awards banquet - uw-ex€¦ · wisconsin association of extension 4-h youth development...

Wisconsin Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals


Awards Banquet

April 28, 2015 Appleton


2014-2015 WAE4-HYDP Board of Directors

Officers President .......................................................................... Penny Tank President-Elect ......................................................... Jackie Johnson Secretary ..................................................................... Denise Retzleff Treasurer ....................................................................... Jason Hausler Immediate Past President ................................... Amber Rehberg

Regional Directors East-Metro ................................................................. Casey Plauman Southwest ................................................................ Debbie Burkman Northwest .......................................................................Seth Spencer North Central ....................................................... Jennifer Swensen

Committee Chairpersons

Awards and Recognition ....................................... Annie Lisowski Communications/Entre Nous ...................... Monica Lobenstein National Conference ......... Jackie Johnson & Sara Donnerbauer Professional Concerns ............................................................................................... Donna Duerst, Pam Hobson & Monica Lobenstein

Representatives to Other Groups WI 4-H Foundation ................................................ .Ellen Andrews Professional Development Funds Chair .......Jennifer Swensen JCEP Board ........................................................ ..Sara Donnerbauer ................................................................... Neil Klemme & Meg Sage JCEP Committee Members ............................................................................. Megan Rebout, Kyli Brown, Meg Sage & Neil Klemme



http://blogs.ces.uwex.edu/wae4hydp/


2014-2015 WAE4-HYDP Awards and Recognition Committee

Chair .................................................................... Annie Lisowski Secretary ........................................... Brianna Stapleton Welch

Communicator Awards Committee

Amy Mitchell -Chair Alissa Grenawalt

Jackie Johnson Doug Liphart

Specialty Awards Committee

Bernie O’Rourke—Chair JulieAnn Stawicki

Brianna Stapleton Welch

Service Awards Committee

Penny Tank—Chair Sara Donnerbauer

Linda Lueder

Thank You A special thank you to Rick from A & T Industries for sponsoring the award plaques for the awards presented

tonight.


Recognition Banquet Program Welcome ............................................................................. Jackie Johnson Introduction of Guests and Life Members .......... ..Annie Lisowski Reflection .......................................................................... Sarah Tarjeson

Dinner Recognition of 2014 NAE4-HA National and Regional Winners ...................................... Penny Tank Colleague of the Year Awards ............................ Awards Committee Specialty Program Awards....................................... Bernie O’Rourke

JulieAnn Stawicki, Brianna Stapleton-Welch, Successful Program Awards ............................................. Penny Tank Sara Donnerbauer, Linda Lueder

Communicator Awards .................................................... Amy Mitchell Alissa Grenawalt, Jackie Johnson, Doug Liphart Achievement in Service Award .................................. Melinda Pollen .......................................................................................... Christa Vantreeck Distinguished Service Awards .......................................... Kyli Brown .................................................................................. Colleen Pulvermacher ............................................................................................... Annie Lisowski Meritorious Service Award ........................................ Dale Leidheiser Tennie Awards ..................................................................... Bob Matysik ............................................................................................... Sally Schoenike

Friend of WAE4-HYDP ......................................................................... Terry Boehner ................................................................................................... Lori Murphy Meritorious Service Award (non-member) ............... Jackie Askins President’s Remarks ............................................................ Penny Tank


1948) Howard Knox 1949) Marvin Hansen 1950) Harold Reinecke 1951) DeVerne Mathison 1952) Richard Hauser 1953) Reggie Rensink 1954) Mitchell Mackey 1955) Hugh Alberts 1956) Verne Pellett 1957) Don Schink 1958) Tom Larson 1959) Clarence Westfahl 1960) Norbert Schachtner 1961) Ray Shanklin 1962) E.J. Lueder 1963) Allen Gill 1964) Bob Stodola 1965) Tom O’Connell 1966) Sid Bjorkman 1967) Carl Smith 1968) Bob Fredrick 1969) Lowell Pierce 1970) Alf Kirkeeng 1971) Wayne Schroeder 1972) Mary Kay Merwin 1973) Carl Gutenberger 1974) Tom Larson 1975) Ray Saxby 1976) Will Pierick 1977) Jim Barthel 1978) JoAnn Gruber-Hagen 1979) O. Keith Nelson 1980) Marilyn Lacesse 1981) Wally Hitt

1982) Tom Riese 1983) Jeanne Endres-Baum 1984) Dick Pederson 1985) Barb Nodolf Erlandson 1986) Kay Buelke Schroeder 1987) Sue Arendt Curtis 1988) Donna Menart 1989) Tamie Koop 1990) Ruth Navrestad Schriefer 1991) Bonnie Herrmann 1992) Sandy Kracht 1993) Bob Matysik 1994) Kathi Vos 1995) Don Dukerschein 1996) Chuck Prissel 1997) Susan Marino 1998) Kandi O’Neil 1999) Jean Erickson Berger 2000) Kim Reaman 2001) Frank Ginther 2002) Pam Hobson 2003) Donna Duerst 2004) Barb Barker 2005) Karen Sipple 2006) Sharon McDowell 2007) Annette Bjorklund 2008) Joan Wimme 2009) Connie Creighton 2010) Dawn Kuelz 2011) Chris Viau 2012) Alissa Grenawalt 2013) Amber Rehberg 2014) Penny Tank 2015) Jackie Johnson

