KEYNOTE: Plants Always Win – Telling Kids the Story of Our Leafy Friends!
Vikram Baliga

Vikram Baliga is a horticulture professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. He has a Ph.D. in horticulture and teaches hundreds of college students every year about plant science and the environment. His research and educational interests are in water conservation, urban agriculture and landscapes, and resource sustainability. Vikram is the author of Plants to the Rescue, a non-fiction book for middle-grade readers about the ways plants and plant science are helping in our fight against pollution, hunger, and climate change. He’s also the host of the Planthropology and In the Grow podcasts. When Vikram isn’t telling people about plants, he spends his time hanging out with his family, making cool things in his woodshop, or taking pictures of stars, bugs, and beautiful landscapes.

KEYNOTE: Harvesting Health Globally and Locally: The Effectiveness of Garden-Based Programs for School-Age Children
Ariun Ishdorj

Ariun Ishdorj is the Regional Director at the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University. Since joining the Texas A&M in 2009, Ariun has taught over 3,000 undergraduate and 500 graduate students, and served on the thesis and dissertation committees of 48 graduate students, chairing 21 committees. Ariun’s dedication to education has earned her the 2018 Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Educational Enrichment and Innovation, and the Association of Former Students Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teaching, at both College and University levels in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Ariun has extensive experience in statistical modeling and analysis of big data, with research emphasis on food and nutrition policies and interventions. She has successfully published in top journals in her field and secured over 18 million in research funding.

KEYNOTE: Bikes, Butterflies, and Learning Through Adventure
Sara Dykman

Sara Dykman is the author of Bicycling with Butterflies, which follows her 10,201 mile bicycle adventure alongside the migrating monarchs. She currently works in amphibian research, and plans to one day embark on an amphibious adventure to speak for the frogs. She hopes her past adventures—walking from Mexico to Canada, canoeing the Missouri River from source to sea, and cycling over 80,000 miles across North and South America —will empower young and old to dream big.

Lisa Whittlesey

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,
Junior Master Gardener Program Coordinator

Lisa serves as the program director for the International Junior Master Gardener program and has been an invited speaker to over 285 regional and national conferences and her recent work has focused on utilizing the Junior Master Gardener program (Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curricula) as an intervention as a part of a 5 year USDA AFRI funded Extension and Research project focused on child and family interventions for obesity prevention.  In additional to her work with the JMG Program, Lisa provides leadership to horticulture programming, staff development/management and as a PI federal contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Windham Schools – TDCJ, and with Lee College prison programming efforts. Lisa is a lecturer for the freshman university course AGLS 125, guest lecturer for floral design and socio-horticulture classes at Texas A&M University and does educational videos for the public through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension social media outlets.

Randy Seagraves

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Junior Master Gardener Curriculum Coordinator

Randy is an Extension Program Specialist & Curriculum Director for the International Junior Master Gardener program. A former 3rd grade teacher in College Station ISD, Randy is the lead author of 8 JMG® curriculum guides, including the new, evidence-based Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! curriculum. He guest lecturers for horticulture and education courses at Texas A&M and has been a guest host for the Weekend Gardener television segment for local CBS affiliate in College Station and regularly speaks at regional, state and national conferences across the country.

Leticia Rodriguez

Teacher, Baker Montessori
Houston, Texas

I am a Montessorian teaching at Ella J. Baker K – 8th grade Montessori school in Houston, Texas. My love of nature and gardening has always been a part of the background of my life but became a central part during the pandemic. My brother and Texas A & M graduate, Emmanuel Rodriguez, helped me build a home garden. After his initial teachings, I began thriving in this gardening world. I made my plot at the Houston Botanic Garden a memorial garden for my grandfather. Then, I began at Baker Montessori in 2021 and met Simone Roemhild. Simone and I then got to work to clean the gardens and create the Baker Botanic Club. Last year we were introduced to Learn, Grow, Eat, Go during and HISD training and have used it to not only get students excited about agriculture and nature but as a means to ground themselves. There is a peace and calm that comes with gardening and being outside. They are measuring, learning elapsed time, weather, language, and loving the process of growing their own food.

