure all members have an opportunity to send an individual to be trained. Our January session included 41 new Innovation Facilitators representing 28 institutions from all five Cooperative Extension regions. This second training opportunity is primarily for institutions that did not send an individual to be trained at our January 2019 session.

If your institution sent a member in January, but you’d like to attend, please contact Ashley Griffin at agriffin@eXtension.org to check availability.

About the Training

To help our member institutions generate a more visible, measurable, local impact – we provide training and development in the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building process to Extension professionals so they can take these skills back to their institutions and help their local project and program teams find more innovative ways to move institutional goals forward. With the help of our Innovation Facilitators, we can continue to help bring new innovation to the Cooperative Extension System. This is a membership benefit included with every member institutions’ investment in eXtension.

This three-day training is designed to teach the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building process and provide the skills necessary to facilitate this process in your own state and be equipped to serve as an invited facilitator of an Impact Collaborative State Event and at our national Summit.

Each institution’s Director or Administrator may select one member to be a Designated Free Trainee. Additional trainees are welcome to attend, but registration, travel, and lodging costs are at the responsibility of the institution.

We recommend that Directors and Administrators select Facilitators such as a program leader, or someone who works closely with their leadership team, who possesses strong confidence in their facilitation skills, and can be effective in working alongside their leadership team and other program leaders to catalyze innovation throughout their organization. At eXtension, embracing diversity is one of our core values; we encourage participation from individuals that share that same value.

eXtension will provide: 

  • Three day training
  • Meals and breaks
  • For Designated Member Free Trainee:
    • Full reimbursement of hotel room nights cost
    • Full reimbursement of airfare or mileage to the event
    • Cover Per Diem meals not provided at the event

Registration for this training is now open and the dates are March 12th-14th, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.

HOW DO I BECOME A FACILITATOR?

You will need to reach out to your Director or Administrator for approval on becoming a Facilitator with the Impact Collaborative. If you are selected as a Designated Member trainee, your Director/Administrator will have a promo code to get you the free registration on our registration site. If you are registering as an additional trainee, please complete the registration without the promo code.

More information about the training can be found at the registration site.

The deadline for registration is February 18th, 2019.

Registration Link:
https://register.eventmobi.com/icmar2019

Join the Impact Collaborative team and help Extension professionals across the nation find more innovative ways to meet their institutional goals and generate a greater local impact.

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41 Cooperative Extension professionals join the Impact Collaborative as Innovation Facilitators to advance program impact

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

Atlanta, GA. 41 Cooperative Extension professionals representing 28 institutions attended eXtension’s Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training in Atlanta, GA, and completed initial learning and application of the Impact Collaborative methodology. Their skills help them lead innovation skill-building experiences at state or institutional events and at the national Impact Collaborative Summits. They join 50 other Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitators across the Cooperative Extension System.

Directors & Administrators appoint individuals across Extension to be trained in the Impact Collaborative innovation skill-building methodology to work alongside their leadership teams to help bring more innovation to their projects and programs for increased impact. Upon completion of the training, eXtension will work directly with its trained Facilitators and institutional leadership teams to design a local event that helps project and program teams find innovative ways to advance local impact.

Innovation Facilitators also participate in the national Impact Collaborative Summits to incubate project and program teams across the nation.  At these Summits, eXtension brings unique opportunities to create impactful results at the local level by increasing Cooperative Extension’s organizational readiness and capacity for innovation and change. The Impact Collaborative Summits connect Cooperative Extension professionals with skills, tools, resources and partners that can expand and deepen their impact in a continuing partnership with the Impact Collaborative.

To learn more about eXtension and the Impact Collaborative, please visit eXtension.org.

Please find a complete listing of the newest Innovation Facilitators below, listed by institution.

Alcorn State University

Gerald Jones

Colorado State University

Mark Platten

Cornell University

Danielle Hautaniemi
Karin bump

Delaware State University

Talaysha Lingham

Florida A&M University

Edwin Duke

Mississippi State University

Elizabeth Gregory North

Montana State University

Ashley Kent

North Carolina A&T State University

Eugenia Gwynn
Kittrane Sanders
Shannon Wiley

North Dakota State University Extension Service

Stacy Wang

Oregon State University

Jennifer Oppenlander

Purdue University

Sam McCollum
Ryan Wynkoop

Rutgers University

Jan Zientek
Michele Bakacs
Sara Elnakib
Matthew Newman

The University of Georgia

Kristi Farner
Rochelle Sapp

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Alda Norris

University of California

Jennifer Caron-Sale

University of Delaware

Jennifer Volk

University of Florida (Sea Grant)

Joy Hazell

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Monica Esquivel

University of Idaho

Nancy Shelstad
Donna Schwarting

University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Francine Sulinkski

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Maifan Silitonga
Suzanne Street

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Kurt Mantonya
John Porter
Dave Varner
Jean Fischer

University of Nevada, Reno

Lisa K. Taylor

University of Vermont Extension

Amy Davidson
Alison Nihart

University of Wyoming

Hannah Swanbom

Utah State University

Craig Dart

University of Illinois

Elizabeth Welbes