By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Faculty and staff at the Cooperative Extension Service celebrated a successful year of serving Arkansas families and communities— from starting Crittenden County’s first farmers market to creating professional development opportunities to teach college students about agriculture in Arkansas.

The extension service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, recognized employees for their excellence and innovation on Dec. 2 during its annual employee conference at the state office in Little Rock.

WINNER — Cooperative Extension Service Director John D. Anderson (right) congratulates Brad McGinley on being named 2024 Employee of the Year (Division of Agriculture photo).

John D. Anderson, extension director, commended this year’s winners for their excellence and innovation and commitment to the Division of Agriculture’s mission of strengthening agriculture, communities and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices.

This year’s winners, who were nominated and selected by their peers, include:

Employee of the Year – Brad McGinley
Grant County Extension Staff Chair Brad McGinley was named Extension Employee of the Year. In his 20-year career, McGinley has worked as an agriculture agent in six counties, including Grant County for the past decade.

“Brad has spent years building programs in agriculture and 4-H and has done a lot of innovative work,” Anderson said. As an example, Anderson cited the Grant County 4-H Steak-Out event that raised $40,000 to help Grant County 4-H members attend camps, activities and events. “It’s a model for how to generate support for 4-H,” Anderson said.

Earlier this year, McGinley stepped in as coordinator of the SeaPerch program. This year’s contest was the largest with 66 teams from across the state. McGinley took four Arkansas 4-H teams to the international competition where they competed against 174 teams. One of the Grant County teams placed second.

“I’m extremely humbled to receive this award for doing a job every day that I love,” McGinley said.

State Team Award — Arkansas Future Ag Leaders Tour
The Arkansas Future Ag Leaders Tour is a five-day professional development opportunity for undergraduate juniors and seniors pursuing agriculture or ag-related majors. The students travel around the state to learn about careers in Arkansas’ No. 1 industry. They also network with potential employers and learn about issues and policies impacting Arkansas farmers and the agriculture industry.

The program started in 2019. The team includes Rachel Bearden, Hot Spring County extension agent; Jesse Bocksnick, 4-H and youth development; Leigh Ann Bullington, Family and Consumer Sciences educator; Mike Daniels and Lee Riley, both with Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences; and Julie Robinson, Lisa Davis and Keith Harris, all with extension’s Community, Professional and Economic Development unit.

Innovation Team Award — Crittenden County Farmers Market
Before this past summer, Crittenden County residents had to drive to Memphis, Tennessee, to get to the closest farmers market because the county lacked one of its own. Crittenden County extension agent Morgan Chrestman and Mishanna Lanes, a health program associate, established the Crittenden County Farmer’s Market to meet that need. The market operated for four months in 2024 and gave residents access to healthy foods. Their work was part of the Arkansas High Obesity Program, which works to lessen obesity in 11 rural counties, including Crittenden.

Early Career Award for State Extension Faculty— James Mitchell
James Mitchell, assistant professor for agricultural economics and agribusiness joined extension during the COVID-19 pandemic and developed critical programs when the beef supply chain was experiencing significant economic disruptions. His integrated extension and research program “Marketing, Risk Management and Policy Strategies for Southeastern Agricultural Producers” has delivered significant outcomes to stakeholders.

“One of Dr. Mitchell’s most impactful contributions has been his work on feed cattle market policy, which has directly influenced policy positions at both the state and national levels,” Anderson said.

Early Career Award for Program Technician/Associate — Brandon L. Mathews
In his role as program associate for economic development, Brandon Mathews serves as the program manager for the Division of Agriculture’s University Center for Rural Resilience and Workforce Development. Mathews leads the day-to-day operations and coordinates training and technical assistance, collaborates with research partners, and tells the story of Arkansas’ eight economic development districts. Mathews also has consulted entrepreneurs and small businesses in Central Arkansas through the Arkansas Community Navigator Program. Last year, he helped establish an emergency assistance center for small businesses in Cross County that were affected by the spring tornados in Wynne. This year, he co-leads the Capacity Building through Grant Writing Training program.

Early Career Award for Project / Program Administrator — Rebekah Hall
Rebekah Hall, a content writer in the communications department, works with faculty and staff throughout Extension to produce stories that show the impact of extension outreach through agriculture, 4-H, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Community, Professional and Economic Development programs.

Early Career Award for State Support Staff— Khaliah Coleman
Khaliah Coleman has worked for Extension since 2022 – first in the horticulture department, then in the development office, and currently as executive assistant for 4-H and Youth Development. In all three areas, she helped streamline administrative processes to improve efficiency.

Scholarship Recipients
Four extension employees received scholarships to further their education and professional skills. Kristin Higgins, program associate in the Public Policy Center, and Rebecca Simon, Family and Consumer Sciences instructor, received the Lynn R. Russell Endowed Award of Professional Excellence.

The Mildred and Liz Childs Professional Development Fund Scholarship was awarded to two individuals working in Family and Consumer Sciences: White County agent Katie Collum and Heather Wingo, health program associate.

Service Milestones
Extension also recognized employees for length of service. Martha Thorpe, an administrative assistant in Communications, was honored for 50 years of service.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.