Melinda Souers

Extension Agent II – 4-H Youth Development
UF/IFAS Extension – Orange County
Orlando, Florida

Melinda is the Orange County 4-H Agent supporting STEM, Healthy Living, Workforce Readiness and School Enrichment programs. She is also a Florida 4-H alum and 4-H mom.

Jessica Eves

Garden & Cooking Educator/Coordinator
Darnall Charter School
San Diego, California

Jessica Eves has been an educator for over 20 years, but the last two years she has been a full-time garden and cooking educator for the School Garden program that she created. Showing kids how to grow food and use it to make simple recipes is one of her favorite aspects of the program. She has been running a Jr. Master Gardener program for the last three years to help build student leaders to support the garden and help run their Give to Grow Program, a community service program where they give families everything they need to grow food at home.

Coach Melinda Stringer. M.Ed.

PE Coach and Garden Leader
Mannsdale Upper Elementary
Madison, Mississippi

Coach Stringer is the PE Teacher at Mannsdale Upper Elementary and provides leadership for the MUES Growing Better Citizens Garden Project

HANDS ON with JMG Teacher Guide & Youth Handbook
Randy Seagraves

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Junior Master Gardener Curriculum Coordinator

This session will include everything you wanted to know about the elementary level JMG Teacher/Leader Guide & JMG Youth Handbook, The session will give you in-depth working knowledge of the comprehensive, JMG “Core Curricula,” you’ll get a chance to become familiar with many of the popular, proven JMG lessons you could use with a group of kids next week, YOU will have an opportunity to take part in a LIVE HANDS ON activity during during the session, AND before the session closer there will be a drawing (from attendees in the room) for a  FREE JMG Teacher/Leader Guide & JMG Youth Handbook DOOR PRIZE.

Randy is an Extension Program Specialist & Curriculum Director for the International Junior Master Gardener program. A former 3rd grade teacher in College Station ISD, Randy is the lead author of 8 JMG® curriculum guides, including the new, evidence-based Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! curriculum. He guest lecturers for horticulture and education courses at Texas A&M and has been a guest host for the Weekend Gardener television segment for local CBS affiliate in College Station and regularly speaks at regional, state and national conferences across the country.

HANDS ON with Literature in the Garden and the Wildlife Gardener curriculum
Lisa Whittlesey

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,
Junior Master Gardener Program Coordinator

This session will include everything you wanted to know about both the popular Literature in the Garden curriculum and the Wildlife Gardener curriculum developed for use with elementary students. Literature in the Garden will help you to cultivate a connection to children’s literature & gardening with this award-winning curriculum. You’ll be engaging children through powerful garden and ecology-themed children’s books to inspire learning through outdoor activities, creative expression and open exploration. Dozens of hands-on math, science and language-based activities encourage leadership development, individual responsibility, community involvement, and the development of critical thinking skills. With Wildlife Gardener, your students will gain a greater understanding and strengthen appreciation for the wildlife that is part of their local community. Your class will enjoy novel, hands-on, project-based learning as they have fun gardening for wildlife.
And your class will work and learn together to create components of wildlife gardening habitat.
The session will not only provide great familiarity with the engaging format and many of the lessons that make up these unique curriculum options, but YOU will also have an opportunity to take part in a LIVE HANDS ON activity during the session AND before the session closes there will be a drawing (from attendees in the room) for a FREE JMG Operation Thistle and a FREE Wildlife Gardener and Literature in the Garden curriculum DOOR PRIZES.

Lisa serves as the program director for the International Junior Master Gardener program and has been an invited speaker to over 285 regional and national conferences and her recent work has focused on utilizing the Junior Master Gardener program (Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curricula) as an intervention as a part of a 5 year USDA AFRI funded Extension and Research project focused on child and family interventions for obesity prevention.  In additional to her work with the JMG Program, Lisa provides leadership to horticulture programming, staff development/management and as a PI federal contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Windham Schools – TDCJ, and with Lee College prison programming efforts. Lisa is a lecturer for the freshman university course AGLS 125, guest lecturer for floral design and socio-horticulture classes at Texas A&M University and does educational videos for the public through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension social media outlets.

