AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — The Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s commitment to transforming lives was on full display at the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences’ annual conference. Held Oct. 20-23 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Alabama Extension teams walked away with seven national and regional awards and recognitions.

National Awards

Showcasing the power of partnerships, Michelle Puckett, Jill Wachs, Megan Jones and Mitzi Clayton won the first place National Excellence in Teamwork Award. The team members all represent different Extension program areas — including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education, 4-H, Home Horticulture and Barbour County Extension, respectively. Through their combined forces, they organized Farmer’s Walk, which gave students the unique opportunity to meet local food producers and learn the importance of healthy eating.

The SNAP-Ed and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program teams achieved major national recognition with their Move Alabama project. This physical activity challenge won the first place National Marketing Package Award and third place National Health and Wellness Award. Move Alabama encourages Alabama residents to be more active in their communities throughout March and April.

The recent passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill stopped funding for SNAP-Ed programming nationwide. Erin Reznicek, an Extension specialist and former SNAP-Ed team coordinator, said winning these awards as the program ended is a bittersweet moment.

“These honors are a meaningful reminder of the incredible impact our SNAP-Ed team made in communities across Alabama,” Reznicek said. “This recognition celebrates the dedication, creativity and heart our educators poured into helping families live healthier lives.”

The marketing award team members include Reznicek, Theresa Mince, Melanie Smith, Beth Reeves, Kyra Hutchinson, Sofia Sanchez, Katie Funderburk, Torie Ennis, Puckett, Kristen Sanders and Sherri Mulder. The health and wellness award winners also include Reznicek, Mince, Smith, Sanchez, Funderburk, Ennis, Puckett, Sanders and Mulder, as well as Sondra Parmer and Amy Sorter.

In addition to the team awards, two Alabama Extension professionals were honored with individual national awards. Darlene Minniefield, an Extension urban health and wellness regional agent, represented Alabama as the state’s Distinguished Service Award winner. Janet Johnson, a food safety and quality Extension agent, was the state’s Continued Excellence Award winner.

Southern Region Awards

In addition to the national honors, two Alabama Extension projects won a National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences Southern Region award.

Mulder won the third place Southern Region Innovation in Programming Award for her work with the Randolph County Learning Center. Through several sessions, Mulder taught adults with varying abilities the importance of eating healthy and engaging in regular exercise.

The third place Southern Region Food Safety Award went to the Building a Food Safety Training Program to Empower Disadvantaged Producers in Alabama project. After seeing a need in Black Belt communities, this project team worked with farmers to ensure they knew all the requirements related to food and produce safety to be a farmers markets vendor. Team members include Janice Hall, Camila Rodrigues, Anthony Pinkston, Evelyn Crayton, Millicent Braxton, Bridgette Brannon, Rebecca Catalena, Johnson, Alice Moore, Billy Mitchell, Alfreda Murdock Williams, Margaret Barse and Aimee Lewis.

More Information

The National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences is the professional organization for Extension family and consumer sciences programs across the country. Their mission is to recognize those that make an impact on the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

Connect with an Alabama Extension expert by visiting a county Extension office or visiting aces.edu.