WAE4-HYDP Presidents


National Hall of Fame Inductees from Wisconsin

2002 ........... Joseph Albert Craig 2002 ........... Wakelin “Ranger Mac” McNeel 2007 ........... Carl Smith 2011 ........... Tamie Koop 2012 ........... Jim Barthel 2013 ........... Wayne Schroeder

NAE4-HA Presidents 1957) Reginald Rensink 1961) Don Schink 1969) Carl Smith 1977) Wayne Schroeder 1981) Gerald Gast


Colleague of the Year Awards Distinguished Efforts in Colleague Development Outstanding Achievement in the Profession Exceptional Contributions Towards Programmatic Effectiveness


Specialty Program Recognition

Excellence in Teamwork

Walworth County 4-H Ag Technology Day Deborah Burkman, Chelsea Dertz, Peg Reedy, Kristine Ely,

Jenny Wehmeier, Christine Wen, Brittany Wierzbach, Sue Clark, Yolanda Pena

Walworth County 4-H Ag Technology Day was developed and conducted to

reach a new, diverse and economically disadvantaged youth population while

celebrating modern agriculture and offering students insights into the ways in

which agriculture impacts their lives daily, even if they never visit a farm.

Excellence in 4-H Volunteerism Team Best Practices of Volunteer Management

Jennifer Swensen & Colleen Pulvermacher Best Practices of Volunteer Management, developed by Colleen Pulvermacher

and Jennifer Swensen, builds the volunteer development capacity of 4-H

Youth Development Educators.

This innovative program has been shared across all UW-Extension program

areas, at the National Extension Conference on Volunteerism and has expand-

ed to volunteer managers in the nonprofit sector.

Excellence in 4-H Volunteerism Individual Dunn County Shooting Sports Program

Jason Hausler Shootings Sports has a rich history within Wisconsin 4-H. To build upon that

tradition, Dunn County 4-H Educator, Jason Hausler, collaborated with and

advised a committed group of adult and youth volunteers to start a Shooting

Sports program in Dunn County. Over the past year, Hausler has worked to

educate volunteers about Shooting Sports, establish a countywide leadership

committee, secure resources to sustain a program and develop educational

plans for events. As a result, the number of state certified Shooting Sports vol-

unteers increased in 2014 from 1 to 15, and Dunn County 4-H member enroll-

ment in Shooting Sports disciplines rose 184%.


Member 1985….John Skinner 1986….Carl Hirschinger 1987….Barbara Tensfeldt 1990….Ronald Schuler 1991….Sue Curtis 1992….Bonnie Hermann 1993….Donna Menart 1994….Severt Olson 1995….Tamie Koop 1996….Tom riese 1997….James Barthel 1998….Judy Olson 1999….Nancy Franz 2000….Don Dukerschein 2001….Jeanne Baum 2002….Linda Kustka 2003….Donna Menart (National) 2005….Melanie Miller 2006….Denise Retzloff 2007….Bob Matysik 2008….Wayne Brabender 2008….Pat Harrington 2009….Sally Schonike 2010….Sue Pleskac 2011….Pamela Hobson 2012….Kandi O’Neil 2014….Donna Duerst 2015….Dale Leidheiser

Non-Member 1992….Dewey Wachholz 1993….Paul Hartman 1994….Joan Lazarus 1995….Scott Cravemn 1998….Tom Zinnen 1999….UW-River Falls Ag Ed Dept 2000….Bob Williams, DATCP 2001….Doris Bass, Upham Woods 2002….Cheryl Skjolaas, Biological Systems Engineering 2003….Romelle Bymers, 4-H Volunteer 2004….Dennis Buege 2005….Ellen Taylor-Powell & Heather Boyd 2006….Dave Luciani & Jim Leser 2007….Jane Marquardt 2011….Glen Viste 2013….Kay Hobler & Peter Nordin 2015….Jackie Askins

Meritorious Service Award


Distinguished Service Award 2001) .... Donna Duerst 2001) .... Barb Barker 2002) .... Charles A. Prissel 2002) .... Katy Forsythe 2002) .... Kimberly Reaman 2003) .... Frank Ginther 2003) .... Karen Nelson 2003) .... Marie Ritscher 2004) .... Tom Schmitz 2004) .... Karen Sipple 2005) .... Jean Berger 2005) .... Penny Tank 2005) .... Marie Witzel 2006) .... Gloria Fauerbach 2006) .... Merry Klemme 2006) .... Deborah Moellendorf 2007) .... Agnes Wagner

