Spotlight on: Kurt Jones
County Director, 4-H/Natural Resources/Agriculture
Chaffee
& Park Counties
I grew up in Iowa
and moved to Colorado when I was 12 (not quite a native!). I was active in Boy
Scouts (Eagle Scout) and Westernaires as a young person and was woefully
mislead about what 4-H was! Fortunately, my sophomore year in College changed
my impression about ‘what 4-H was.’
I decided in the middle of
an organic chemistry exam that I really didn’t like chemistry or biology,
making my veterinarian aspirations seem pretty distant! That same year, I was
forced to take a career-preparation class. Being the stellar student that I
was, one of the five or so classes that I went to (we only met once per
week…I didn’t ditch that many times!) was an extension agent (Steve
Cramer, I think) talking about what he did for a living. I was hooked! I spent
some time with Tom Brown and John Pauley to learn about what they did. Their
advice helped me find the Extension Education Master of Agriculture program. By
the way, I did pass the career prep class in spite of my stellar attendance
record!
I started as an Extension Agent in Lincoln County for 2½
years, and then moved to Salida where I have been the Chaffee County Extension
Director for almost 10 years. For the past six years, I have also worked in
Park County. I have been active on the state shooting sports team for almost 10
years, working with leaders and members through a variety of disciplines. I
also taught the first pistol class to 4-H leaders in the State and conducted
the first state contest for air pistol in the Boys Dormitory at State
Fair.
When I’m not working, you can probably find me skiing or
chasing my kids. My son was born during Park County Fair in 2007, my daughter
was born during Chaffee County Fair 2008 (not planned…she was early!). My
wife gets to chase our toddlers more often than I do. I go to work to afford
the track shoes necessary to keep up with them!
CAE4-HA has been an
important part of my career to date. I have served in a variety of committees
and leadership positions, including President in 2004/2005. I have also been
honored to receive several awards through CAE4-HA including TYRO (2000), ASA
(2002), and DSA (2005). Most important are the friendships that have come from
participating in this wonderful organization. I have also gotten many ideas for
local programming from colleagues sharing their innovative ideas and
collaborating with other hard-working professionals.