alumni spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Hayley Beck ’15

Hayley Beck ’15 majored in agricultural communication. After three years at Ohio State, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree and now works for United Producers, Inc. as a marketing and communications specialist.

[ACEL]: Hi Haley! You majored in agricultural communication at Ohio State. Share with us why you made your decision to choose that major and to become a Buckeye.
[Beck]: I choose to major in agricultural communication because I have a passion for agriculture and wanted to promote and advocate agriculture to producers and consumers. Agricultural communication allowed me to combine writing, design and marketing to reach consumers and producers while promoting a positive image of agriculture. When I was in high school, I took a trip to Ohio State ATI and to the Columbus campus and fell in love. I knew after my first visit with the department that I wanted to attend Ohio State and major in agricultural communication.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
My job with United Producers allows me to see all aspects of communications. I am fortunate to be able to do a lot of different tasks — no two days are the same. I feel that my education at Ohio State prepared me for that through the coursework and internship requirements. From graphic design to writing, and from web design to public relations, the experience I gained a Ohio State prepared me for my career.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student outside of the classroom?
I was a member of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) and the Young Ag Professionals.

What classes did you enjoy the most while a student?
There were several classes that I enjoyed, but my favorite class was AGRCOMM 4130 Publication Design and Production with Cassaundra Dietrich. The class introduced me to the Adobe Suite (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop) which allowed me to be creative and sparked an interest for graphic design. I also enjoyed the AgriNaturalist class because it allowed me to combine all the knowledge and skills of writing, reporting and graphic design that I learned in all of my courses in one class.

Did you have a faculty member that was influential in your education?
My advisor, Dr. Emily Buck, was a huge asset to my college experience. She was very knowledgeable and always willing to help when needed. I also enjoyed having Cassaundra Dietrich as a professor, she had real-world experience that was extremely helpful and she always offered advice to better myself as a student and young professional.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
My top two memories are studying abroad in Greece winter of 2014 and attending the National Championship football game in 2015 with my parents.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
My first and current job is with United Producers.

As a student, what internships did you complete?
Prior to graduating, I interned at Ohio Farm Bureau as the Ohio State Fair Land and Living Exhibit Intern.

During your career, have you received any awards or honors?
I recently received the Master Cooperative Communicator (MCC) designation through the Cooperative Communicators Association. The program signifies a level of professionalism and competency and demonstrates the candidates have mastered the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate on behalf of cooperatives. MCC also rewards professional involvement and volunteer activities.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Be active. Whether you are active in student organizations, internships, Greek life, or whatever interests you, just be active. Meeting new people and networking with your peers and future colleagues is very important.

What did ACEL cultivate in you?
ACEL cultivated in me a foundation for my future. Whether it was in class, clubs and organizations or special events hosted by the department, ACEL created a strong foundation of contacts, knowledge and experience to guide me through my career.

 

OHIO in Greece.

Graduation day from Ohio State!

Alumni Spotlight: John Poulson ’87

John Poulson is an agricultural educator at the Pettisville Local Schools. He graduated from Ohio State in 1987 with a master’s degree in agricultural education. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and agricultural education from Ohio State, which he received in 1981.

[ACEL]: Hi John! Why did you select your majors and graduate program?
[POULSON]: I dual majored in animal science and agriculture education because I thought I wanted to work in the animal industry, but the agricultural education classes showed me the diversity of being involved in many subjects.

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
It was the only school in Ohio that offered agriculture and where I could get accepted at automatically.  Plus, my mom and dad both graduated from Ohio State.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
The agriculture education classes, the course professors and student teaching showed me I could teach if I wanted to, and I decided I wanted to.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
I was involved in several ways with the Agricultural Education Society, I especially remember being co-chair of the banquet two years. I was inducted into Towers Honorary, but I don’t remember much about it. I worked three years in the Meat Lab, which was a great experience and I have used those skills often.  My last two quarters on campus I was in-charge of clean-up there.

What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State?
I enjoyed several classes and it was usually because of the professor or teacher being engaging and challenging.  I especially remember the agricultural education series of 100, 200 and 330 which prepared us for the classroom.  Professors included: Drs. Peters, Knight and Newcomb.  In animal science I enjoyed 200 with Dr. Plimpton, the meat courses with Dr. Parrot and animal nutrition with TizWiz. I think Dr. Hedges did the most to make us think that the problem solving approach is the best method of teaching, then and now.

I also enjoyed taking archery and bowling.

