Empowering Educators to Co-create Community Partnerships | Integrating Evidence-Based Practices to Increase Program Impact

I am a Professor of Practice in the Crop and Soil Science Department in the College of Agricultural Science. In my work, I create professional development opportunities and context-specific resources for extension faculty and other educators that support the use of evidence-based approaches to instructional design, learner-centered teaching strategies, and data translation into actionable information.

My goal is to empower educators to co-create intentional, outcome-based partnerships with their communities. To leverage our collective teaching and learning experience, I lead the Extension Teaching Network. I also conduct applied research and publish on educational development frameworks that result in shifts in how educators co-design and co-teach adult education programming. Please contact me if you would like me to lead capacity-building programs with educators and other professionals at your institution.

Areas of focus

Professional Development: I provide capacity-building programs to support educators in expanding their knowledge of the science of learning and building skills in instructional design and learner-centered teaching. I also provide individual or team consultations on teaching and learning specifically for those leading outreach with their communities.
Collaborative Extension Projects: I engage in research and education projects with others around the Western US and internationally to support producers in becoming more emotionally resilient to climate-related stress and grief and enhancing the adoption of sustainable farming and ranching practices. My interests also include expanding the reach of educational initiatives through developing approaches to co-creating relevant programs with producers and other community members.
International Research and Service: As an accepted Fulbright Specialist, I will share expertise outside the US through a collaborative project. With two colleagues, I co-developed an OSU study abroad program with the Royal University of Bhutan. In September 2025, the OSU cohort experienced connecting with students and faculty at the College of Natural Resources. The course explored gross national happiness and the connections to Buddhism, Bhutanese culture, and rural livelihoods.
Extension Teaching Network: I lead monthly Zoom meetings with guest presenters to provide a venue for sharing teaching and learning insights and to demonstrate new tools that enhance engagement.

Publications and Resources

Community-centered Extension Planning, Design, and Teaching

A Rubric for Self-Assessment of Extension Impact Statements (in press, The Journal of Extension)
Redefining Learner-centered Education to Build High Impact IPM Partnerships: A Post-Project Impacts Case Study (2024, USDA Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education Program)
Improving Extension Instructional Design Using Learner-Centered Templates (2021, The Journal of Extension)
Increasing the Reach of Integrated Pest Management Partnerships (2021, OSU Extension Service)
Adaptive Learner-Centered Education: A Toolkit for Extension (2016, OSU Extension Service)
Adapting an Outcome-Based Education Development Process to Meet Near Real-Time Challenges to Sustainable Agricultural Production (2015, The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension)

Weathering the Storm: Building Resilience in Rural Farming Communities Amidst Climate Change (accepted, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development) invited manuscript
Understanding and Living with Climate Grief and Climate Stress for Farmers and Ranchers (2024, Pacific Northwest Extension Publication)