February 2014

Table of Contents

President's Message

Make the Month of March Synonymous with Living Well

Have You Applied for Your First-Timer’s PILD Scholarship Yet?

Journal of Extension Update

Greetings from Kentucky!

Looking for Candidates

Central Region News

Meet the Board: Nancy Stehulak

Saving Your Way to NEAFCS






Important Dates

Members-only Webinar • Feb 25
100 Years of Extension FCS History

Bake for Family Month - Home Baking Association • Feb

Home Baking Association - Educator Award Contest Deadline • March 31

PILD Conference • Apr 6-9
Alexandria, VA

NEAFCS Annual Session • Sept 15-18
Hyatt Regency, Lexington, KY

View All Events...

National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Science
20423 State Road 7
Suite F6-491
Boca Raton, FL 33498
(561) 477-8100
[email protected]

President's Message
Kathleen Olson (MN)

Teamwork makes the dream work.  Team members play many different positions.

Each player knows his/her role and how important his/her contribution is to the outcome.  Your board is a team that is working toward NEAFCS’s mission of “educating and recognizing Extension professionals who impact the quality of life for individuals, families and communities”. Regardless of our dream, when everyone is aligned around the same goal and plays well together, magic can happen.

At our Winter Board meeting, we participated in Strength Finder training, which allows individuals to understand their strengths and to focus on those strengths so they can become better leaders and team members.  It was a great exercise in how to work better as a team throughout the next year.  This is especially important as we have only one “in person” board meeting in addition to those that are before and after Annual Session.  Our monthly meetings and our spring three-day meeting are held through the use of technology.

The NEAFCS board held our Winter Board meeting January 14-16 in Lexington, KY, the site of our 2014 Annual Session.  We had a busy 2 ½ days, which included a tour and meeting with the Kentucky Annual Session planning group, discussed board restructuring, and had some technology training from our management company.

Part of our meeting time was spent preparing the agenda for our association meetings at the JCEP Leadership Conference in Memphis, Tennessee February 11 – 13. This is a great opportunity to interact with leadership from each affiliate and to hear about what is happening in your state.

In April, I’ll have the opportunity to meet with some of you in Alexandria, VA, at the JCEP Public Issues Leadership Development Conference April 6 - 9. Registration for the conference is open on the JCEP website – www.jcep.org. NEAFCS provides 20 scholarships of $200 each to members who will be attending the PILD conference for the FIRST time.

February is the month of love and relationships with Valentine’s Day – one of my favorite holidays.  Be sure to embrace your family and loved ones and tell them how much you love them!

Kathleen Olson

P.S.  Look for the magic wand in this newsletter. The first 3 members to email me at [email protected] with the exact location of the wand will qualify for a chance to be placed in a drawing to qualify for a free Annual Session registration, drawn in August; this contest runs October through August to increase newsletter readership.




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Make the Month of March Synonymous with Living Well
Theresa C. Mayhew (NY), VP for Public Affairs

March might be known as Nutrition Month but here's our chance to change that! NEAFCS's Extension Living Well Month may have had humble beginnings as just a week-long observation, but it was expanded to a month-long celebration in October 2009. How your state affiliate decides to observe it, of course, is up to you but there are several promotional tools available in the Public Affairs section of the website. Those tools include bookmarks, labels, and power point slides, as well as a sample survey and proclamation. There’s also a link to the December 2008 Journal of Extension article that explains the history behind the creation and accomplishments of the Living Well national media public relations campaign.

One quick, easy, and cost-free way to promote the month is to add the Living Well slogan and logo to your email signature. Don’t overlook the simple act of sharing nutrition, parenting and financial management information with key volunteers and co-workers during program advisory or staff meetings. Include a Living Well tag line on all press releases and public service announcements that you send out during March (or year-round, for that matter). Don't forget to use social media, too. If you launch an Extension Living Well Month campaign, hold an event or do anything to promote it in your state, send me a brief description of your efforts to [email protected], and I’ll do my best to share them in a future e-NEAFCS newsletter and/or on the website.

In the meantime, I hope you all know how valuable the work you do is in helping those you reach and teach to LIVE WELL.