…Debra Ivey 2008)…Annette Bjorklund 2008)…Steve Kinzel 2009)…NONE 2010) .... Connie Creighton 2010) .... Joan Wimme 2011) .... NONE 2012) .... Alissa Grenawalt 2012) .... Lori Laberee 2012)…Bernadette O’Rourke 2013)…ONE 2014) .... Jackie Johnson 2014) .... Chris Viau 2014) .... Bonnie Borden 2015) .... Kyli Brown 2015) .... Annie Lisowski 2015) .... Colleen Pulvermacher



Excellence in Animal Science Programming Team

Wisconsin Youth Livestock Program Webinars for Learning-A Wisconsin Youth Livestock Program focused on Outreach &

Technology Deb Ivey, Bernie O’Rourke,

Alissa Grenawalt, Pamela Hobson Wisconsin Livestock Learning Webinars are a new approach to supplement

educational programming for families getting started in beef, sheep, swine and

meat goat projects. This new and innovative program helped youth better

prepare themselves with knowledge of good animal management skills as well

as awareness of project opportunities.

Educational Technology Individual Skynet Junior Scholars with Whitehall Middle School

Seth Spencer Seth Spencer partnered with Whitehall Middle School to offer the S.J.S.

(https://skynetjuniorscholars.org/) telescope program to 58 students. The 8th

grade teacher believed “this was a wonderful program that pushed the

boundaries of what Wisconsin students think is possible in science and science

profession jobs.”

Excellence in Camping Team 4-H STEM Camp

Jason Hausler, Sara Donnerbauer, Jackie Johnson Introducing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concepts

and principles to elementary aged 4-H members, in grades 3rd through 5th, is

the foundation for this tri-county camp. Johnson, Donnerbauer and Hausler

work to provide a daylong camp, where members are able to explore science

via hands on activities. The camp has proven to energize county 4-H programs

with younger STEM leaders and increase the interest in STEM programming

in the region.

https://skynetjuniorscholars.org/


Excellence in Healthy Living Team Creating a Healthy Iron County

Neil Klemme, Joy Schelble, Andrea Newby, Will Andresen, Deborah Leonard, Amy Nosal

The Garden to Market club has grown from the Iron County Multi-Disciplinary

Programming initiative. Through this program youth are developing life skills such

as communication, critical thinking, problem solving, financial planning and

leadership. They are learning about local food systems through their leadership in

the School Garden and the Iron County Farmers Market. They are also learning

food preservation and various forms of agriculture in and around our community

through field trips to local growers and farmers markets around the state.

Excellence in Healthy Living Individual Lincoln County Drug Free Coalition

Deborah K. Mollendorf, Lincoln County Drug Free Coalition, Merrill Area Public Schools, Tomahawk Public Schools,

Murrary & Associates Inc., Merrill Area United Way, Optimist Club of Merrill

Sponsored by the Lincoln County Drug Free Coalition and under the leadership of

Debbie Moellendorf, the Merrill and Tomahawk Social Norms Projects use a

theoretical approach and marketing strategies to correct misperceptions about

student alcohol and other drug use. More information can be found on the coalition

website (http://lincoln.uwex.edu/p/dfc/).

Successful Program Awards - WI Recognition Only

Teaching Series—Individual Leadership Lessons

Sarah Tarjeson-Sheboygan County Leadership Lessons introduces 6 key components to understanding and developing

leadership skills in youth: Assessing Leadership Skills, Relationship Building,

Accountability, Motivational Communication, Teamwork and Followership,

Decision Making, and Setting and Reaching Goals. With these lessons and the tools

within them, we are able to broadly apply these leadership development lessons to

outreach programs, camp staff training, officer training, older youth development,

and more.



Distinguished Service Award

1954) .... Wakelin McNeal (deceased) 1958) .... R.J. Rensink (deceased) 1960) .... Harold Reinecke (deceased) 1960) .... Clarence Westfahl 1961) .... Raymond Shanklin

(deceased) 1962) .... Don Schink (deceased) 1963) .... Thomas Larsen 1963) .... Harry Papcke 1964) .... Robert Stodola 1965) .... Russell Nelson 1966) .... Alfred Finger 1966) .... Donald Schoedel 1967) .... Arthur Brehm 1968) .... Carl S. Smith 1969) .... Gerald Bretl 1969) .... Eugene Hoye (deceased) 1970) .... O. Keith Nelson 1970) .... Lowell Pierce 1971) .... Richard Hauser 1972) .... Robert Fredrick (deceased) 1972) .... Carl Gutenberger 1973) .... Alf Kirkeeng 1973) .... Charles Nikolai 1974) .... Sidney Bjorkman 1974) .... Gerald Gast 1975) .... Ivan Morrow 1975) .... Wayne Schroeder 1976) .... Norman Everson (deceased) 1976) .... Severt Olson 1977) .... Wilfred Pierick 1977) .... Gary Schlesner 1978) .... Glenn Barquest 1978) .... Frank Campbell (deceased) 1979) .... William Shaw 1979) .... Gene Rohrbeck 1980) .... Mitch Mackey (deceased) 1980)James Barthel

