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Faces of ACES Featured Image

Who are the Faces of ACES? They are the 4-H agents working to build tomorrow’s leaders. They are the educators helping farmers recover from a disaster. They are the experts creating a healthier Alabama. They are even the researchers looking to change the world. Yes, the Faces of ACES are many and ever changing. These educators take the university to the people, bringing practical ways to better our homes, farms, people, and communities.

Join us throughout 2023 as we highlight the many Faces of ACES as they work to extend knowledge and improve lives!


Janice HallMeet Janice Hall – County Extension Coordinator

Hello! I am Janice Hall, and I am the county Extension coordinator for Macon County. I started my time with Alabama Extension in 1997 as a program assistant with the Nutrition Education Program. Soon after, I worked as a food safety and quality regional agent. Now, as a county coordinator, I serve my community in multiple program areas, including food safety and quality as well as community workforce, leadership, and economic development.

What is the best thing about ACES? Alabama Extension has hands of outreach that cover every area of our community’s life. We are a trusted resource of information that youth, adult, and senior citizens value and look to for guidance in the area of food safety, business startup, farming, youth development, finance, health and nutrition, future planning, and agriculture. We serve with no strings attached.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? The most interesting locations that I have visited are Nantes and Paris, France. The cities were beautiful and displayed a culture similar to ours, yet different in their own way. Aside from the beauty, what I remember most was the culture of walking. I walked a marathon distance while there. The meal portions were small, but the croissants, hot chocolate, and strawberries were delicious. I just couldn’t stop eating the chocolate, but it was OK because I walked it off. Their food safety regulations varied, as they sometimes do in the states. There was a wealth of outdoor food markets with beautiful, fresh produce. From this experience, I have used many pictures in programming and shared many food safety stories in my classes.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? I like being creative. Many people may not know that I like to bake and decorate cakes. I started baking by standing in the chair in the kitchen with my mom. She allowed me to make a mess while learning. As a child, my go-to cake to bake for the holidays was a 7-Up cake. I eventually advanced to a red velvet cake. As an adult, I took some cake decorating courses from a scholarship offered through the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service Employee Organization, Inc. From those classes, I have been able to inspire and teach others the art of decorating. I have hosted many workshops over the years, using icing creations and fondant. It is pretty rewarding to see youth and adults come to the workshop that never have decorated a cake before and leave with a beautiful cake. The pictures they share from their next creation and businesses started just make me smile.

What is the most challenging part of your job? The most challenging part of my job is not having enough financial resources to do all I want to do for Macon County. It is more work to generate revenue one sponsor or donation at a time, but I get it done. I appreciate those that have contributed to every opportunity we are able to provide for the community. Community partnerships help make it happen!

Learn More About Janice Hall


Norma Gardner

Meet Norma Gardner – Morgan County Administrative Support

Hola! I am Norma Gardner, and I am the administrative support associate for the Morgan County Extension office. I have been working with Alabama Extension since 2021. My main role is to help people find information on the many services that our office provides. Here at Extension, we are trying to bridge the gap between languages. Being fluent in both English and Spanish helps me in my role to provide Extension resources to the Spanish-speaking community that is on the rise in our area.

What is the best thing about ACES? Some of the best things about Extension are the wealth of information that is available to the communities that we serve and that our doors are always open to serve them.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? While in college, I was one of the members of our university fencing team at Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda (Francisco de Miranda Experimental National University) in Falcon, Venezuela. We were medalists at the college nationals games, as well as the youth national games. Also, after college, I practiced Taekwondo for a couple of years.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? I have many hobbies. I love to do several types of crafts such as macrame, sewing, crocheting, upcycling furniture, and fixing stuff. I also like to garden, bonsai, and I love reading.

Learn More About Norma Gardner


Adam MaggardMeet Adam Maggard – Associate Professor and Extension Specialist

Hi, I am Adam Maggard! I have worked with Alabama Extension as a specialist since 2017. Through this role, I serve two program areas: forestry, wildlife, and natural resources and farm and agribusiness management. I am also an associate professor in the Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment. With Extension, my work is centered around forest systems management, focusing on forest business and financial decision-making.