HANDS ON with JMG Learn, Grow, Eat & GO!
Randy Seagraves

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Junior Master Gardener Curriculum Coordinator

This session will equip and empower you to effectively implement the popular, evidence-based Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! curriculum with your class! Created by teachers, this standards-based, multifaceted school garden curriculum is fun and academically rich. Through a linear set of hands-on, proven lessons, your students step through process of establishing a thriving garden that is easy to create and maintain! but YOU will also have an opportunity to take part in a LIVE HANDS ON activity AND before the session closer there will be a drawing (from attendees in the room) for a FREE Learn, Grow, Eat & Go! curriculum DOOR PRIZE.

Randy is an Extension Program Specialist & Curriculum Director for the International Junior Master Gardener program. A former 3rd grade teacher in College Station ISD, Randy is the lead author of 8 JMG® curriculum guides, including the new, evidence-based Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! curriculum. He guest lecturers for horticulture and education courses at Texas A&M and has been a guest host for the Weekend Gardener television segment for local CBS affiliate in College Station and regularly speaks at regional, state and national conferences across the country.

HANDS ON with the Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go curriculum
Julie Boyle

Junior Master Gardener State Coordinator, University of Nebraska Extension

Randy Seagraves

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Junior Master Gardener Curriculum Coordinator

This session will help you to grow a classroom of thriving students, the new Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go curriculum that combines rich plant/garden learning, food exposure, fun brain- & body-boosting physical activities, AND novel parent/school community engagement in a fun, teacher-friendly format! Save planning time with this step-by-step, 4 week unit that equips teachers with daily engaging lessons, group activities, and journal prompts that lead your class to create a simple, thriving vegetable garden. Weekly featured songs, literature connections, classroom garden kitchen recipes, innovative family engagement tools, and effective center resources complement learning and maximize benefits to students. Created by Head Start teachers, kindergarten teachers, and content experts, this multifaceted garden, nutrition, and physical activity curriculum is specially designed for teachers 4 & 5-year-olds. YOU will also have an opportunity to take part in a LIVE HANDS ON activity AND before the session closer there will be a drawing (from attendees in the room) for a FREE Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go curriculum DOOR PRIZE.

Julie Boyle is the state contact for the Junior Master Gardener program in Nebraska. She is a Food, Nutrition, and Health Extension Educator Located in Dakota County. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Science and a Master’s degree in Youth Development. She has a passion for teaching students young and old how to grow their own food and make healthy life decisions.

Randy is an Extension Program Specialist & Curriculum Director for the International Junior Master Gardener program. A former 3rd grade teacher in College Station ISD, Randy is the lead author of 8 JMG® curriculum guides, including the new, evidence-based Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! curriculum. He guest lecturers for horticulture and education courses at Texas A&M and has been a guest host for the Weekend Gardener television segment for local CBS affiliate in College Station and regularly speaks at regional, state and national conferences across the country.

HANDS ON with JMG LEVEL 2
Lisa Whittlesey

Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,
Junior Master Gardener Program Coordinator

This session will include everything you wanted to know about the middle school/junior high LEVEL TWO curricula featuring the novel Operation Thistle, Plant Growth & Development Teacher/Leader Guide and the Operation W.A.T.E.R., Soils & Water Teacher/Leader Guide.  The session will not only provide great familiarity with the engaging format and many of the lessons that make up this novel, “Mission Impossible” inspired curriculum, but YOU will also have an opportunity to take part in a LIVE HANDS ON activity AND before the session closer there will be a drawing (from attendees in the room) for a FREE JMG Operation Thistle and a FREE JMG Operation W.A.T.E.R. curriculum DOOR PRIZE.

Lisa serves as the program director for the International Junior Master Gardener program and has been an invited speaker to over 285 regional and national conferences and her recent work has focused on utilizing the Junior Master Gardener program (Learn, Grow, Eat & GO curricula) as an intervention as a part of a 5 year USDA AFRI funded Extension and Research project focused on child and family interventions for obesity prevention.  In additional to her work with the JMG Program, Lisa provides leadership to horticulture programming, staff development/management and as a PI federal contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Windham Schools – TDCJ, and with Lee College prison programming efforts. Lisa is a lecturer for the freshman university course AGLS 125, guest lecturer for floral design and socio-horticulture classes at Texas A&M University and does educational videos for the public through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension social media outlets.

