2023 Extension Foundation Professional Development for Members

We are excited to invite you to join the Extension Foundation for our 2023 professional development events and offerings. We strive to provide relevant educational and professional resources to all our members. This year, we are offering an array of professional development and leadership development opportunities to learn new skills, enhance leadership potential, network with other professionals, and uplift the impactful work happening across the system!

Professional Development

Members Only (Unless Indicated)

Extension Skills
The Impact Collaborative's Extension Skills series has provided Cooperative Extension professionals with the opportunity to build capacity with tools, processes, and tech skills training. Each second Thursday of the month, a workshop was led by an Extension expert to give professionals the opportunity to learn new skills and share best practices to help them be more effective and innovative in their work! Upcoming topics include using Ripple Effects Mapping for impact stories, podcasting for beginners, stakeholder engagement in natural resources, volunteer engagement, blogging, and grant skills.

Dynamic Discussions
The Impact Collaborative hosts professionals from across to address hot topics of interest to Cooperative Extension in Dynamic Discussions. Explore new ideas, gain new perspectives, and discuss the future of Extension with your colleagues! Upcoming Dynamic Discussion topics include Extension's role in workforce development, the future of Extension, racial equity and racial understanding, mental well-being, best practices to reach new audiences, and social justice efforts through Extension.

Program Center Stage**
The Program Center Stage highlights program and project teams from across the system including current and past New Technologies from Ag Extension projects, Impact Collaborative projects, national programs like EXCITE, and more. Attendees of the series gained valuable insight into the many programs that Extension has to offer and tools to bring these programs to their own Extension communities.  **This series is open to anyone that would like to attend. Membership in the Extension Foundation is not required to participate.

Leadership & Team Development

Members Only

Personal Leadership Bootcamp

3-part series to help you gain personal and professional development. With tools, resources, & thought-provoking exercises, "Bootcamp" invites you to get to know yourself on a deeper level & explore your personal leadership philosophy.
February 8, 15, 20, 2023 OR September 6, 13, 20, 2023.

From Me to We: Values, Trust, and Teamwork.
3-part series on the importance of values, trust, and teamwork. This series will equip you with the knowledge and tools to understand the value of your values, how to show you're trustworthy, and the 5 aspects of highly effective teams.
April 5th, 12th, 19th, 2023.

Teamwork Favorites

• Diffuse the Drama: Three things happen naturally in organizations; friction, confusion & underperformance. Learn how to get away from Victim, Villain, Hero & evolve into Coach, Creator, and Challenger!
  November 1st, 2023.
• Busy is a Choice: Learn the secret to concentration is actually elimination!
  November 8th, 2023
• Diffusion of Innovations:  Based upon Everett Rogers & later Geoffrey Moore's work, discover how we all show up for what we believe in!
  November 15th, 2023

Influencer Training
This new course from Crucial Learning teaches leaders, regardless of seniority or authority, how to use strategies and skills to effectively change behavior rather than relying on persuasion or incentives. This course goes beyond the idea of corporate perks and charismatic personalities to teach powerful influence strategies and skills that actually change behavior. Discover the new science of leadership!

There is a $500 fee for this course.
August 14th - 18th, 2023

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue
Backed by 30 years of social science, Crucial Conversations represents the standard in effective communication and the marker of high-performance individuals & organizations. The course teaches 9 powerful skills for working through disagreement to achieve better results. There is a $500 fee for this course
March 13th - 17th, 2023
June 12th - 16th, 2023
July 17th - 21st, 2023

We hope you join us and take advantage of the unique learning opportunities and resources available through the Extension Foundation! We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming event this year!