By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
LITTLE ROCK — The National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals has recognized University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture extension program associates for achievements in community and economic development.
TEAMWORK — Brandon L. Mathews, extension program associate for economic development for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, received the 2024 Southern Regional Winner team award for Education Materials from the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals. Left to right: Hunter Goodman, extension assistant professor for Community, Professional and Economic Development, Brandon L. Mathews, extension program associate for economic development for the Division of Agriculture, and Michelle Eley, NACDEP board president. (Division of Agriculture photo.)
The association awarded members of the division’s Community, Professional and Economic Development department with the 2024 Southern Regional Winner team award for Education Materials.
The department is part of the Cooperative Extension Service. Brandon L. Mathews, extension program associate for economic development for the Division of Agriculture, and former program associate Kamelle Gomez received the award.
The award recognized Mathews and Gomez’s collaboration on the Arkansas Business Navigator Project and its accompanying podcast. The project, which is an initiative of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, seeks to help small business owners and entrepreneurs access capital and other financial resources.
“I’m incredibly grateful to be recognized for the work we accomplished through the Arkansas Business Navigator Project and podcast,” Mathews said. “Being able to use my passion for storytelling in ways that support entrepreneurs and small business owners is something special.”
The National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals also recognized the Division of Agriculture for its Extension Health Ambassadors program, which is a partnership between CPED and the extension Family and Consumer Sciences unit. The Extension Health Ambassadors team was the runner-up for the association’s Cross-Team Award, which identifies “excellence in extension work that combines or integrates community resources and economic development activities with work in other program areas.”
The Extension Health Ambassadors program is funded by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Rural Health and Safety Education grant. The program uses an asset-based community development model, an approach that focuses on utilizing a community’s existing strengths to meet their own needs. Extension team members recruit volunteers in Mississippi, Phillips, Pope, Clark, Hempstead and Hot Spring counties and train them in the fundamentals of public health promotion and education. These volunteers then lead community health programming in their own counties, helping to extend the impact of extension health programming in rural communities.
“This strong collaborative partnership between Family and Consumer Sciences and Community, Professional and Economic Development staff demonstrates Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service’s commitment to community engagement at the local level,” said Bryan Mader, extension assistant professor of health and co-project director for the Extension Health Ambassadors program. “This ground-up approach works to assist communities in identifying and prioritizing needs using assets and resources available within and among the community and its residents.
“These approaches bridge the gap between diverse populations and improved health, and they also build capacity and human capital toward health promotion and the identification of strategies for reducing chronic disease,” Mader said.
For more information about the Community, Professional and Economic Development unit, visit their Arkansas Business and Communities webpage. To learn more about the Family and Consumer Sciences unit, visit the extension Life Skills and Wellness Resources webpage.
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.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.