1981) ... E.J. Lueder (deceased) 1981) ... Dave Running 1982) ... Bonnie Herrmann 1982) ... Jack Heller (deceased) 1983) ... Walter Hitt 1983) ... Donna Menart 1984) ... Ruth Eggert 1984) ... Tamara Koop 1985) ... JoAnn Gruber-Hagen 1985) ... Tom Riese 1986) ... Jeanne Baum 1986) ... Ray Antoniewicz 1987) ... Linda Kustka 1987) ... Kay Buelke Schroeder 1988) ... Sue Curtis 1988) ... Kathi Vos 1989) ... Nancy Franz 1989) ... Dick Pederson 1990) ... Melanie Miller 1991) ... Sally Schoenike 1991) ... Tom Reinemann 1992) ... Paul Brings 1993) ... Mike Perkl 1993) ... Margaret O'Brien 1994) ... Charles N. Cropp 1994) ... Don Dukerschein 1995) ... Jim Winkler 1996) ... Kandi O'Neil 1997) ... Susan Marino 1997) ... Bob Matysik 1998) ... Denise Retzleff 1998) ... Roseanne Schleif 1999) ... Sandra Phillips 1999) ... Tim Talen 2000) ... Sue Pleskac 2000) ... Pamela Hobson 2000) ... Wayne Brabender

http://lincoln.uwex.edu/p/dfc/


Achievement in Service

1989 ...........Kandi O'Neil 2007 ......... Bernadette O’Rourke 1990 ...........Ruth (Navrestad) Schriefer 2007 ......... Kyli Brown 1991 ...........Sandra Kracht 2008 ......... Ellen Andrews 1992 ...........Sandra (Popelka) Phillips 2008 ......... Chris Viau 1993 ...........Fariba Pendleton 2009 ......... Amy Mitchell 1994 ...........Sue Pleskac 2009 ......... Judy Kennedy 1995 ...........Charles Prissel 2009 ......... Dawn Kuelz 1996 ...........Debbie Moellendorf 2010 ........ Jill Jorgenson 1997 ...........Jean Erickson 2010 ....... Jackie Johnson 1998 ...........Karen Sipple 2010 ........ Amanda Kostman 1999 ...........Francis Ginther 2011 ....... Annie Lisowski 2000 ...........Marie Lee 2011 ....... Colleen Pulvermacher 2001 ...........Blair Beacom-Deets 2011…….Heather Schmitz 2002 …….Merry Klemme 2012…….Mary Pardee 2003 ............Deb Ivey 2012…….Dean Slark Jr 2004……...Annette Bjorklund 2012 ......... Jennifer Swensen 2005……...Sharon McDowell 2013 ......... Sara Gronski 2005……...René Mehlberg 2013 ......... Sarah Tarjeson 2006……...Alissa Grenawalt 2014 ......... Sara Donnerbauer 2006……...Jessica Jens 2015 ......... Melinda Pollen 2006……...Dawn Schneider 2015 ......... Christa VanTreeck 2007……..Bonnie Borden


Successful Program Recognition

Successful Program Awards - WI Recognition Only Continued

Collaboration/Partnership-Team

8th Grade Environmental Days Seth Spencer, Lois Larson, Jennifer Lilla,

Rojean Heyer-Laseure, Randy Mell, Jake Budish A 2014 needs assessment determined that a majority of county youth feel a

sense of hopelessness and confusion about professional and recreational

opportunities. Environmental Days targets all 8th grade students throughout

Trempealeau County, and has them participate in a day-long program

involving three Trempealeau County locations; Lock and Dam #6 on the

Mississippi River, Trempealeau N.W.R., and Perrot State Park. It was decided

to use this current program to help mitigate these issues.

Collaboration/Partnership-Individual Menomonie Center of the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa

Valley Jason Hausler, Sara Antonson, Mark Anderson, Peg Kolden

Through community conversations and formal needs assessments, a gap in

afterschool programming was apparent in Dunn County. Through relationships

with school districts, employers and concerned citizens, a Boys and Girls Club

was identified as a possible solution to fill that gap. Over the course of 2 1⁄2

years, 4-H Youth Development in Dunn County worked with a steering

committee to plan, educate and secure support for a club to be established. In

October 2014, the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley –

Menomonie Center opened. With membership over 70 in just a few months,

the club will continue to grow and promote positive youth development

because of the strong partnerships in the community.


