Cleveland County Seats New Extension Advisory Council

— Written by Greg Traywick | March 20, 2023 (Updated: March 20, 2023, 1:04 p.m.)

N.C. Cooperative Extension in Cleveland County has seated a new County Advisory Council that will focus on advocacy and programming at the county level. The fourteen (14) County Advisory Council members were selected to represent the diversity of program interests, geographic areas, and populations in the county. They are charged with:

Ensuring that our programs and services are aligned with the interests and need of local citizens, and that our work produces meaningful impact.
Advocating for N.C. Cooperative Extension with local elected and appointed officials, ensuring that we have the necessary staff and fiscal resources we need to serve our clientele.
Increasing Extension's visibility in the local community, helping us grow our audience and serve more citizens.

a room set up for a meeting with people seated at combined tables.

The County Advisory Council met with Extension staff on March 18, 2023, electing Susan Allen as Chair, Jason Falls as Vice-Chair, and Matthew Greene as Secretary. Updates included announcement of a $100,000 planning grant from the NC Division of Environmental Quality to address stormwater issues on a proposed public garden site, and the need to explore options for a consolidated agricultural service center to house N.C. Cooperative Extension, USDA Farm Service Agency, Cleveland Soil & Water Conservation District, USDA Rural Development, and the NC Forest Service.

Follow-up meetings will be held on June 9 and August 11 to further engage the members in their important advisory and advocacy roles.

Council members are: Susan Allen, Jason Falls, Johanna Gillespie, Matthew Greene, Miles Hamrick, Robbie Henderson, Thomas Lewis, David Marshall, Tamra Moody, Jamie Petty, Phyllis Phillips, Jean Ann Privett, Emily Sisk, and Andrew White.