NACDEP Member Spotlight - February

Getting to Know NACDEP’s President-Elect, Trudy Rice

“I am most excited about the opportunity to work with outstanding Extension professionals from across the United States as we work together for the benefit of NACDEP members,” stated Trudy when asked about her upcoming President-Elect appointment June 2016. “As I move into the role as President I do believe that I will have a better understanding about the needs of our membership and what might need to be a focus of NACDEP in the future to better serve our membership.”

Trudy is currently serving as Kansas State’s Community Development Specialist and State Program Leader for Community Vitality. The Extension program has 4 state level staff and a group of 24 Community Vitality Extension faculty state wide. Her specific program interests include partnerships and facilitation/strategic planning. Following along those lines, she is currently developing a Master Community Facilitator program similar to Master Gardeners or Master Food Volunteers.

As an extension agent, Trudy has served Kansas residents for over 32 years improving the quality of life where they work and live. In her own words, she didn’t choose to be a community developer; however, it “evolved” over time. “I have always had a passion to serve my community as a volunteer and as the local county extension director I began doing more and more community development programming which started as convening important people to discuss important issues and come up with creative solutions,” said Trudy.

Trudy feels she was meant to live in the rural mid-west and work with rural communities, “I am a Kansan that loves our state and happen to believe that we have the best Extension program in the nation.” Still, she does enjoy new learning experiences and travel. She served as the Extension Fellow to National Association of Counties in Washington, DC for a year and would like to travel to Cuba to see the “unknown and forbidden”.

Trudy considers her significant strengths to be hard work, sincerity, and determination as well as her friendly and approachable manner. Those qualities have served the citizens of Kansas well over the past years. “I believe that I will provide NACDEP with creative leadership and a passion for the profession of Cooperative Extension Community Vitality Education,” Trudy said. NACDEP is privileged to have her stepping into the President-Elect role in June. Her experience and desire will enrich NACDEP’s members and strengthen NACDEP’s mission.