A Garden for Every Child~ Adaptive Gardening Strategies
Michele Scaife

Extension Agent, Better Living for Texans Program
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

When you step into a garden with a child, you never know what wonders await you. Gardening sparks children’s natural curiosity lending itself to a diverse learning environment that engages different learning styles. In Montgomery County, Extension is reaching kids through partnerships with school/parent liaisons and communities in schools, early bird and after-school clubs, a literacy outreach center, children’s protective services sites, a juvenile justice location, a women/children’s shelter, and youth/adult with disabilities programs hosted at a specialized school and one hosted at the county Extension office. Let’s take a walk together through the gardens of Montgomery County seeing, through the eyes of a child, how we can open the pathway of adaptive learning together.

Michele Scaife began work with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension as a Texas Grow Eat Go Project Specialist in Montgomery County in July of 2013 providing leadership to the research project Montgomery County. When the funding for the research came to an end, Michele continued her employment with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension as an Extension Agent with the Better Living for Texans program. She is an active volunteer with the Montgomery County Master Gardener program and serves as a 4-H Junior Master Gardener and Food & Nutrition project leader. While she loves her life on her family farm, Michele finds joy in teaching and helping others find ways to bring food from the garden to the table.

Implementing Learn, Grow, Eat and Go within the School System.
Lucy Timbs

Washington County Extension Agent, TNCEP, University of Tennessee

This session will cover how to start the Learn, Grow, Eat and Go program within county and city schools. The session will cover procedures used to create contacts within the schools and how to ensure that the program stays a reoccurring event. Discussions on how to modify the program, only teaching the curriculum without gardens, producing inside gardens and how to involve the special needs community into the program.

Lucy Timbs is the Washington County Extension Agent for the Tennessee Nutrition and Consumer Education Program (TNCEP) from the University of Tennessee. Lucy has collaborated with multiple schools and aftercare school programs in her county to bring the Learn, Grow, Eat and Go program and garden boxes to thousands of students.

Celebrating Culture in the Garden
Noel Nicholas

Educational Content Manager, KidsGardening

KidsGardening created a new webinar series, Culturally Inclusive Teaching in the Garden, during the first half of 2023. It convened garden educators nationwide to share how their programs celebrate and center culture with children. This presentation will provide an opportunity to hear major takeaways from the series, as well as concrete examples of successful and joyful activities and programs that educators can implement in their own gardens to build a stronger and more inclusive garden community.

Noel Nicholas (she/her/hers) is Educational Content Manager for KidsGardening, helping to develop KG’s annual garden-based educational content strategy, co-developing original educational materials, overseeing the editorial calendar and supporting the content marketing plan. She also supports the KidsGardening Community with resource vetting and engagement. Prior to joining KidsGardening, Noel worked as a Teaching Artist at the Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House and as a Museum Educator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, developing and delivering programs for diverse, multi-generational audiences and managing NHMLA’s Storytime Live program. In her spare time, she runs a school garden program for pre-k through 5th grade at Third Street Elementary in Hancock Park.

Harmonizing Growth: Collaborative Implementation of the Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go Curriculum
Paula Butler
Regional Program Leader, Family & Community Health, 4-H Youth Development, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Co-presenters
Brianna Lugo, Wendy Pollette, Lindsey Turner, Tami Putnam

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Head Start introduce the “Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go” curriculum, employing an innovative train-the-trainer model and unique funding strategy. This transformative approach empowers educators with the knowledge and skills to seamlessly integrate the curriculum into early childhood education.Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, recognized for its community education expertise, takes the lead in training Head Start educators in Northeast Texas through specialized workshops. These educators, equipped with a deep understanding of the curriculum’s core components, then become the catalysts for its implementation within Head Start classrooms. The train-the-trainer strategy ensures a cascading effect, exponentially expanding the reach and impact of the curriculum.

