The following resources are from the March 5, 2022 Extension Council Conferences. You will find the breakout sessions listed by topic. Each breakout session has a recording of the live session, as well as a link to the presentation slides. A few workshops also have additional handouts.
County Finances
- Insurance and Risk...What's a County to Do?
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Presented by: Brian Hughes, Sales Vice President/Higher Education Practice Leader, AssuredPartners Learn how you can manage and reduce your county’s insurance exposures. Topics to be explored include: cyber/data risk, special events, food exposures, the dreaded pandemic implications, as well as some interesting claim examples throughout the years (and how you can avoid getting on this list). And learn who to call when you need help with various insurance issues!
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- Lessons Learned: County Audits and Financial Controls
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Presented by: Bryan Whaley, Director of Field Operations - North, Sara Pinckney, Jones County Extension Council & IECA Board Member, and Dien Judge, Monroe County Extension Council Chair Are you using fiscal policy to safeguard your extension district? Explore ways to decrease financial risks by improving the financial controls utilized by staff and council members. Learn how your county audit can inform improved financial practices.
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Programming
- Creating Powerful County Partnerships for 4-H Success
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Presented by: Iowa 4-H Youth Development staff: Mitch Hoyer, Assistant Director, Mike Anderson, State Ag and Natural Resources Program Manager, and Ben Pullen, Senior Field Manager Lots of staff, volunteers, boards, and committees are involved in a successful county 4-H program. Sometimes that makes it difficult to know who does what, but communication and common understanding are the keys to success. This session will help clarify roles and responsibilities between 4-H staff, volunteers, extension councils, youth committees, and fair boards.
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- 4-H Youth Development Program Committee Handbook
- Agreement for Collaboration: Ongoing 4-H Programs
- Agreement for Collaboration: Short-term 4-H Programs
- Positive Youth Development Guidelines: Behavior & Rule Management for Fairs and Events
- Regional Directors and Youth Program Specialists Working Together
- How Can MyData Help Councils Program Plan, Set Goals, and Evaluate
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Presented by: Phil Heckman, MyData Database Coordinator and Jay Harmon, Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources MyData implementation began a year ago, but what does it mean for councils? The information inputted by county staff into MyData is a treasure trove of numbers that can help your extension council both program plan and reach new audiences. Learn what reports are available from your county or regional director to help your council get direction for future planning.
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- Making Connections with Iowans through Human Sciences
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Debra Sellers, Director, Human Sciences and Barbara Woods, Story County Extension Council Member What are effective ways to connect with Iowans now and in the future? Let’s explore that question together, using Journey 2030, Human Sciences Extension and Outreach’s strategic sustainability plan, as our roadmap. Our objective is to share ideas and find ways to strengthen collaboration to uplift the mission of empowering Iowans to live their best lives.
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- Making Extension Better: Engaging Diversity to Help Us Serve All Iowans
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Presented by: Regenea Hurte, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor for Extension and Outreach and Paul Gibbins, Region 16 Director What does it take to ensure a county extension program is reflective of its population and is accessible for all Iowans? The session will help council members think through the broader spectrum of diversity and how leaders can set a tone and utilize the nominating process to encourage both staff and community members to trust and want to engage with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Participants should gain actionable steps to begin to impact their counties.
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Personnel
- Creating a Positive Work Environment
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Presented by: Andrea Nelson, Associate VP for County Services and Jennifer Vit, IECA Executive Director Extension districts are oftentimes "benefit rich and salary poor", or vice versa. What can your council do to provide a positive working environment for your employees? Learn how you can think outside the box to attract and keep employees who might be looking for different qualities in a job than they did a decade or two ago. We'll also share tangible things you can do as a council member to connect with county employees and maintain a happy office.
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- Governance vs Supervision
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Presented by: Katharinna Bain, Region 19 Director, Brooke Blessington, Region 24 Director, RaeAnn Gordon, Region 13 Director How can councils work with their regional director to provide supervision of employees? The three models of Structured for Success provide day-to-day supervision of county staff. Learn the role of a council in terms of governance and supervision. Hear how councils, county directors, and regional directors each fit into the supervisory picture. Discuss how to work with your regional director for a win-win as it relates to extension district employees.
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- Hiring, Firing, and Managing Staff - Advice from a Panel
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Councils are responsible to work with regional directors to hire and manage staff. Occasionally there's also a need to address performance issues or personality conflicts in the workplace, or remove a staff member from their position. Learn what you should and should not do as a council - what questions can you ask or not ask, how do you set up a performance improvement plan, what steps should your council take to terminate employment? How do you handle personnel complaints or complaints about personnel? This lively discussion (including a lawyer and a regional director) will cover a variety of options for handling difficult personnel situations.
This webinar can be found on the password-protected Legal Resources page.
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- Is This Legal?
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This session will summarize the most frequent questions councils ask Whitfield & Eddy Law. Real life, anonymous scenarios will help council members understand their obligations as employers, open vs closed meetings, investigations, pandemic responsibilities, suspected fraud, remote work, and more.
This webinar can be found on the password-protected Legal Resources page.
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Council Operations
- Conducting Public Council Meetings
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Presented by: Gary Taylor, Director, Community and Economic Development and Luke Seaberg, Community & Economic Development State Specialist Why can't we all go for coffee after the council meeting? Through the use of scenarios, you'll get an overview of the Open Public Meeting laws. Get guidance to respond to citizen requests for council records, going into a closed session, and accommodating comments from the public. Also, learn the guidelines for socializing with fellow council members outside of meetings.
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- Efficient, Effective, & Engaging Council Meetings
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Terry Janssen, Region 7 Director Struggling with three-hour meetings or to get quorum? Learn the steps a council can take to streamline meetings for better effectiveness, how to use a consent agenda, and what items merit extended discussion.
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- Getting the Word Out
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Cindy Gannon and Julie Hlas, Advancement Specialists "Will someone please tell me what to say?" How do you tell people in your community what Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does? What do you say as an ambassador for ISU Extension and Outreach about the benefits for Iowans? Network with others across the state as you talk through what to say in your communities. Find out how to get the tools you need.
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- Presentation Slides
- We are Iowa's 99 County Campus video
- The Extension Professional Creed video
- 2023 Impact Report
- County Stakeholder Reports
- Extension Engagement Essentials Zoom Series (link to come)
- Is This Legal?
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Kay Osvig, Attorney, Whitfield & Eddy Law This session will summarize the most frequent questions councils ask Whitfield & Eddy Law. Real life, anonymous scenarios will help council members understand their obligations as employers, open vs closed meetings, investigations, pandemic responsibilities, suspected fraud, remote work, and more.
Resources
- Making Extension Better: Engaging Diversity to Help Us Serve All Iowans
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Regenea Hurte, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor for Extension and Outreach and Paul Gibbins, Region 16 Director What does it take to ensure a county extension program is reflective of its population and is accessible for all Iowans? The session will help council members think through the broader spectrum of diversity and how leaders can set a tone and utilize the nominating process to encourage both staff and community members to trust and want to engage with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Participants should gain actionable steps to begin to impact their counties.
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- Using Technology in Meetings
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Brian Webster, Extension Information Technology How can technology increase efficiency of meetings or allow greater audience reach? We'll showcase different tech devices, when and where they work well, and how to get the best value for your money. Items will include stationary equipment for a meeting room, desktop resources for staff, and mobile equipment that might help extend your reach.
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