What is the best thing about ACES? Growing up, I saw firsthand the differences Extension makes. I value being able to be a part of that, assisting and positively impacting landowners, networking, and creating connections and relationships with stakeholders and landowners.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? I have a few: the Redstone Arsenal United States Army post in Huntsville, Alabama, the cross-laminated timber mill in Dothan, Alabama, and the US Capitol Building and White House in Washington, D.C.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? I enjoy spending time outdoors, hunting, fishing, golfing. I also like traveling and sharing new experiences with my wife, Kristi, and our son, Brooks. Those activities are extra special to me right now, because I am enjoying spending quality time with my son and getting to see his first experiences going with me to fish and hunt.

Learn More About Adam Maggard


A picture of Andrea Tarnecki on the beachMeet Andrea Tarnecki – Assistant Extension Professor

Hello, I am Andrea Tarnecki! My role with Alabama Extension is a little different than other specialists. I am an assistant Extension professor, but I am located at the Auburn University Shellfish Laboratory on Dauphin Island. I started with Alabama Extension and Auburn University in 2021 as one of the lab’s researchers. My research focuses on hurdles encountered by the oyster aquaculture industry in our region. In particular, I research topics relating to oyster health and disease as well as seafood safety.

What is the best thing about ACES? I love that Alabama Extension provides the opportunity to build connections with members of the community. It’s also wonderful to be able to share the wonders of shellfish with other people!

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? I have worked with many different species of animals during my career, including sharks, stingrays, manatees, sea turtles, various species of freshwater and marine fish, algae, and shellfish.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? Some of my favorite activities include boating, fishing, hunting for shark’s teeth, and spending time with my husband and dog.

Learn More About Andrea Tarnecki


Jody Thompson along the coast of Mobile BayMeet Jody Thompson – Outreach Administrator

Hello from Alabama’s coast! I am Jody Thompson, and I am an aquatic resources outreach administrator at the Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center. I began working for Alabama Extension in 1999, almost 25 years ago. With Extension, I have the privilege of working with municipalities and other stakeholders to build more sustainable communities, helping them mitigate impacts from flooding and other natural hazards.

What is the best thing about ACES? Alabama Extension has a reputation for providing unbiased, science-based information. Our strong commitment to this mission has allowed me to gain the trust of stakeholders of all types and beliefs, leading to many successful projects in my career and allowing me to help Alabama residents.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? I jumped out of an airplane, and I snorkeled with blue whales.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? My husband and I love to travel and have been lucky enough to travel extensively. We have visited over 15 different countries including Poland, Hungary, and French Polynesia. We plan to visit Iceland for the first time this year. Japan and Africa are on our bucket list.

What is the most challenging part of your job? Although everyone along the coast experiences the impacts of floods and storms in some way, it can be challenging to communicate the importance of rules and measures and to facilitate consensus among stakeholders to adopt measures that can help their resilience in the long term. It is exciting for me to achieve that, knowing my work has helped improve the quality of life and environment for the residents I serve.

Learn More About Jody Thompson


Izette McnealyMeet Izette McNealy – Regional Extension Agent

Hello! I am Izette McNealy, and I am an Alabama 4-H regional Extension agent for Jefferson County. Over the last 20 plus years, I have had the privilege of working with Alabama’s young people as they participated in 4-H programs. I originally worked in the medical field, but after 10 years in a fulfilling but taxing position, I was thrilled to become part of the 4-H family, where I get to see young people grow into strong, wonderful adults.

What is the best thing about ACES? One of the best things about Alabama Extension is that it is more than just an outreach education system. The people that work within ACES are part of a family.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? One place that I loved visiting is the mountaintop of Guntersville.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? I love to bake cakes from scratch.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? Outside of work, some of my hobbies include going to Zumba, gardening, couponing, dancing, and traveling.

What is the most challenging part of your job? 4-H summer camp is one of the most popular activities that we have. It is always hard having to tell a 4-H member that 4-H camp is full.

Learn More About Izette McNealy


Rachel SnoddyMeet Rachel Snoddy – County Extension Coordinator

Hi there! I am Rachel Snoddy, and I serve as the county Extension coordinator for Chambers County. I started my time with Alabama Extension in 2011 as an Alabama 4-H regional agent. Since becoming a county coordinator in 2019, I continued my work with 4-H, but I have also been involved in several community workforce, leadership, and economic development projects.

What is the best thing about ACES? The best thing about Extension is getting to make a difference in the lives of our residents. Whether it’s taking youth on trips to places they have never been, teaching skills to youth that can help them in their future, or increasing health access to rural communities, I have so enjoyed seeing programs I’ve worked with make a difference.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? From attending conferences to chaperoning 4-H trips, I have been able to travel many times with Extension. I loved visiting Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado the most. Both places have beautiful sights to see.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and dogs. I also love to travel and see new places, but don’t get to get away as much as I’d like to.