Head Start educators, now well-versed in the intricacies of “Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & Go,” are uniquely positioned to deliver high-quality instruction that encompasses academic, nutritional, and physical activity components. This collaborative training model not only fosters a sense of ownership and enthusiasm among educators but also promotes sustainability and scalability. Harnessing SNAP-Ed funds, this strategic partnership maximizes resources, ensuring the holistic development of young learners. The curriculum implementation, enriched by these funds, becomes a catalyst for fostering healthy habits and educational excellence in early childhood education. programming.

Paula is the Regional Program Leader for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension serving an area encompassing 44 northeast Texas counties including the Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex. Providing leadership for identification of overarching program priorities, program development, and new partnerships, Paula works with Extension Agents to foster health and wellness through community educational program delivery.

Brianna Lugo is the Family & Community Health County Extension Agent and 4-H Youth Development Coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Nacogdoches County. She works to promote healthy living in youth and adults by providing nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease prevention education as well as empowers youth to explore their interests and gain valuable life skills through 4-H leadership and development opportunities. Brianna completed her undergraduate studies at Stephen F. Austin State University in 2020, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Food & Nutrition.

Mrs. Wendy Pollette is a pre-K interventionist at Fredonia Early Childhood Center in Nacogdoches. After receiving a master’s degree in education specializing in early childhood from Stephen F. Austin State University, Mrs. Pollette began her 26-year tenure with Nacogdoches Independent School District. She has served as a special education inclusion, resource, life skills and ECSE teacher as well as a pre-K teacher and interventionist. Selected as NISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2013, 

Mrs. Lindsey Turner is an Early Childhood Coordinator at Fredonia Early Childhood Center with Nacogdoches ISD. Mrs. Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Master of Education degree specializing in early childhood from Stephen F. Austin State University. Mrs. Turner has certifications in Early Childhood through fourth grade, English as a Second Language, Master Reading, and Principal certification. Mrs. Turner has been in the education field for a total of 20 years and 15 years with Nacogdoches Independent School District. She taught in grades first through third grade, served as a Curriculum Instructional Coach and an Assistant Principal.

Tami Putnam is the Regional Project Specialist (RPS) for the Better Living For Texans program in the East Region. She supports the agents with program implementation, accurate budgets, accurate purchasing, and data entry. She also trains, observes and reviews the agents virtually and in their county. She has shared that training is what she enjoys the most.
As a graduate from Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science/Community Health, Tami is passionate when it comes to the health and well-being of others.

Growing Garden Leaders through a JMG Certification Program
Jessica Eves

Garden & Cooking Educator/Coordinator
Darnall Charter School

There are so many layers to a school garden program. In-school programming is what a lot of people strive for and is an ultimate goal. However, after-school programs can continue to enrich students’ learning about the garden but can also help you create student leaders. This session will show you how one school implemented a Jr. Master Gardener program at their site in hopes to create a more sustainable program.

Jessica Eves has been an educator for over 20 years, but the last two years she has been a full-time garden and cooking educator for the School Garden program that she created. Showing kids how to grow food and use it to make simple recipes is one of her favorite aspects of the program. She has been running a Jr. Master Gardener program for the last three years to help build student leaders to support the garden and help run their Give to Grow Program, a community service program where they give families everything they need to grow food at home.

Seed to Plate Nutrition: empowering, teaching, and inspiring healthy eating from seed to plate with gardening and cooking education intertwined
Ashly Tamayo

Director of Education, Recipe for Success Foundation

The session will provide an overview of our Seed to Plate Nutrition Education program and all the ways we have implemented it at our Hope Farms Urban Agricultural Showcase and Education Facility, in public, private and charter schools in alignment with TEKS and Common Core Standards, Summer and school break camps, after school programs, field trips and private classes.