Radio Program Dawn VandeVoort-Door County

This radio program was designed as a weekly spot for WDOR, and focused on

celebrating the strong traditions and strong future of 4-H. It highlighted the

Centennial celebration and brought awareness about how 4-H has remained the

same and also changed over the past 100 years.

Educational Package—Team Monica Lobenstein, Luane Meyer, Alex Galston, Lisa Listle Seeing a need for healthy coping skills in Jackson County, partners – including

4-H Youth Development, Family Living, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Together

for Jackson County Kids – started “Raising Kids Who Can Cope.” The series

of twenty-eight research-based articles about healthy coping strategies was

distributed through radio and newspaper every two weeks for one year, then

posted to a website for continued viewing.

Promotional Piece-Individual Annie Lisowski

The promotional poster was designed, developed, published, printed and

distributed to each Kindergarten and third grade student in the four school

districts and two private schools in Buffalo County. The posters included a

4-H Clover emblem sticker. 4-H Youth Council leaders also distributed

posters in local businesses near where their 4-H club meets regularly. The

posters were also used in face-to-face booths for Child Development Day

(Kindergarten Screening), School Open Houses and National Youth Science

Day events.

Promotional Package Team

Denise Retzloff , Araceli Oswald, Noreen O’Brien Badger State Buddies book featuring the adventures of 4-H members was

written, then distributed across the state during the Wis. 4-H Centennial

year. Tools were provided for clubs to disseminate the book and to create

awareness of 4-H in their local community.

Communicator Awards


Friend of WAE4-HYDP Award

1998 .............Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau 1999 .............Hancock Agricultural Research Station 2000 .............Lorry Erickson, Country Today 2001 .............Land O’Lakes Foundation 2002 .............Professor Harv Thompson-Art Programs 2003 .............Jane Marquardt, State 4-H Office 2004 .............Linda Pribek, Horse Program 2005 .............Anne Wilder, Wisconsin Public Television 2006 .............Norb & Barb Yogerst, Washington Cty/State Shooting Sports 2007 .............Bev Behm, Dodge Cty/Clover Shop support 2008 .............Letha Kuecker, Walworth Cty/4-H Foundation/Leader Council 2008 .............Wisconsin Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation 2009 .............Kern Family Foundation 2010 .............Dr. Theron Parsons, Southwest WI Youth Survey 2011 .............Al & Janet Feucht, Brandon Meats & Sausage 2012 .............Matt Lind, UW System Legal Counsel 2013 .............Daniel Malacara, Cooperative Extension Budget Office Director 2014 .............Christine Curley, Equal Opportunity Specialist for UW-Colleges & UW -

..............Extension 2015 .............Terry Boehner State 4-H Youth Development Office Associate & Lori

..............Murphy, State 4-H Youth Development Financial Specialist


Friend of WAE4-HYDP Award

Lori Murphy & Terry Boehner

2014 was an extraordinary year in Wisconsin 4-H. The Centennial

Celebration started with the 4-H Day at the Capitol in March with over

800 youth and adults in attendance from across Wisconsin, continued

with 4-H day at the State Fair in August, and was capped with a gala

celebration of nearly 100 Hall of Fame laureates in November. Each

event was new and required enormous team effort by many colleagues.

Two members of the State 4-H Staff—Terry Boehner and Lori

Murphy—were indispensable contributors to each of the Centennial

efforts. They brought creativity and commitment as they each spent

many hours beyond their normal responsibilities. They spent evenings

and weekends tracking down descendants of 4-H founders, created and

maintained multiple event participant registrations, found rooms and

transportation for over 1000 travelers, and made sure people were fed.

They created the welcoming environment for our participants,

developed elegant written materials, and helped set the tone for the

public events that showcased the best of Wisconsin 4-H Youth

Development. Most importantly, they kept everyone calm and

organized, answering countless questions and concerns from 4-H youth,

volunteers and staff.

The success of the Wisconsin 4-H Centennial events is due in large part

to the commitment of these two outstanding colleagues and true friends

of Wisconsin 4-H.


Communicator Awards

Promotional Package—Individual Sara Tarjeson-Sheboygan County

Four 4-H Centennial Billboards and Promotional Posters promoted the local

4-H program and the Wisconsin 4-H Centennial. Each billboard was adapted

from our promotional posters, designed by our 4-H Ambassadors. Photos of

elected officials and key stakeholders were included with photos of 4-H

members participating in a variety of projects and activities. Posters were

distributed to every public and private school in Sheboygan County. These were

funded through the generous support of our friends at Acuity Corporate

Headquarters.

Educational Piece-Team

Kyli Brown, Laura Huber, Paula Hensel The Wood County 4-H “Growing your Cloverbud Program” was designed to

help 4-H Volunteers and Youth leaders better understand this K-2nd grade

program and what the role of the Cloverbud Leader is. Discovering new and

practical ways of organizing a Cloverbud meeting as well as where to find and

how to use Cloverbud curriculum.

