Silos Aren’t Just on Farms - Unifying Outreach Efforts to Benefit America’s Families

The Family Caregiving, Families Food and Fitness, Just In Time Parenting, and other Human Science-oriented Communities of Practice have initiated an organizational transformation to deliver research-based information to America’s families. No longer working as distinct communities, these once-separate entities have formed a “Learning Network” that functions as a single administrative unit. The new structure offers a fresh paradigm for internal CoP operations, leverages shrinking resources, maximizes human capital, and advances opportunities for delivery of content and interactions with end-users. As eXtension’s optimization process was a catalyst for the formation of the Learning Network, foundational principles are representative of those set forth in the optimization plan. Crucial to the decision to undertake this strategic shift was a shared belief that a streamlined organizational composition would result in a regeneration of interest and commitment to the delivery of family-related resources and information across the nation. This session will include: 1) an outline of the rationale for undertaking this radical transformation, 2) the evolutionary process as it unfolded, 3) lessons learned to date, and 4) an engaged discussion regarding the possible applicability for other CoPs with complementary subject matter content.