“I have a deep love for the land and for the natural world. I know how important it is to not only care for it but to instill the passion and desire to protect and care for it in children.” Navy veteran and Early Childhood Development expert, Ashly grew up around farming and gardening. Her parents and grandparents were all gardeners and farmers and her mom preserved foods by canning and pickling. She has spent over a decade connecting children to their food using the garden as her palette, most recently at the esteemed Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas, CA where she taught as a farm educator from 2017-2022. After she and her family relocated to Houston after her husband’s recent retirement after 20 years of active duty service in the Navy, Ashly was welcomed to the Recipe for Success Foundation team, tasked with expanding the educational opportunities at Hope Farms and reintroducing the Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ programs on school campuses in a post-COVID epoch.

Community Restoration: Urban/Ag empowerment for the youth and elderly
Damon Bazziel

CEO, AGrowCulture, Gary, Indiana

Join us as we discuss how to start and maintain a community-led garden in a food desert. We will cover tips on how to empower our youth and the elderly population to join and participate in this life-transforming process. Hands-on how-to, action steps, and an all-inclusive power discussion.

Damon is an Urban/Ag Educator and Grower. He is a Purdue Extension Lake County Board Member, Master Gardener, and is on the Indiana University NW Community Garden Advisory Board. He is the CEO of AGrowCulture LLC and the Gary Food Council’s President. He has been working at a Charter School for 17 years in the Special Needs Department. He is a community advocate who teaches the importance of “Growth, Health, and Collective Sustainability.”

Demystifying high-impact proposal writing for success in partnerships, evaluation & sustainability.
Dr. Shandra Williams

Executive Grant Writer

This session is designed for new or novice grant writers. It will help attendees who write proposals to incorporate high-impact strategies to take their writing to another level and to make a favorable impression on evaluators. Attendees will learn how to bring all proposal components together to ensure success in program evaluation and how to use social media for sustainability efforts.

Dr. Shandra Williams has been a federal grant reviewer since 1996 and a professional grant writer for 18 years. She has worked in K-12, university, and community-based settings. She is currently an executive consultant and a keynote speaker. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening including canning and freezing vegetables.

Effectively Recruiting & Supporting volunteers to Grow Sustainable Programs
Jayla Fry

Texas Master Gardener Coordinator, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Volunteers are such a valuable resource for healthy youth garden programs. Come to this session to learn practical tips in how to recruit, retain, and support volunteers in their efforts to support your garden program. We will look at the ISOTURE method of volunteer management to accomplish your goals of work with volunteers.

Jayla Fry graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and a master’s degree in Agriculture Education and earned a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership at ACU. Her work experience began by facilitating a horticulture program at a federal prison camp. She currently works with Master Gardener volunteers and coordinators throughout the state of Texas. She teaches an introduction of the Texas Master Gardener Program and Plant Growth and Development.
In 2019, she was the editor for the seventh edition of the Texas Master Gardener Handbook. She authored the Introduction and co-authored the Plant Growth and Development chapter within the handbook. Jayla serves as the advisor to the Texas Master Gardener Association and supports the state Master Gardener conference and leadership training.

Let’s Grow!… A Sustainable Culture of Health in Your School
Luisa Gonzales-Colin

Texas A&M-Healthy South Texas, Special Initiatives Coordinator

Angelica Sifuentes-Pena

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Webb County-Family & Community Health Agent

Local program implementation can be a challenge. This session will present on how Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M-Healthy South Texas and Webb County-United Independent School District created a sustainable Learn, Grow, Eat & GO program in their school district through training, creating an infrastructure, and gathering local support to build a successful and sustainable exemplary program within numerous schools in the school district. This session will provide participants with examples of resources and materials designed to sustain school gardens through train-the-trainer program and/or volunteers and empower volunteers to successfully provide program implementation to create sustainability.

Luisa Gonzales-Colin is employed with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and has been with the agency for 21 years and is serving District 12 in Weslaco, Texas. She is currently the Special Initiatives Coordinator for Texas A&M Healthy South Texas which encompasses 27 counties in Texas. Luisa received her Master of Science in Human Science with a concentration on Child and Family Studies from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in August 2000. She has been featured in a televised PBS Documentary for her work in adult self-sufficiency and program sustainability and in The Washington Post for working with impoverished families and colonias in South Texas, her story was part of an award-winning Pulitzer Prize written by Eli Saslow in 2014. She has been a public-school educator and adjunct professor for South Texas College and enjoys working with youth and adults. Mrs. Colin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was raised in the Rio Grande Valley, and has three sons.

