Kudos

Cooperative Extension Faculty of the Year
Past Winners

Susan Pater - 2006
Susan Pater has worked for Arizona Cooperative Extension since 1983. As the county extension director and 4-H youth development agent in Cochise County she currently develops, conducts and evaluates educational programs for youth and adults emphasizing life skills development of youth. Because of her exemplary work coordinating an outreach educational program focusing on natural resources and environmental stewardship, she was lauded recently at the CALS faculty conference as "Extension Faculty of the Year."
The award is presented annually to an outstanding faculty member nominated by peers and selected by a committee composed of the elected chair of the county directors, the elected head of department heads and school directors, and a former faculty award winner. Other criteria for the award include innovation and quality of extension programming and outreach efforts. Several nomination letters commended Pater for her professionalism and leadership. Nominators noted that under her leadership, a core group of Cochise County youth and adults has developed an action plan, an award and recognition plan and several new county level award areas that will reduce focus on competitive fair awards. Under her guidance, the CALS professional development working group developed clear and appropriate standards for peer review of faculty as part of their evaluation.

Russ Tronstad - 2005
This year Russ Tronstad, Department of Agricultural Economics (ARE) was selected. Tronstad said that he believes the collective effort of many individuals helped him receive this recognition. He also notes that throughout the state faculty, staff and clientele have worked hard with him to identify, develop, and deliver Extension Programs. Tronstad's research interests include agricultural marketing, risk management, international trade, and operations research methods. Fruit and vegetable commodities, range livestock, and field crops are a part of his research and extension activities. Much of his work focuses on decision tools and aids that jointly consider production, marketing, and risk factors. He is currently Co-Editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Sharon Hoelscher Day - 2004
Sharon Hoelscher Day, a family and consumer sciences extension agent in Maricopa County for the past 20 years, was given the award at the 2004 CALS faculty conference. She was recently elected president of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. In addition to other accomplishments, Hoelscher Day pioneered the use of Distance Learning Workshops using the NAU NET for Food Safety Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) training across five counties. She demonstrated effective outreach through Occasional Quantity Cooks workshops across the state, training more than 450 people in food safety. Examples of partnerships she has fostered include the Arizona Osteoporosis Coalition, Safe Food, Winning Sports Nutrition, DES-TANF Life Skills, Bone Builders and the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program.

2003 - Mary Olsen, Department of Plant Sciences, Division of Plant Pathology
2002 - Tim Dennehy, Department of Entomology
2001 - Sherry Betts, School of Family and Consumer Sciences
2000 - Linda Houtkooper, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Special Assistant to the Directors of Arizona Cooperative Extension and Arizona Prevention Center
1999 - Paul Brown, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science
1998 - Doug Dunn, Cochise County Cooperative Extension
1997 - Terry Mikel, Maricopa, Gila, La Paz and Pinal County Cooperative Extension
1996 - Steve Husman, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension
1995 - Deborah Young, Yavapai County Cooperative Extension
1994 - Darcy Dixon, Pinal County Cooperative Extension
1993 - Julie Leones, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Kudos

Cooperative Extension Faculty of the Year Past Winners

Cooperative Extension Faculty of the Year
Past Winners