"UNH - Sea to Sky: Research to Outreach" is a statewide event for all staff to learn about new programs, gain new knowledge, improve skills and interact with colleagues. The focus of this year’s conference is the current research taking place at UNH. The date is May 19, and the place is the Memorial Union Building on the UNH campus in Durham.

All staff are invited to participate in this professional development conference and I anticipate your full involvement that day. You can register at the conference Web site now.

Our keynote speaker will be Gary Hirshberg, chair, president and "CE-Yo" of Stonyfield Farm of Londonderry. For the past 25 years, Gary has overseen Stonyfield Farm’s phenomenal growth, from its infancy as a seven-cow organic farming school in 1983 to its current $320 million in annual sales.

A New Hampshire native, Gary has won numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership, including Global Green USA's "1999 Green Cross Millennium Award for Corporate Environmental Leadership." He was named "Business Leader of the Year" by Business NH Magazine and "New Hampshire's 1998 Small Business Person of the Year" by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Gary’s company seeks to deliver a product with a purpose (organic yogurt for healthy people and a healthy planet), not unlike UNH Cooperative Extension’s mission to deliver a product with a purpose (education to improve the lives of New Hampshire citizens).

The Awards Committee is preparing special presentations at our lunch session, including the Maynard and Audrey Heckel Extension Educator Fellow Award. Plan to arrive in plenty of time for check-in and refreshments, the registration table opens at 8:15 am outside the Granite State Room of the MUB. The conference starts promptly at 9 am and concludes at 3:45 pm. Lunch, and an ice cream social during the raffle of our beautiful baskets at the end of the day, are all included.

We ask all staff to complete the online form even if they are presenting a workshop or are excused from attending the conference. We are offering eight dynamic workshops in the morning and five inspiring tours in the afternoon. Space is limited in several of the tours, so sign up early to get your first choice. Workshops and tours are on a "first come, first served" basis.

Register by May 8. Please pay special note to the parking information and a map on our conference web site.

The UNH Bookstore will again offer all conference participants a 10 percent discount on books (non-textbook), clothing, and gift items if you are wearing your Extension name tag.

Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for its excellent work in designing this educational and fun-filled event. Members are Wendy Brock, co-chair, Sue Cagle, Darrel Covell, co-chair, Tim Fleury, Michele Gagne, Lynn Garland, Gail Ramsey, Thom Linehan, Deb Russell and Holly Young.