Angie Sifuentes is the County Extension Agent for Family & Community Health in Webb County. She has been with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension since 2015 as a BLT program assistant, then as the agent since 2016 (and plans to continue being so for a long time). Born and raised in Laredo, TX (Webb Co.), she attended Texas A&M International University in Laredo, TX and has a M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction for Educational Leadership. As an Extension Agent with Healthy South Texas & Better Living for Texans programs, she has implemented the Learn, Grow, Eat & Go curriculum in over 25 different schools and built over 100 gardens by collaborating with both Laredo and United I.S.D. in hopes to get kids excited about science, learning, and horticulture.

The Importance of Family Mealtime – Reclaiming the classic family dinner. 
Odessa Keenan

Program Specialist I, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

The traditional image of the American family sitting around the dinner table with a multi-course meal and big smiles has become more of a dream than a reality for most modern families. While mealtime may look different for today’s Americans there is undoubtedly a benefit for our younger generations in having a structured mealtime with family. Learn more about the benefits that children receive by engaging in regular meals with their families and available resources to encourage family mealtime from the Dinner Tonight program by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Odessa Keenan is a Program Specialist in the Department of Nutrition with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Nutrition, Health and Wellness from Texas Tech University and a M.A. in Health Studies from the University of Alabama, she has also received her Certified Health Education Specialist designation. She has a background in program development, process management, and curriculum training and dissemination.Odessa provides coordination of the Dinner Tonight program and the Dinner Tonight State Team and has been with the Dinner Tonight program since 2015.

20 years of Integrating JMG and Mental Wellness with Youth & Adults
Kevin Laughlin

Master Naturalist Volunteer, Idaho Master Naturalist , Sagebrush-Steppe Chapter

For many of us, gardening is therapy. Whether it is examining compost critters, digging deeper, pulling weeds by yourself, or listening to a friend…it becomes the soil of your soul. Examining the application of mental wellness approaches to JMG curriculums will be the focus of this presentation. Through pair sharing, personal inventories, and selected activities we will take a look back and a look forward with JMG curriculums. Come walk in the garden with practical NAMI, Horticultural therapy, and experiential learning ideas to integrate gardening with your youth and adults.

Kevin M. Laughlin, Ph.D. continuously certified from 2010 to present as an Idaho Master Naturalist with the Sagebrush-steppe chapter in Boise sponsored by the Foothills Learning Center, MK Nature Center, and Idaho Botanical Garden (IBG). A former Idaho State JMG coordinator, Kevin has continued to use JMG activities at Bug Day at IBG, Chatcolab: Northwest Leadership Laboratory, as docent (22 years) at the Idaho Botanical Garden, using horticulture as therapy (grief, wellness, transformation) with spiritual companions, listening sessions, conducting nature hikes in the Pacific Northwest, in church, community and in elementary school programs. He has written children’s gardening articles for “Taproot” the newsletter of the Idaho Nursery and Landscape Association. In 2023 he integrated 4-H Curriculums/resources into Mental Wellness programs for youth and adults in LA, WA, ID, MT and over Zoom to a national audience. He retired in 2009 as Extension Educator for the University of Idaho. He was certified as an Ecumenical Spiritual Director in 2012 by Mt. Carmel Spiritual Centre & the Haden Institute at Niagara Falls, Ontario. He is currently consulting and volunteering with gardening, educational, mentoring, religious, agriculture, government and non-profit groups. His ongoing research focuses on time, teaching, learning, mentoring, gardening and spiritual direction.

Coming to Our Senses: Fun & Easy Ways to Use Gardens and Greenspaces to Enrich Sensory Integration
Em Shipman

Executive Director, KidsGardening

Amy Wagenfeld

Principal, Amy Wagenfeld | Design

Increasingly, we are finding that children are demonstrating sensory integration challenges that present as behavioral challenges, anxiety, and being overwhelmed. These issues can impact learning and play. Join occupational therapist and therapeutic landscape design consultant Amy Wagenfeld and mom, gardener, and garden educator Em Shipman to learn how to design a garden or greenspace for kids ages 3-5 intended to engage each of the body’s sensory systems.

