President's Corner

Jean Glowacki, 2010 CAE4-HA PresidentDear Friends:

Success—that’s what I would say about our spring conference! True to its’ name, “Laugh & Learn”, there was an abundance of laughing and learning during our days together in Cripple Creek. Many thanks to our Professional Development Committee for their leadership and hard work. It was great to have the time together.

I also had the opportunity in April to attend the Public Issues Leadership Development Conference (PILD) in Washington DC. This conference aims to provide insight into the “big picture” of how Extension and our government work at the federal level. Underlying the many issues presented was the need to become more flexible and agile in identifying and serving residents with diverse backgrounds and needs and to focus on defining our programs by the problems the public sees. Our strategic programmatic opportunity is to “Prepare youth, families and individuals for success in the global workforce and all aspects of life”.

I believe that Colorado 4-H is off and running with strong leadership on many levels, and talented, highly skilled professionals who work hard and together. The final day of the conference we headed to Capitol Hill where Congresswoman Betsy Markey graciously visited with us about Extension. We shared a bit about our STEM work, including new pathways with technology, wind energy and more. Take a moment to let your elected officials know about the work you do and encourage your 4-H families to do the same.

I know that you are all busy with programming and of course, we are zooming into county fair time! Don’t forget that your colleagues in CAE4-HA are just a phone call or email away when you need a kind word or deed. Our website is also a wonderful resource to support your work. Check out our "Member Spotlight" feature. When it is your turn to be featured, please find the time in your busy day to step into the Spotlight—it’s a great gift to your colleagues!

Enjoy the sunshine!
Jean Glowacki
2009-2010 - CAE4-HA President

© 2010 Colorado State University Extension