In 1969, I made the leap of faith and joined the 4-H program in Iowa, and never looked back.
I joined the 4-H state leadership staff and expanded the Urban 4-H Program while simultaneously growing the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program. As a result of my involvement, we developed a process to aid 4-H members to carry out their 4-H projects. I also coordinated the 4-H International exchange with 200 Japanese students.
After eleven years in Iowa, I moved to Pennsylvania as the state 4-H leader. One of the first things we accomplished was convincing the former Dean of Agriculture to chair the newly created 4-H foundation board. Within four years the foundation had grown to over $50,000 and was respected statewide. I mentored the staff to obtain academic tenure which improved staff recruitment, and in turn helped make the 4-H program what it is today.
In 1984, I moved to Indiana as state 4-H leader and Assistant Extension Director and while there I supported faculty to become tenured. Provided a major emphasis at the club level where we visited every county as part of the “Say YES to 4-H” program. We rewrote 95% of all 4-H project materials to make them more educational. In 1994, I served as the 4-H International Japanese Exchange leader for the nation.
In 1997, after 28 years of leading 4-H in three states, I made the decision to hand off the baton to the next generation so they could continue to impact young people.