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Have You Applied for Your First-Timer’s PILD Scholarship Yet?
Theresa C. Mayhew (NY), VP for Public Affairs

The Farm Bill may have finally passed, but there's lots more going on in our nation’s capital, specifically at USDA, NIFA and across the country, too, so taking part in the JCEP Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference April 6 – 9, 2014 in Alexandria, VA, can really help bring all those developments into focus. If you’re still thinking about attending and you would be a first time attendee, there’s still time to apply for a $200 NEAFCS PILD Conference scholarship. A total of twenty (20) scholarships are available for members, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to help defray your registration and/or travel expenses. The deadline to apply is February 25 and the application can be downloaded from the NEAFCS website. Go to the NEAFCS home page for a direct link or to the Public Affairs drop down menu and click on 2014 PILD Conference Scholarship Application.

So far, applications have been received from the following states:  Arkansas, Kansas, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. If you’ve emailed or faxed me an application (as of 12 noon EST, February 7) and your state is NOT listed above, please let me know ASAP. I can be reached at [email protected]. Keep in mind that the scholarship will be awarded after the conference has been held and that,  in order to receive it, recipients are required to (1) attend the NEAFCS affiliate meeting that will be held during the conference and (2) submit a brief write-up to me about how they benefited from attending the conference. Scholarship recipients will be notified by March 1 so they have time to meet the conference early bird registration deadline which is March 7, if they haven’t already registered.  As always, I’m just an email or phone call away (518-828-3346, x-204) if you have any questions! Looking forward to seeing many of you in DC during cherry blossom time!

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Journal of Extension Update
Luann Boyer (CO), NEAFCS Representative to the Journal of Extension Board

It was good to visit with many NEAFCS members at Galaxy last fall and have the opportunity to enlist FCS reviewers and encourage members to submit manuscripts.  JOE is always seeking  reviewers who not only have depth of subject matter, but also breadth with the ability to review a variety of topics.   We especially need reviewers who have broad Family and  Consumer Sciences expertise.   Guidelines for Reviewers can  be found under the About JOE  tab at the top of the Home Page (www.JOE.org)

If you haven’t visited the JOE website recently, I encourage you to do so.  Eric Owens,  the JOE webmaster and a superb technical expert, has done a great job revising to make it user friendly for all.   Both the Journal pages and the National Job Bank pages are updated. The Job Bank has no cost for job seekers and you never know when the “perfect-for you” Extension job will appear,  so check it out often.

A special thanks to NEAFCS Past President Chris Kniep who accepted the assignment of reviewing feature articles  from several 2013 JOE issues.  Each  JCEP association was asked to identify an individual to evaluate feature articles.  Their scoring and comments will be used to give a new award  - 2013 Outstanding JOE Feature Article.   This is one way JOE is encouraging submissions to the Journal, especially from those who have never done so before.

Journal of Extension is continuing its 50^th Anniversary through this spring. The first issue of the Journal was published spring 1963. In 1994, the Journal went exclusively to web based and since that time there have been 6 issues each year.   The JOE branding for the 50^th Anniversary is Sharing Knowledge, Enriching Extension.   If you attended Galaxy and saved your program book for reference, look at it again and you’ll find the 50^th Anniversary full-page ad for The Journal and the National Job Bank toward the front.

For those who like history, especially with this year being the 100^th anniversary of  the Smith-Lever Act forming Extension, you might check out the archived issues of The Journal at http://www.joe.org/journal-archive.phpw.  You’ll likely find  articles by former colleagues as well as current associates which can provide a wealth of historical perspective for programs or displays you’re planning in 2014.

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Greetings from Kentucky!
Kathy Byrnes (KY) and Sally Mineer (KY), 2014 Annual Session Co-liaisons

We are out of the starting gate and the race is on for our 2014 NEAFCS Annual Session in Lexington!  Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents are excited about hosting our friends and colleagues September 15-18.  Each of you will WIN/PLACE/SHOW by participating in our conference.

Keep checking your NEAFCS website for details-if you haven’t visited it in a while, you will see many exciting meeting details. Visit  http://www.neafcs.org/2014-annual-session.

Plan on coming in early to take advantage of our pre-conference workshops scheduled for Monday, September 15.  Theseworkshops provide great educational training in a concentrated area. This year’s offerings include:

Current Science and Practice in Home Food Preservation
Presented by Elizabeth L. Andress, Ph.D., Professor, Foods and Nutrition and Extension Food Safety Specialist

This session will provide a brief review of the history of home food preservation research and practice in the U.S.  It will demonstrate scientific principles underlying the various home food preservation methods, and it will explore the current status of research and recommended methods by the USDA and land grant university system.