Em is a nonprofit executive with nearly 20 years of experience leading transformative programs in food systems, agriculture, and education. She holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Hobart and William Smith College and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College Graduate School. Em is a passionate advocate for children and the planet and believes that garden-based learning and hands-on, placed-based education benefit both. Em has also worked as a professional gardener and garden designer and spends all of her free time (and then some) digging in the dirt. Em chairs her local school forest committee and volunteers for an award-winning Vermont-based children’s science museum. She sits on the School Garden Support Organization Network’s (SGSO Network) Governance Board.

Amy is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and holds evidence-based design accreditation and certification (EDAC) through the Center for Health Design, specialty certification in environmental modifications (SCEM) through the American Occupational Therapy Association, and certification in Healthcare Garden Design through the Chicago Botanical Garden. Her work focuses on accessible and universal design, programming, and evaluation of indoor and outdoor environments that improve physical and emotional health, wellness, and learning. Amy presents and publishes widely on topics relating to interprofessional design and the importance of access to nature. Amy’s work recognizes that successful design must, at its core, support mental health and foster resilience.

Growing a Healthy Gardening and Nutrition Education Program on SNAP-Ed Funds

Renda Nelson

Program Director, Better Living for Texans
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Individuals who live in poverty have dietary intakes that do not meet the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nor do they consume the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. In Texas, 43% of adults and 20% of youth are either overweight or obese which increases the risk for diabetes, hypertension, and poor overall quality of life. To address these disparities and increase exposure to consuming healthy and fresh foods, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service – Better Living for Texans (BLT)/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) partnered with the Horticulture Junior Master Gardener unit to implement youth and adult community gardening programs.

Community gardening programs are rewarding with proven benefits to all involved, yet the cost of supplies and community support may be inhibiting factors. In addition to discussing how BLT supports county-based Extension agents and educators to implement and sustain food gardening, physical activity, and nutrition education programs, such as Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! and Early Childhood Learn, Grow, Eat & GO!, the session will explore the commitment and expectations when partnering with local schools and agencies, identifying Federal cost guidelines to ensure reasonable and necessary expenditures, and utilizing SNAP-Ed funds along with community donations of supplies and resources.

Renda Nelson serves as Program Director of Better Living for Texans (BLT) at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. In this role, she provides strategic direction that includes planning, implementation, and evaluation of this Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) grant funded project. She works closely with a team of specialists, data analysts, and business staff to support agents and educators to successfully deliver nutrition, physical activity, and community gardening programs to underserved youth, adults, and families in more than 180 counties across Texas. Renda has additional experience working with the University of Missouri Extension nutrition education program, overseeing and leading continuing education and customer service programs in the medical field, and teaching health and wellness courses.

Sow, Grow, and Munch: Cultivating Health in Early Childhood Care and Education
Jodi Nerren

Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist , Early Childhood Health & Safety
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Join us for a delightful and informative session, “Sow, Grow, and Munch,” where we explore the best practices, rules, and regulations for engaging preschoolers in the joys of gardening, eating, and cooking. Discover innovative ways to foster a love for fresh, healthy foods through hands-on activities in early childhood education. We’ll share valuable insights and resources tailored for JMG program leaders to seamlessly integrate these practices. Get ready to cultivate a lifelong appreciation for nutritious choices in our youngest learners!

Dr. Jodi Nerren is a passionate advocate for creating early learning environments where young children’s bodies, minds, and hearts can thrive. She leads Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Promoting Early Education Quality program, which seeks to empower early childhood educators to adopt science-based practices in all aspects of their work with young children and their families. With her experience producing professional development resources, developing outreach programs, and leading systems-building efforts to support obesity prevention, outdoor and nature play, and effective early childhood education, Dr. Nerren brings a unique perspective to the discussion about how state program leaders can engage early childhood education facilities as partners in the quest for lifelong health.