Scott Slattery
From helping communities address the state’s housing crisis to leading collaboration to enhance the outdoor economy, CED wins accolades
Over the past couple of months, members of UNH Extension’s Community and Economic Development Team took home three awards, including a national award from the National Association for Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) Conference held in June in Houston, Texas. Two other staff won awards from Extension and the University of New Hampshire. Each of the awards recognizes outstanding work and accomplishments relative to scholarly and creative activities and evidence or collaboration with others who help meet community development needs. The following are the awards:
- Excellence in Community Development Team Award: This award—presented at the National Association for Community Development Extension Professionals Conference in Houston, Texas—went to Sue Cagle, Scott Slattery, Nate Bernitz, Trish Prescott, Mike Polizzotti, and Becky Levy for their work on the Housing Academy, a curriculum aimed at teaching New Hampshire Housing Opportunity (HOP) grant recipients how to engage community members in discussion around local housing policy, how to set priorities, and how to expand housing opportunity. The program, which reached participants from over 70 cities and towns, was administered in partnership with the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs.
Amy Loader, Jada Lindblom, James McKane
- Maynard and Audrey Heckel Extension Fellowship. Jada Lindblom was this year’s Fellowship winner for her work in forming the “Developing Interconnections for Regional Trails” (DIRT) collaborative. The Heckel award recognizes Cooperative Extension Educators for exemplary program accomplishments achieved through innovative and creative approaches to meeting educational needs of New Hampshire Citizens in a manner that engages faculty beyond traditional disciplines or demonstrates strong local leadership in support of Extension programs. While Jada led the effort, Michael Polizzotti, Shannon Rogers, Emma Tutein, Patricia Prescott, and Rachel Carrow supported the collaborative.
Amy Loader, Charlie French and James McKane
- Excellence in Collaborations and Partnerships Award: At the Extension annual picnic, Charlie French was recognized for his work leading multi-stakeholder collaboratives across the state, including the development of the New Hampshire Digital Equity Plan. This effort, done in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs the National Collaborative for Digital Equity, the Digital Equity Research Center, sought to identify statewide strategies for expanding household internet access to underserved populations across the state, as well as access to the range of of critical services that high-speed internet enables, from access to educational resources to health care in rural areas.