News Story

Deborah Burkman-Walworth County Reaching Out with Science is a news story that was written to inform the

Walworth County public of the county 4-H Youth Development Program’s

efforts to reach new youth audiences through science education. It was

distributed as part of two newspaper tabloids.

Periodical Publication-Individual

Meg Sage-Sauk County After 3 months in Sauk County, Meg surveyed the Senior Leaders and with

their input, completely revamped the newsletter. Meg writes and formats the 10

page monthly newsletter (previously 30 pages every other month). Information

is included for at least two months, and instead of complete fliers, short

promotional blurbs, with web links for more information. Club leaders and

families have expressed their pleasure for the consistent and timely information

they now receive.


Achievement in Service Award

Melinda Pollen

Melinda Pollen has been with UW-Extension since 2010. During her five

years, she has served as the Outagamie County 4-H Youth Development

Educator from 2010-2013, and is currently the Brown County 4-H Youth

Development Educator. Melinda participates in multiple committees

within the program area, including Strengthening 4-H Clubs, the

Cloverbud work team, and Volunteer Orientation and Child Protection

committee, and has taken on numerous roles within the Department of

Youth Development, including Research and Publications representative

from 2010-2013 and is currently serving as the East Metro Regional Vice

Chair. She has developed a strong local presence for 4-H Youth

Development in Brown County through partnerships with schools and

organizations, and works to support and strengthen 4-H community club

programming. Melinda enjoys developing programming, writing

curriculum and loves being in a teaching role with youth and adults.

Melinda is married to her husband of 12 years, Ryan. Together, they have

four children: Nathan (9), Jacob (6), and Kayleigh and Sophia (3).


Jackie also helped spread the word about 4-H Hall of Fame inductees

by creating customized press releases that could be used at the local

level to publicize the accomplishments of 4-H volunteers and staff.

The centerpiece article about the 4-H Centennial that appeared in

Wisconsin Counties magazine was a powerful tool to share the impact

of 4-H with local elected officials. Jackie invested time in interviewing

subjects, gathering photographs, and writing the article. This piece was

an excellent representation of the breadth and effectiveness of 4-H

Youth Development programming.

Most recently, Jackie has helped develop social media campaign

materials that will help us communicate value at a time when the Uni-

versity of Wisconsin system faces budget cuts. These tools help us to

stay true to the youth development program philosophy as we engage

youth and volunteers in telling their stories of impact.

Throughout all of her work, Jackie remains cheerful and approachable.

She is always willing to support county-based colleagues as they build

their capacity to market programs and communicate effectively about

4-H programming

Non-Member Meritorious Service Award continued


Non-Member Meritorious Service Award

Jackie Askins

4-H Youth Development is a recognizable brand. When people see the

4-H Clover paired with the UW-Extension logo, we hope that they

think of a reliable and research-based youth development organization.

Jackie Askins’ efforts as a Public Information Specialist help 4-H

youth, volunteers, and staff put forth a professional image of the work

that we do in communities.

Jackie has shared her expertise with county colleagues and supported

4-H staff and volunteers in growing their knowledge of how to use

social media for program marketing. She has trained staff, adult

volunteers, and youth by teaching at Fall Forum. She has also helped

Wisconsin 4-H have a regional presence by developing marketing

materials for the e-forums.

Jackie also played a key role in the 2014 Wisconsin 4-H Centennial

Celebration. She co-chaired the overall centennial committee and

helped lead a spectacular year of celebrating 100 years of Wisconsin

4-H. Jackie was involved in each of the signature events that spanned

the centennial celebration year.

Jackie was instrumental in organizing 4-H Day at the Capitol. She

collaborated to create training pieces leading up to the event. Jackie’s

contributions helped bring over 800 youth to the Capitol Rotunda for a

memorable day that blended celebration of accomplishments and

networking with elected officials. She also contributed to 4-H Day at

the State Fair by working to involve other UW-Extension program

areas and utilizing social media to generate excitement for the event. If

your county uses the beautiful 4-H flutter flags that were distributed

last year, you can thank Jackie for her work on that project. She

supported the design of the flutter flags that have now become

ubiquitous at statewide events and are now used as a marketing

resource by county UW-Extension offices.


Achievement in Service Award

Christa Van Treeck

Christa is a very “blue” person and that shows throughout her work and

personal life. Christa and her husband Paul have three very energetic kids

that are always on the go. Their oldest son Haiden is now a 4-H

Cloverbud which has added yet another dimension to her involvement in

4-H.

Youth-adult partnerships are an area that Christa has focused on within

both the community club program and other youth development

programming. In 2009 the County Board chair approached her wanting

to start a youth in governance program. Christa worked with the county

board, school administration, local city and village officials, county

department heads, and youth to plan and implement a youth in

governance program. As a result, the Marquette County Board of

Supervisors has positions for 9 youth on the board of 17 adult

supervisors.

