On Behalf of Bill Nobles:

• Miscellaneous items
• From your Peaks and Plains Regional Meeting planning committee
• Executive Assistant Announcement – by Lou Swanson
• Peaks and Plains Positions
• Public Information Leadership Development (PILD) Conference

Miscellaneous items

• New Staff Orientation online is off and running for the last 8 weeks. There is an expectation that new staff take part in the webinars, modules, and homework. If you have any questions or feedback contact the committee or your regional director and let us know.
• Congratulations to Blake Osborn, Peaks and Plains Water Specialist, a committee member of the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum “The Color of Water”. It was a very successful program in Salida this past month.
• Thanks to Mark Platten for giving an excellent Diversity Catalyst Team presentation at CEAC in Denver where he generated a great discussion. He did a very nice job of getting the diversity goals across to the group.

From your Peaks and Plains Regional Meeting planning committee – Mick Livingston, Lacey Mann, Chris Shelley, Mallory Sikes, Michael Fisher, Joan Jordan and Bill Nobles

See you all at the regional meeting next week!

• When…..May 10-11; our schedule has us starting at 10 a.m. on the 10^th and ending at 4 p.m. on the 11^th.
• Where…..Pueblo; Holiday Inn Express located at 4530 Dillon Drive, call (719)542-8888 or (855)799-6861 for reservations.
• What…..Here is a little of what you can expect: 3 to 4 guest speakers, fun lunches, awards and more. Click here for the Agenda.

 Executive Assistant Announcement – by Lou Swanson

The State office is undergoing a series of personnel shifts within Extension as well as new folks joining us.

Yvonne Bridgeman will start next week as my Executive Assistant. She does not know us very well, at least not yet, but will come to know each of you. I am very pleased that Yvonne is willing to work with you and me. We are, and especially I am, very fortunate she chose to join us.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Lori Bates for all she put up with me over the past six years. It may not be very apparent from afar, but Lori has been an extraordinary, wonderful person to work with on almost a daily basis. My calendar and travel has not been easy to manage yet Lori has done so with what seems great ease, with a welcoming hello, a smiling voice on the phone and a genuine engagement with everyone she meets that lets you know she is pleased to be working with you. As you know, Lori will continue to work in the State Office as the new Assistant Director for HR. Thank you Lori for taking such good care of me and ignoring my many foibles. I will miss our seemingly continuous emails and phone calls.

Peaks and Plains Positions

• Congratulations to Marlena Griesse the new 4-H Youth Development Agent in Crowley and Otero Counties, in Ordway who started May 2.
• Congratulations to Kelly Roesch the new Area Agronomy/Cropping System Extension Agent in Lamar who started May 2.
• Extension Agent-Family and Consumer Science, Pueblo County interviews are May 26^th and 27^th in Pueblo.
• Peaks and Plains Regional Extension Specialist, Sterling Regional Engagement Center, Sterling, CO – Range Management interviews are May 23^rd and 24^th in Sterling and Fort Collins.
• Congratulations to Aimee Kanode who will start as the new Morgan County Youth and Horticulture Coordinator on May 11.  She presently works as a marketing person for Colorado Wheat in Fort Collins, but has worked for FSA in Sterling and will receive her master’s degree prior to starting the position.  She was in FFA as a State Officer and 4-H in Phillips County.
• We are in the process of developing a new Small Acreage Management Specialist position with NRCS. They will be joining John Rizza and Jennifer Cook as a team. They will be located more than likely in Cañon City at the NRCS office. We look forward to this venture with NRCS to add an individual in the area of small acreage management with focus on forestry, irrigation, pasture and weed management. The objective is to get someone placed by fall of 2016.

Public Information Leadership Development (PILD) Conference

On April 11-13, five Extension colleagues attended the Public Information Leadership Development conference in Washington, D.C. In addition to speakers and workshops, Judy Barth, Jan Carroll, Christy Fitzpatrick, Trent Hollister, and Deb Lester made visits to Congressional offices on the Hill. Staffers took the meetings for Rep. Lamborn and Sen. Bennet, while our delegations met personally with Rep. Tipton (along with 4-H’ers also in DC) and Sen. Gardner. Extension Administration provides support to our professional associations to send members to this meeting. In 2017, it will be the week of April 3^rd.