Extension Leadership Team Meeting Minutes June 20, 2024

October 3, 2024 ELT Minutes, News

Extension Leadership Team Meeting Minutes
Date: June 20, 2024
Time: 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Location: Blueberry Cove

Facilitator: Beth Hawkyard
Note taker: All

Please note: Due to the confidentiality and sensitivity of some agenda items, these ELT minutes do not represent the full content of each meeting.

Meeting Focus

Agenda items relate to one of these three goals with corresponding action items and/or priorities.

  • Make Extension a sustainable, equitable, purposeful and enjoyable place to work
  • Work on structural, (county offices, staffing patterns), cultural and leadership issues that will lead to this
  • Focus on employee experience
  • Restructure Extension
  • Right size based on budget
  • Mission delivery that is current, and responsive to changing demographics/community needs
  • Overall efficiency and effectiveness
  • Define focus areas
  • Make PFAS a priority for Extension (define what this means; not necessarily a piece of everyone’s job, but an organizational priority nevertheless).

Check-ins

Jason/Hannah

  • Hannah
    • Working with UMSIT on the website issues.
    • FY25 Budget challenges
  • Jason
    • EDEO – had 30 applications and move 10 forward with video interviews
    • The Seafood Specialist candidate has accepted the position. Estimated start date July 15, 2024.

 Jim

  • Ag Council of Maine Tour: Progressing
  • Part-time Fort Kent position update

 Jon

  • 2025 POW approved by NIFA
  • Staff salary information requested by Waldo County Government
  • Planning & Reporting Update – I’ve prepared a flow chart based on conversations with Jason and others that summarizes the draft new planning and reporting. I will provide some narrative detail for discussion at our July ELT meeting.
  • AEDs in county offices – Jon will survey county offices
  • No Provost Annual Report this year (so no push for related data collection from staff)

 Lisa

  • Waldo County 4-H Professional Search
  • EDEO Search
  • Working on staff evaluations

 Michael

  • Budgetary Challenges: Meeting next week with Central Finance Office
  • June 1: Financial Education Update; Sept 1 Goals (Hold)
  • ORA: Chris Boynton/Matt Currier Looking into PI Grant Management – Gaps in education to manage grants in a timely manner
  • Special Case: CYFAR – Timely Communication, Planning
    • ORA has no known cases beyond this of “Treasury Authorization Expiry”– please communicate as soon as possible if PI is notified of a similar situation

Ryder

  • Staff training for summer staff
  • Personnel issues
  • Payroll
  • 4-H Foundation
  • Direct Admission for 4-Hers
  • New Balance Foundation meeting July 11

Beth

  • Staff Coordinator position – accepted!
  • 4-H Camps seasonal staff training – revised sessions from CE HR & DEI
  • Upcoming PD:
    • Staff Development Committee’s quarterly PD newsletter – please share any PD opportunities!
    • NAEPSDP’s Virtual Summer School – Program Development Through the Lens of Access and Belonging July 8-12, 3-4pm EST
    • Working with Interpreters; making arrangements, best practices, etc. – whole team coming together on this! EFNEP, Maine Families, etc.
  • June 26-27 attending in-person workshop; UNH’s Leadership Skills for Supervisors: From Boss to Role Model, Coach, and Mentor – to add to the development of supervisor training

Alisha joined us to discuss DEI updates and requesting feedback on:

  • Highlight the need for consistent registration data across multiple systems (Salesforce, Z-Suite and Ultracamp)
  • Hannah to confirm with Alisha our involvement in learning circles in ELT meetings
  • The need to highlight the need for consistent registration data across multiple systems (Salesforce, Z-Suite and Ultracamp)
  • Share the whys, suggest training to remove any tech barriers, learning new system
  • Creating the ELT as a “Learning Circle” to undergo DEI training.
  • The Learning circle sessions will be developed this summer- typically in these sessions we look at the Intercultural development continuum- which ranges from Denial and Polarization, to the transition orientation of minimization, to Acceptance and Adaptation. And often we will review how these orientations might show up in your programs and work. It might be worth examining these orientations through organizational management, leadership, and supervisory roles. The two main things
  • Any pushback you’re getting and the need for maybe a message from Hannah that she is supporting what you are doing.
  • Heads Up that we’re going to be sharing our draft Gender and Sexuality Inclusion Policy for the Workplace and Programs a lot more widely
  • A parallel effort to look at data security and the need for more of a policy (the person working on it is Matt Thomas so he’s deeply connected to some relevant staff)

ELT Meeting Schedule for 2025

We created our regular monthly ELT schedule for 2025. for 2025 ELT meetings. Angela will schedule these.