Christa has recently taken over the Teen Court program and partners

with youth leaders to hold bi-monthly Cloverbud Mornings. She feels

rewarded by being able to give back to the community and programs

which have shaped her character and given her the opportunities that

have brought her here today.



Kyli Brown Having had the wonderful opportunity of participating in the Wood County

4-H program as a youth member for six years, Kyli Brown was hired as the

Wood County 4-H Program Advisor in January 2001. In this role, she is

responsible for the management of the 4-H Community Club Program.

Wood County 4-H consists of 28 community clubs with approximately 900

members and 315 adult leaders.

Kyli has been instrumental in providing new and creative ways to vitalize

and empower the Wood County program during her 14 years with

Extension. One way is through the 4-H P.A.L.S. program, an innovative

group focusing on involving older 4-H youth in Promotion and Leadership

Skills. The PALS members have grown into effective teachers and

facilitators for Project Discovery Day, 4-H Awards program, Kiss a Critter

Contest, the E-Forums, Fall Forum, and Cloverbud Camps. They have been

guests on the local radio stations and a number of these teens have also

traveled to Madison to speak with local legislatures.

With over 160 Cloverbuds in Wood County, this group is responsible for

about 20% of the total membership. The Cloverbud program is the first 4-H

experience for many families and it needs to be a fun and positive one and

Cloverbud Leaders need to have the right tools to help make it that. As a

result Kyli created a Cloverbud Leader Training in the spring of 2012.

Because of these trainings, Wood County Cloverbud leaders have gone on to

co-teach with Kyli at two WI 4-H Fall Forums.

She has served on several state wide committees including: Wisconsin 4-H

and Youth Conference Planning, the “Strengthening the Vitality of

Community Clubs” work team, and Committee on Academic Staff Issues as

well as the WI 4-H Program Priorities team. Kyli currently serves the North

Central Region as co- District Representative.

Kyli and her husband Jeremy have Ian -10 and Audrey-6, both of whom are

in 4-H. She is involved in her children’s school, a volunteer for their 4-H

Club and for the Wood County Junior Holsteins club and Audrey’s Sunday

school teacher as well as a baseball coach for Ian. Kyli also spends a lot of time at her brothers registered Holstein farm, where she provides a great deal

of technology and marketing support for him to maximize his productivity in

the dairy industry.


Tennie Award

Sally Schoenike As the Dodge County 4-H and Youth Development Agent for 32 years,

Sally provided leadership for the design and implementation of a com-

prehensive 4-H Youth Development Program involving the community

club, school enrichment programs, and community outreach programs.

Her strong belief in youth as leaders and the importance of youth and

adult partnerships guided her as she worked with youth and adult vol-

unteers to make a positive impact on youth and families in Dodge

County and around the state.

Sally is an innovative teacher who is well known for her Camp Coun-

selor Training, Volunteer Leader Development, Officer Training, Rec-

ord Book Guide and Friends Helping Friends programs. She devel-

oped these programs along with a strong local club program and effec-

tive outreach programming with other youth-serving organizations.

Sally is known for meeting a variety of local needs.

Being a very involved professional with the Association, Department

of Youth Development and the 4-H Program Area, Sally has brought

many contributions to the profession including serving as a District

Vice Chair, Chair of the Professors in the Department of Youth Devel-

opment and membership on many association committees. She also

represented her colleagues on a variety of state committees including

the Strengthening the Vitality of 4-H Community Clubs work team,

Wisconsin State Fair Youth Activities Committee, Upham Woods Ad-

visory Committee and others through the years.

Sally and her family are active in local church and community organi-

zations as well as various programs that benefit youth. In retirement,

Sally plans to continue to be active in the community, get more in-

volved with the Dodge County Fair, volunteer for the Dodge County

Sheriff’s Department and volunteer with Marsh Haven Nature Center,

become more involved with Dodge County HCE and remain as a 4-H

volunteer leader. Sally and her late husband, Jim, have two children,

Laura and Kari, and reside in Ashippun.


Tennie Award

Bob Matysik

Bob Matysik served as the La Crosse County 4-H Youth

Development Agent since 1985. The 4-H club program reaches about

800 youth and enrolls 350 certified leaders. Additionally, nearly 500

youth were reached annually through after-school, short-term and

special emphasis programs. Recent programming efforts included

STEM programs such as Day Camps, Afterschool classes, Gateway

Academies and “STEM Saturdays”. Bob helped conduct the first

Statewide IW2K! (I Want to Know!) Camps. He designed a program

for at risk youth with the La Crosse Schools and Human Services

reaching over 250 youth in a challenge-based learning environment

the past 7 summers.

Bob was involved in local collaborations including the Coalition to

Prevent Risky Drinking Behavior, Youth Violence Prevention

Project, Medication Drop-off Committee, and the Community Youth

Initiative.