Learn More About Rachel Snoddy


Becky BarlowMeet Becky Barlow – Associate Dean and Assistant Extension Director

Hello! I am Becky Barlow, and I am the Alabama Extension assistant director for agriculture, forestry, and natural resources programs. I also serve as the associate dean for Extension within the Auburn University College of Agriculture. Before becoming the assistant director in 2022, I started my career at Alabama Extension in 2007 as a forestry specialist in the Auburn College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment.

What is the best thing about ACES? The best thing about Extension is we get to work with the citizens of Alabama and give them the tools to make their lives better.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? Oh, wow. That is a difficult one to decide. My top five are probably the Redstone Arsenal, the Natural Bridge in Winston County, Auburn University’s Rural Studio, the Escambia Experimental Forest near Brewton, and getting to see how Golden Eagle Syrup is made in Fayette.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? I have a goal of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in sections. I only started in the last year, but I have completed almost all the trail in Georgia.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? I enjoy doing creative things, like art, sewing, writing, and cooking. I also love outdoor activities like hiking, camping, kayaking, and ice skating.

Learn More About Becky Barlow


Rishi PrasadMeet Rishi Prasad – Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist

I am Rishi Prasad, a crop, soil, and environmental sciences assistance professor and specialist with Alabama Extension, where I have worked since 2017. Through my position, I get to work with many different areas of agriculture, including row crops, cattle, poultry, and commercial horticulture, just to name a few. In all these areas, my job specifically centers around nutrient management and environmental stewardship.

What is the best thing about ACES? The best thing about Alabama Extension is we provide science-based and bias-free information and education to all residents of the state and the nation.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? Outside of work, I like to travel and explore new places, but my favorite place Extension has taken me for work is Gulf Shores.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? At one time, I wanted to become a NASA scientist and explore Martian soils.

What is the most challenging part of your job? The most challenging part of my job is finding practical answers for real-world problems that affect several dimensions of agricultural production systems.

Learn More About Rishi Prasad


Wesley AndersonMeet Wesley Anderson – Associate Professor and Extension Specialist

Hi, I am Wesley Anderson! Since 2021, I have worked as a forestry and wildlife sciences specialist with Alabama Extension. As a part of my job, I work with all sorts of wildlife, but I specifically work with nuisance and backyard wildlife as well as managing human and wildlife interactions. I’m also involved in citizen science and environmental education programming through Alabama Master Naturalist.

What is the best thing about ACES? The best thing about ACES is definitely the people. I have some fantastic colleagues, but it’s not just them that makes the job. I also value the chance to speak with so many members of the public, answer their questions, and help them solve their wildlife problems.

What is the most interesting location that you have visited while working for ACES? The most interesting location I’ve visited so far was an old treehouse on a property out in Pike Road. The owner was complaining about vultures roosting around the treehouse. I went to investigate and found two baby black vultures inside.

What is a fun fact about you that nobody knows? In 2013, I lived for seven months in Uruguay while teaching English as a foreign language to businesspeople.

What hobbies do you have outside of work? I enjoy traveling, cooking, gardening, hiking, keeping exotic pets, and paddling. My most memorable recent paddle was on the Tallapoosa River, from Horseshoe Bend to Jay Bird Creek, while the lilies were blooming.

Learn More About Wesley Anderson


Faces of ACES Steve LiMeet Steve Li – Associate Professor

I am Steve Li, a weed scientist with Alabama Extension. I started work with ACES in February 2015. My program specialty areas include peanuts, invasive species, forages, pastures, right-of-ways, forestry, woody ornamentals, and turfgrass. I recently started working alongside farmers to introduce the use of agricultural spray drones.

What is the best thing about ACES? One of the best things about Extension is having the opportunity to work with growers to resolve their on-farm issues. I am also excited to contribute to the industry and make a difference in famers’ operations.

What is the most challenging part of your job? Working at Extension offers the challenge of finding new ways to improve the livelihood of all Alabamians.

Learn More About Steve Li


2022 Faces of ACES

Alabama Extension professionals and those we impact are prominently featured in magazines and other media outlets. Below are some Faces of ACES we have recently featured, highlighting the work they do.