Community health coalition program earns Hancook Award

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A program that focuses on building awareness for better community health coalition work has been awarded the Purdue Cooperative Extension Specialists Association's top award.

The Ann Hancook Award recognizes Extension educators and specialists who develop programs that focus on families. The award was presented Thursday (Oct. 15) to the Community Health Coalition Capacity Building Issue-Based Action Team during the Purdue Extension Professional Development Conference annual luncheon.

The Community Health Coalition Capacity Building IBAT was formed in 2012 to build awareness of community and county health coalition work, build the skill set of Purdue Extension educators so they can enhance the effectiveness of local partnerships and coalitions, and evaluate the work that has been done.

Since the initiation of the team, 43 educators have reported healthier communities because of the coalition's work.

Team members are Jan Dougan, county Extension director and health and human sciences educator, Dubois County; Stephanie Faroh, nutrition science Extension specialist and NEP trainer (and former health and human sciences educator in Kosciusko County); Emily Roth, HHS educator, Monroe County; Susan Sigworth, community coach/NEP communications and social media specialist; Lisa Staten, associate professor and department chair for social and behavioral sciences at the Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI; Janet Steffens, HHS educator, Floyd County; Edie Sutton, HHS educator, St. Joseph County; and Donna Vandergraff, nutrition science Extension specialist.

The award is named in honor of the late Ann Hancook, who was a Purdue Extension program leader. Sponsors are the Indiana Extension Educators Association, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Specialists Association and the Alpha Lambda chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Extension honor society.

Other awards presented:

* Team Award: Indiana Horticultural Congress and Trade Show - Purdue team of Roy Ballard, agriculture and natural resources Extension educator, Hancock County; Janna Beckerman, fruit pathology Extension specialist; Bruce Bordelon, viticulture and small fruit specialist; Lori Jolly-Brown, Purdue horticulture and landscape architecture events and communications coordinator and IHC administrator; Christian Butzke, enology specialist; Dan Egel, vegetable and specialty crop pathology specialist; Rick Foster, fruit and vegetable entomology specialist; Peter Hirst, tree fruit Extension specialist and Hort Congress chair; Liz Maynard, vegetable and specialty crop production specialist; Scott Monroe, food safety Extension specialist; and Amy Thompson, county Extension director and ANR educator, Monroe County.

* Early Career Award: Aaron Patton, associate professor of horticulture and turfgrass Extension specialist.

* Career Award: Freddie Barnard, professor of agricultural economics and agricultural finance Extension specialist.

* Leadership Award: Corey Gerber, director of the Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center. 

Writer: Chelsea Clodfelder, 765-494-2722, cclodfel@purdue.edu 

Sources: Jason Henderson, 765-494-8489, jhenderson@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Photos of award recipients will be posted at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/extension/awards/ when they become available.

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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