Bob was a member of the Foundational Topics Team and served on

many work teams including STEM, Youth in Public Leadership, Arts

and Communication, and Violence Issues teams. Bob served on the

Upham Woods Advisory Committee for 22 years. He participated in

governance by serving as a Senator, Vice Chair, member and Chair

of SRP Committee, member and Chair of the Committee of

Professors and a member of the Faculty Tenure Advisory and

Tenured Faculty Review Committees.

Bob has served WAE4-HYDP over the years as President, Treasurer,

Director, Committee Chair and as the Facilities Co-chair for the 2006

NAE4-HA National Conference hosted by Wisconsin.



Annie Lisowski The Buffalo County 4-H Program consists of nearly 450 members and

100 volunteers. Lisowski’s programming is aimed at building leader-

ship and critical thinking skills via the 4-H community club program.

Lisowski also facilitates leadership development and cultural compe-

tency through service-learning. She developed a multi-county initia-

tive to engage youth in leadership and service during travel. Lisowski

is also the initial developer of the annual YELL Conference that cen-

ters on bringing older youth together to learn about leadership.

Lisowski has also worked with her 4-H club leaders to develop an

annual Countywide Service Learning Project that engages 4-H mem-

bers in yearlong service activities and learning experiences. For exam-

ple, a recent service project resulted in the development of nearly 30

Little Free Libraries across the county maintained by local 4-H clubs.

Lisowski is a Co-Coordinator for the Buffalo / Pepin County Teen

Court and promotes restorative justice.

One significant contribution to the program was the development of

an online cyberbullying course. The course was designed to fill a need

for free sanction learning experiences, but has been utilized by school

districts and youth development colleagues nationally. Lisowski is

also is a member of the Buffalo County Partnership Council, a local

youth and adult coalition aimed at improving youth and family devel-

opment. She solely maintains the coalition’s social media presence

which averages about 1000 post reach weekly.

Additionally, Lisowski serves as an advisor to the Mondovi Commu-

nity Youth Center and the 4-H Afterschool Committee in which pro-

gramming centers on 4-H STEM experiences, literacy and math reten-

tion, and factors in developing resiliency. Finally, Lisowski is dedicat-

ed to effective supervision, coaching and mentoring in her work.



Colleen Pulvermacher

Colleen’s work focuses on building life skills and capacity of youth and

adult volunteers. The Vernon County 4-H Youth Development program

serves 535 members supported by 200 volunteers. With Colleen’s

leadership and vision, 4-H members and families have benefitted from

the complete redesign of the award process, expanded scholarship

opportunities, including development of scholarships for low-income

families, and redesign of the fundraising program, shifting the focus from

fundraising to youth leadership skill development.

Colleen is proud that youth are now serving as valued members of the 4-

H Leader Parent Federation. Colleen has structured a coveted 4-H

summer assistant pre-professional position.

Volunteer management is a priority and is carried out through Leader

Retreats, an educational program which has garnered state, regional and

national recognition. A scholarly paper on 4-H Leader Retreats was

published by the Department of Youth Development. With Colleen’s

guidance, the Leader Retreats have evolved with club leaders now

participating in teaching roles.

Colleen’s volunteer management expertise is valued by regional

nonprofit agencies and she has provided several workshops on best

practices of volunteer management.

Colleen is skilled in collaborations, leveraging grant opportunities for

expanding 4-H projects, summer programming, intern positions, teen

court, and fairground improvements.

Colleen has been instrumental in the success of Teen Court, providing

positive youth development experiences for over 400 youth that have

been served by Teen Court.

As a statewide Peer Support Facilitator, co-department head and mentor,

Colleen provides support at a number of levels for colleagues, employees

and interns.


Meritorious Service Award

Dale Leidheiser

Dale Leidheiser has experience as a lifeguard and manager of a 4-H

camp on an island in Lake Erie, program assistant in Georgia, 10 years as

an agent in Wisconsin and Colorado, 24 years as a volunteer

development specialist in Colorado, and currently as the Wisconsin 4-H

program leader.

He is most proud of his work in volunteer development and being able to

support the work of agents and educators through better resources and

processes to work with volunteers. He was among the first to advocate

for applications, reference and background checks for prospective

volunteers to ensure safe programs for children. He worked on the design

team for the middle management TAXI curriculum which jump-started

4-H efforts to more systematically work with and through volunteers in

community programs.

His work on a national multi-disciplinary team to co-author For the

Common Good: A Strategic Plan for Leadership and Volunteer

Development for cooperative extension was an effort to institutionalize

the value of volunteers to the system. And, his collaborative efforts to

develop a regional approach to on-line orientation and training for 4-H

leaders enabled them to learn about 4-H on their own time, 24-7.

Dale also advanced Character Counts education through his work on a

design team for a national curriculum, hosting a national training

conference and training thousands of people across the country. A Code

of Conduct based upon principle of character outlined behavioral

expectations for volunteers and gave staff leverage to improve volunteer

performance.

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