Discussion Items

Needs Assessment Next Steps

Jason updated the ELT on the Needs Assessment, including his continuing work with our consultants, and the development and finalization of three reports:  organizational, programmatic, marketing. The Needs Assessment will help inform the new Organizational Planning and Report System.

Cost Recovery

The ELT is continuing to explore cost recovery structures in Extension in which staff will need to evaluate true costs of program with the goals of prioritizing programs, and covering increasing costs and/or decreasing budgets.

Extension Emergency Response and Risk Management Update

Jason, Lisa, Bob and Hannah met in June to discuss next steps in Extension’s Emergency Response and Risk Management procedures. We encourage all employees to ensure emergency contact information is accurate (MaineStreet, personnel data information form).

July Meeting

Annual Evaluations and Promotion Processes

Angela will join us in the afternoon to share her processes on annual evaluations and professional promotions. We continue to hear that some of the evaluation and promotion processes are not consistent across the organization.

Announcements & Congratulations

Grants Announcements (None, see previous minutes)

Search & Hire Updates

*accurate as of 6/28/24

Searches

 REQUESTED

  • PFAS Navigator Coordinator (DACF)
  • PFAS Navigator 1
  • PFAS Navigator 2
  • Early Childhood Program Professional, Blueberry Cove (paused)

 INITIATED / JOB DESCRIPTION & REQUEST TO FILL IN PROGRESS

  • Administrative Specialist CL3, Cumberland (finalizing RTF and JD, almost ready to submit)
  • Wild Blueberry Extension and Research Professional, Penobscot (Orono) (waiting on chartfield confirmation from Chris Coplin)

 WAITING FOR APPROVALS IN HIRETOUCH/Oracle

  • PFAS Research Coordinator, Penobscot/Orono
  • Extension Agricultural Engineer Professional
  • Assistant Extension Professor and Aquatic Animal Health Specialist (will go through Oracle)

ADVERTISING, ANTICIPATING APPLICANTS

  • Administrative Specialist CL2, Aroostook-Fort Kent
  • Parent Educator/ Maine Families Visitor Cumberland/Sagadahoc Counties
  • Farm Operations Technician CL1, Aroostook Farm (Extended review date)
  • Community Education Assistant CL2 4-H, Kennebec (part-time, partial backfill Alisha Targonski’s work)
  • Administrative Specialist CL3, Kennebec (declined, reposted)
  • Assistant Extension Professor of Horticulture and Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, Penobscot (reviews unsuccessful, need to repost)
  • 4-H Community Education Assistant CL2 (part-time), York (interviews unsuccessful, will repost in Oracle in July)

INTERVIEWING / OFFERING

  • Executive Director of Extension Operations, Penobscot/Statewide
  • Youth Development Professional 4-H, Waldo

HIRED

  • Community Education Specialist CL2 4-H, Hancock, Tess Hureau (6.4)
  • Staff Coordinator, Penobscot, Amanda Hatley (7.1)
  • Assistant/Associate Extension Professor and Seafood technology and Food Safety Specialist, Penobscot, Gulsen Evrendilek (7.15)

2024 ELT Meeting Dates

Dates Facilitator Notes Location
July 17 Jackson All Cumberland – Falmouth
August 21 Phelps Prichard Aroostook – PI
September 16 Prichard Scott Zoom
October 8-9 Carter TBD Millinocket Retreat
November 20 Scott Arndt TBD
December 17 Arndt Bailey Oxford County