Update from the American Cleaning Institute
Presented by Nancy Bock, M.S.; Senior VP, Meetings & Education; American Cleaning Institute

Final details are still being made for this session, keep checking the website for more information

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Looking for Candidates!
Carol Chandler (OH), Immediate Past President

Carol Chandler, Immediate Past-President and Chair of the National Nominating Committee, is now taking applications for board positions that will be vacated in 2014. You DO NOT need to be contacted to apply but DO NEED to check the Policy and Procedures manual for the requirements needed for each office. Applications are due April 1st.

The National Nominating Committee will be seeking candidates for President-elect, Secretary, VP Member Resources, VP Professional Development, Eastern Region Director and Western Region Director. If you would like more information or if you would like to recommend someone for any of these offices, you can contact one of the members of the nominating committee.

Brenda Miller – OK – Southern Region
Sally Garett – TX – Southern Region
Traci Armstrong – AZ – Western Region
Phyllis Lewis – WY – Western Region
Linda Law-Saunders- NY – Eastern Region
Judy Matlick – WV – Eastern Region
Melanie Hart – OH – Central Region
Kandace Fisher – MO – Central Region

Contact information for each committee member can be found in the directory on the NEAFCS website at www.neafcs.org .

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Central Region News
By Nancy Stehulak (OH), Central Regional Director

The new year is off and running with wild weather patterns across the United States.  If any professional can manage, it will be our FCS Extension professionals!  As we begin a new year of programming and planning our commitment to our communities, many of our professionals are also aligning some of their time with NEAFCS and the work that they do for their professional organization to add to their networking, to support their promotion efforts, and, to find new people interested in the work that is so close to all of our hearts.

Updated affiliate officers are coming in to both Jody Rosen Atkins and me for the Central Region.  I appreciate the time that our officers put in to support their affiliate members.

Don’t overlook the many resources that can be found at NEAFCS.org.  Within the Member Center is a host of information (and clues) to help our affiliates get the most out of their membership!  One little jewel is the Affiliate Officer Toolkit, which can be a great help to all of our new officers as they begin to plot squares in their calendar.

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Meet The Board
Nancy Stehulak (OH), Central Regional Director

Ohio born, Nancy did spend several years teaching school in Munster, Indiana before moving back to Northwest Ohio.  Nancy is a graduate of The Ohio State University and has worked for Extension for 27 years.  She is a county extension director in Henry County Ohio, providing educational programs with specialization in financial education and leadership development.  You might have met up with Nancy in a financial concurrent session at our Annual Session.

Nancy has been married to Carl for 34 years (you might have met Carl at one of our national meetings….he would be the one with the golf clubs!) and Nancy and Carl do like to travel.  Their children John, Greg and David are married and if you ask, Nancy will be happy to show you pictures of them, their beautiful spouses and most importantly, of their three grandchildren, Fritz, John Paul and Ella.

Why did she put her name up for a national officer?  It was really time to give back to the organization, as NEAFCS has allowed her to meet up with very dedicated people across the nation.  As well, these connections have led to great programming as well as very interesting discussions about Extension and the important role that Family and Consumer Science has held through history and the need today to continue to encourage people to lead their families to success.


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Saving Your Way to NEAFCS
Alexandra Grenci (NJ), Eastern Region Director

Wouldn’t it be great to have a little extra money in your pockets for the NEAFCS annual session, a special occasion or unexpected emergency? Here’s a few useful tips to get you started.

1. Make a list before you go shopping and stick to it.  No matter how tempting, stick to the necessary items you went to the store to retrieve.
2. Give up vices that cost you money. Start new hobbies that can help you earn money or do things that are free such as hiking local nature trails.
3. Turn off lights, appliances, and devices when they are not being used.  This will help you save up on your electricity bills and help the environment.
4. Live a clean and healthy life. The simplest thing to do to help you save money is to keep safe and stay healthy. Keep your home accident free and keep it clean. This will, in turn, keep you away from expensive medical bills.
5. Eat out less and prepare your own meals as much as possible. This will also allow you to prepare healthier choices.
6. Branded items are not always the best choice. Look for store brands or generic versions. Often times you will find items contain the same ingredients as more expensive choices.
7. Reuse, reduce, and recycle. Reuse old things which are still in good working condition instead of buying new ones. Reduce purchases and stick to what you have, especially when what you are purchasing is a non-essential item.  Recycle your unused things or maybe make money out of your trash by selling recyclable trash like plastic bottles, cans, or old newspapers.