November 19, 2024
Much to be Thankful For
As the new director in the western region, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some highlights from my recent travels across western Kansas.
While this time of year for a lot of folks is focused on the impending Thanksgiving holiday, I have been consumed with traveling from county to county for extension annual meetings and agent performance reviews. Hundreds and hundreds of miles, six coyotes, three skunks, and four deer later, I have enjoyed every moment of it. And let me tell you why.
Laughter. At each gathering, I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of laughter. Everyone present is on a tight time schedule, there is work to be done, and the formality of following the annual meeting agenda is the primary objective, but the amount of banter, playful teasing and witty sarcasm is abundant.
These volunteers have clearly spent considerable time together, feel safe around one another and genuinely seem to enjoy one another’s company. Thank you to the extension professionals across the state for the work you do to create a civic environment filled with laughter.
Kindness. Annual meetings, performance reviews and salary discussions can create opportunities for more difficult conversations. From elections to raises, to concerns about performance, there are several topics that can be awkward and create division among board members.
And I must say, I am humbled and impressed at the level of compassion and professionalism shown by your executive boards (99% of them anyway…but that’s for another article another time). They have proven to be very considerate, believe the best of intentions, and are overwhelmingly supportive of the efforts of their agents.
Impact. This may be an obvious one, but let me tell you how uplifting it is to travel from location to location and hear about the amazing extension work that is taking place.
From incredibly creative programs, innovative collaborations and stakeholder buy in, the work that is being done across our state is nothing short of incredible. It’s hard to capture, hard to measure and hard to articulate, but the impact we are making across our great state is vast. Thank you for the hours spent behind the scenes to plan, prepare and build the relationships that make this work a reality.
One final word of thanks. Thank you to the western region for the hospitality shown to me my first five months on the job, but especially these past three weeks. The meals, the hugs, and the smiles have made the hours traveling well worth it.
Extension is in good hands and we all have so much to be thankful for!