Leadership and Liaisons

As a chair of just one subcommittee planning for the NEAFCS 2016 conference, I have admired our two co-liaisons Tara Andrews and Sheila Friedrich.  I think it takes some true dedication (and bravery) to volunteer for the co-liaison positions.  Tara and Sheila are coordinating with the national team to prepare an NEAFCS conference.  I took a little time recently to catch up with Tara and Sheila, and to interview them about the conference-planning experience.

Tara M. Andrews

MSU Extension Cluster County

1010 Main St.

Miles City, MT 59301

406-874-3370 Office

406-852-0020 Cell

It’s quite an undertaking to be co-liaisons for NEAFCS annual conference.  What made you interested and decide to take on the project?

Tara:  The reason having the National meeting in Montana appealed to me, first, and foremost, because I really wanted to show off Montana, MSU and our Extension Service and the professionals in our state. We have great programming that is very diverse in our state. I was also ready to take on a new challenge in my career and this definitely fit the bill. Early in my Extension career, we hosted the NAE4-HA Conference in Billings, Montana, and it really brought the Montana agents together as a cohesive group. Because we are a small system, in terms of employees, it takes all of us to pitch in and work together to do something so big.

Sheila Friedrich

MSU Extension Sheridan County 

100 West Laurel Avenue

Plentywood, Montana  59254

(406) 765-3406

sfriedrich@montana.edu

Sheila:  I was excited about the prospect of having an NEAFCS Conference in Montana and showing off our state and Montana State University.  It was with Tara’s urging that I decided to jump on board.  We knew we would work well together and thought it would be a fun and rewarding experience.

How long have you been with Montana State University Extension?

Tara: This is my 25^th year with MSU Extension.

Sheila: I started my job with MSU Extension on December 2, 1981, so almost 35 years.

How many NEAFCS conferences have you attended?

Tara: have attended four NEAFCS conferences, and some of my most impactful programming came from ideas that got sparked during a NEAFCS conference.

Sheila: I have attended conferences in Wichita, Kansas, Providence, Rhode Island, Lexington, Kentucky and the last I attended was the conference at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.

Any standout learning experiences or memories from other conferences to share?

Tara:  When the NEAFCS meeting was in Denver I went to session on kids cooking and brought it back to our community with some variations. We offer our Chef School to second and third graders.  It is taught by our 4-H teens and we use the FCS room at the high school. The kids make an entire meal and then sit down and eat it. We work on nutrition, cooking skills, manners and food safety. I think we are in our eighth year and we offer 2 to 3, two-week sessions a year.  They always fill within the first few days after the announcement.

Sheila:  In Kentucky, I went on a tour to the University Butcher Shop.  They have a great facility for teaching and meat processing.  The morning we went they had harvested hogs and we got to see various parts of the inside of a hog.  It was very interesting.  And, of course, the beautiful Greenbrier Resort will always be a great memory -- such an amazing property in a beautiful state.

What value do you find from attending?

Tara:  The value of attending the National Conference is the range of ideas you come home with and, of course, meeting colleagues from other states and learning about their programming.

Sheila:  Getting new program ideas and networking with colleagues from all over the U.S.  At the past couple of conferences, it has been a great pleasure to get to know the National Officers, National Board and Cindy and Jody from the National Office.

What do you think will be unique about the Montana conference experience?

Tara:  I think the Montana experience will be unique because of the beautiful environment, and the chance to enjoy the outdoors in a lovely and breath taking location. We hope to give a relaxing Western flair to the entire meeting.

Sheila:  Location, location, location.  Big Sky is in a beautiful area of Montana.  Our Welcome Event promises to be unique and very fun.  The list of in-depth sessions is diverse and will provide opportunities to check out the Montana lifestyle.

To mix business with pleasure, if attendees have time to DISCOVER any Montana treasures, which ones would you recommend?

Tara:  If you can only visit one place when you come to Big Sky be sure to visit Yellowstone National Park. It is one of my favorite places on earth, and my husband and I visit it at least a couple of times a year. The park is so varied – with thermal features, wildlife, peaks and large meadows and lots of opportunities to get out and walk or just enjoy the scenery as you drive through.

Sheila:  Yellowstone Park and/or Chico HotSprings.  There is so much to see and do at these places and both are located close to Big Sky.

Thanks so much to Tara and Sheila for their efforts on this conference and to ALL who contribute, so that we can ENGAGE and CONNECT to improve the ways we serve others as Extension professionals.