February 15, 2021
Shout Out: K-State Research and Extension Southwind District’s Leslie Kidwell
This week’s Shout Out comes to us from our Southwind District Director Carla Nemecek. Carla wrote:
“Leslie Kidwell recently celebrated her one year anniversary with the Southwind Extension District. She was hired as the Social Media & Marketing Coordinator Office Professional. At that time, the Southwind District thought we needed to improve our social media presence - we didn't know 2020 was going to require us to conduct most all of our programming virtually. March rolls around and Leslie was still learning her job (we didn't even have time to get to know each other well by this time) and her co-workers are Extension Agents who feel like fish out of water when it comes to recording videos and creating informational pieces for virtual presentations.
Since that time, she has been our reliable cheerleader and encourager to try new things, and even pushed us to be brave enough to do Facebook live segments! When the footage isn't perfect, she takes the time to edit, format, and make it pleasing for viewers. I appreciate her attention to keeping us in compliance with regard to branding and using the disclaimer. All of this is in addition to serving as the local office professional in Erie and finishing her first Neosho County Fair.
If you have noticed Southwind District on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, it was Leslie who put us there. Leslie, you are amazing, and the Southwind District is proud to have you on our team. You are the rock star we always wanted, but didn't know how much we needed until 2020!”
Leslie, thanks for all you do for the people we serve, your colleagues, and K-State Research and Extension!
I believe we are all caught up on Shout Outs, but I know there are more out there who deserve to be recognized. We have rock star extension professionals who have never received a Shout Out in our local units, regional centers, and on our campuses. It is time we hear about their great work! Simply send their name(s) and the reason they deserve a Shout Out to ghadley@ksu.edu, and we will get them recognized as soon as we can.