Dunn County extension director announces summer intern hire, outreach and video project

Kirsten, Dunn County extension director, told the Community Resources and Tourism Committee that the office has hired a summer intern who will begin work on May 19. "We have secured, a student intern for the summer. I forget her name and she will start on May 19," Kirsten said.

Kirsten said the office plans to have the intern present a report to the committee at the end of the summer, an initiative the office has not done in past years. The director said staff are exploring ways to expand outreach, including training the new educator to facilitate Crucial Conversations for county departments and community groups.

The director described a short video project intended to introduce extension programming to newly elected county board members and other local officials. "We decided we were going to do a video project where we're just an introduction to who we are and our programming," Kirsten said, noting Chippewa County's version is complete and Dunn and Eau Claire work is expected in the next month.

Kirsten asked committee members to identify local needs or board training topics that extension could provide during the transition to newly sworn township officials. She specifically offered the local government specialists as a resource for trainings.

The director also noted staff changes related to 4-H: one educator (Zach) is on paternity leave following the April 7 birth of his child.

Kirsten left the meeting early for another appointment in Eau Claire and asked that committee members contact the office with needs staff might address.

Ending: The committee did not take formal action on the items Kirsten raised; she requested feedback and signaled the office will follow up with training and outreach as requested.