Progress in the New Year
by Marlin Bates, Dg. Co. 
County Extension Director
Two months in, 2022 has brought us much to celebrate at K-State Research and Extension – Douglas County. In January, we ushered in a new Executive Board of the Douglas County Extension Council for 2022. One of the final acts of the 2021 Executive Board was to interview candidates for the Horticulture and Natural Resources Agent. One of the first acts of the 2022 Executive Board was to interview for the Agriculture Agent position. We celebrated the 22-year career of Margaret Kalb as the Douglas County Fair Board Executive Secretary and we sent Susan Farley off to a well-deserved retirement after serving as an Extension Professional with K-State Research and Extension for 44 years.
We have also welcomed several new faces into our office in 2022 and helped some of our existing staff transition into new roles. But we're not done just yet. In March, we'll be interviewing for a new 4-H Youth Development Agent and we'll announce a new Agriculture & Horticulture Program Assistant position. In short, we will emerge from the pandemic poised to exert new and different energy into the communities across Douglas County and we couldn't be more excited about the possibilities.
Our Executive Board is energized, too. To capitalize on the opportunities that come along with the changes we've experienced in staffing, they recently engaged in a strategic planning process. Those conversations have been fruitful in building a shared appreciation of our past and vision for our future – with you at the center. At the same time, our Program Development Committees are setting plans for 2022 to ensure that our efforts align with community needs and capitalize on the collective resource that our staff and the larger Land Grant University system represent.
I encourage you to spend some time exploring the contents of this newsletter where you will meet members of our Executive Board, learn about upcoming events, and consider timely advice. Throughout its contents, this newsletter is an invitation for you to join us as we work to achieve our mission – the way we have for over 100 years, but with a contemporary look and feel.
