Breakout Sessions and Presenter Bios

2025 All Organization Conference
Wednesday, November 12 and Thursday, November 13, 2025
Wells Conference Center, University of Maine Campus, Orono, Maine

Bridging Technology, Community, and Personal Growth for a Thriving Extension

Day 1: Wednesday, November 12, 2025

10:00 a.m. – Keynote Presentation

Building community is at the heart of every organization, but in particular, the Cooperative Extension. With its focus on forming connections between farmers and consumers, experts and learners, policymakers and citizens, the Extension plays a vital role in supporting communities of people involved in the Maine food system. But what makes a community? And how do you create and sustain one, especially in an era where most people connect through digital platforms? In this talk, Dr. Judith Rosenbaum will dive into the contemporary meaning of community. She will provide insight into the principles behind community-building, discuss under what circumstances groups of people transform into communities, and explain what this looks like both in face-to-face and online settings. This talk will provide practitioners in the field with insight into the theory and practice of building communities in online spaces.

Dr. Judith E. Rosenbaum

Speaker: Judith E. Rosenbaum, Assistant Professor of Media Studies, University of Maine

Judith E. Rosenbaum (Ph.D. Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands) has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on the theoretical foundations of mass communication, strategic communication, race, gender and the media, research methods, as well as courses on social media and digital cultures.

Her research interests include the impact of digital media on daily life, political dialogue and meaning making on social media platforms, media selection and enjoyment, and health and media usage. Her latest book, Constructing Digital Cultures: Tweets, Trends, Race and Gender, was published by Lexington in 2018.

Day 2: Thursday, November 13, 2025

11:15 a.m. – Breakout Session #1

Join a dynamic panel of Cooperative Extension colleagues as they share their journeys in setting and achieving professional development goals. From identifying the right opportunities to overcoming challenges along the way, panelists will offer insights, strategies, and real-life examples of how they’ve grown professionally within our organization. This session aims to inspire and equip you with ideas for your own development path.

Presenters:

  • Amanda Hatley, UMaine Extension Staff Coordinator
  • UMaine Extension Staff Panel

Whether you’re coordinating a farm field day, organizing a youth camp, launching a food access initiative, or managing a producer training series, project management is the behind-the-scenes engine that turns good ideas into successful outcomes. In this interactive session, we’ll explore the fundamentals of project management through the lens of UMaine Extension work. You’ll learn the key phases of a project lifecycle, from initiation to closure, and how to apply them in real-world outreach efforts across agriculture, aquaculture, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development, and beyond. No jargon, no complicated tools—just clear, actionable strategies to help you plan, coordinate, and deliver programs more effectively in your community.

Presenters:

  • Mari Glatter, UMaine Extension Instructional Designer
  • Sarah Harris, UMaine Extension Administrative Specialist

If you’ve never heard of the Four Stages of Competence (below), you’re not alone! Join this session to learn and practice the psychological learning model that describes the stages a person goes through when they build or learn a new skill, which we do – all day, every day! Understanding and identifying where we are in these stages can help us recognize where we are in the learning process – and maybe to give ourselves a little grace and space too!

Red Light – Unconscious Incompetence: “I don’t know what I don’t know”
Orange Light – Conscious Incompetence: “I know what I don’t know”
Yellow Light – Conscious Competence: “I know how to do it, but it takes effort”
Green Light – Unconscious Competence: “I do it without thinking”

And the Four Stages of Competence are also helpful when working with others, who are also on their own learning journeys. If we can get curious about what stage other people might be in, we are more likely to meet them there with patience and flexibility. Understanding and awareness of competence levels can enhance meetings, lessons, trainings, workshops, and generally improve communication with those we live, work, and collaborate with in this game of life!

Presenter:

  • Lucille Wess, Director, Maine Agricultural Mediation Program

1:45 p.m. – Breakout Session #2

Take time to focus on your own growth during this interactive workshop. Using a practical goal-setting template developed by UMaine Extension HR, participants will walk through how to define, plan, and activate a professional development goal. HR team members will be on hand to guide you through the process and answer questions. Whether you’re just getting started or refining an existing goal, this session will give you tools and support to move forward.

Presenters:

  • Amanda Hatley, UMaine Extension Staff Coordinator
  • More presenter info coming soon!

Ready to turn your project management skills into action? This session offers a hands-on introduction to using Asana, a user-friendly project management tool that can help streamline your Extension work. You’ll learn how to build projects, assign tasks, track deadlines, and collaborate with teammates—all in one place. We’ll walk through real examples tailored to Extension settings, from organizing a multi-county 4-H event to managing a community food systems project or on-farm demo series. Whether you’re new to digital tools or looking to enhance your team’s coordination, this session will show you how Asana can bring clarity and structure to the important work you do every day.

Presenters:

  • Mari Glatter, UMaine Extension Instructional Designer
  • Sarah Harris, UMaine Extension Administrative Specialist

This is the part two of “The Games Our Minds Play; Tools to identify and communicate through conflict, bias, and stress in this Game of Life!” We will utilize tools from the Intercultural Development Inventory during this workshop on conflict management.

Presenters:

  • Jessica Decke, Director of Tanglewood Camp
  • Tara Marble, 4-H Youth Development Professional
  • Alisha Targonski, 4-H Youth Development Professional