Most professors impacted my career if they gave us material to use in class and methods to use them.  After 36 years of teaching and working in the industry, I use parts of their materials on a daily basis.  The ones mentioned above plus Drs. Gleem, Erving, Papritan II, Lichtensteiger, Conners, Burke and more, some of which I can’t remember.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
I lived in Norton House all four years and those times spent with many friends made lasting memories which include meeting my wife, Lexie Zenz.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
In 1981 I became the vocational agriculture teacher at Crestview High School in Richland and Ashland counties.

Are there other places you have worked throughout your career?
I worked as the agricultural educator and FFA advisor and helped start an alumni group at Crestview until 1988 (7 years). Then was an organization director for Ohio Farm Bureau in Henry, Fulton and Williams Counties for 2 years.  In 1990 I started at Pettisville Schools as the ag teacher and FFA Advisor and have helped start an alumni group here.

During your career, honors or awards have you been presented?
I have been named an OAAE Outstanding Young Teacher, Fulton County SWCD Outstanding Supporter, Honorary American FFA Degree recipient and a NAAE AgScience Teacher of the Year.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
My favorite career highlight is seeing the number of students who excel in the agriculture industry at the local, state and national levels.  It is gratifying to know the affect they have had in the industry.  I also see the many students who work in other industries but still know and love what agriculture means to our world.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Learn to learn and keep learning, with your students, employees, and customers.  Be open to working harder to help reach goals for others as well as yourself.  And, figure out how to get your family involved with what you like to do so that work can sometimes be a hobby too.

What did ACEL cultivate in you?
The support that people in the college have given me as a teacher over the years has helped.  It wasn’t just during college but in many of the years since.  Like Dr. Henderson during my first years of teaching, L.H. during my master’s program and various OAAE activities.  More recently the interactions of helping Dr. Whittington teach about high school recordkeeping and working with ACEL for summer conference programming have made me a better teacher.

The best thing that can come from this celebration is the understanding that agriculturalists need a team of educators in the industry, the classroom, the research labs, etc that know what others are doing.

 

Alumni Spotlight: Elizabeth Berthold ’03

 

Elizabeth Berthold ’03 holds a bachelor of science in agricultural education from Ohio State. She is the current landscape and greenhouse management instructor with the Lorain County JVS.

[ACEL]: Hi Elizabeth!Why did you select to major in agricultural education?
[Berthold]: I wanted to help the next generation of agriculturists.

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
Ohio State was on top of my list, for not only being a great agriculture school, but also I loved the way that campus felt when I first stepped onto it.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
Without my education at Ohio State, I would not be the teacher that I am today. It helped to foster my confidence and helped me begin the horticulture program at the JVS.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
I worked at the Ohio 4-H Office as a work study student and was involved in Poultry Science Club, Agricultural Education Society and Collegiate 4-H.

What was your first job following your graduation from Ohio State?
I taught for a year at a small school in Indiana – Hamilton Community Schools.

For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career?
I have taught at Hamilton Community Schools and Lorain County JVS.

During your career, have you received any awards or honors?
I have been the horticulture taxonomy chair for the past few years.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
I am so proud of starting the Landscape and Greenhouse Management program at the Lorain County JVS. It was an amazing opportunity to take a program and build it from the ground up.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Take all the opportunities you can, you never know what you will do with your life.

 

Alumni Spotlight: Robin Hovis ’81

Robin Hovis graduated in 1981 with a bachelors degree in agricultural education. Shortly after graduation he became a teacher of vocational agriculture at Crestview Schools, Van Wert County. Hovis is currently a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones Investments.

Why did you select your major or graduate program?
Our family farm was not large enough to support two families so I decided that teaching vocational agriculture at the high school level would be great way to work in agriculture and stay involved with FFA, which was an important aspect of my life in high school. My high school ag teacher, Keith Nowels, was also a major influence in my career choice.Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
It was the only college of agriculture in the state, and I was familiar with the agricutlural campus as a result of FFA activities hosted there.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
I was active in the Agricultural Education Society and was a charter member of the Student Alumni Council. I also volunteered as a reader for blind students.

What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State?
I signed-up for a “dessert course” each quarter — my name for a course I took just for the enjoyment of it — as a treat for taking all the math and other required subjects. Theses ended-up  being my favorites, even though I enjoyed the courses in my major field of study. Among my dessert courses were Argumentation and Debate, Ballroom Dancing, Ohio History, Greek and Roman History, Islamic History, Russian Culture, Ancient Hebrew Literature, History of Art, and The English Bible as Literature. Each of these was a fascinating experience.

What professor, faculty or staff member had an impact on your education/career?
My faculty advisor, Dr. J. Robert Warmbrod had a major influence in my OSU experience. He took a personal interest in my course planning, and advised me in many decisions which I would not have made as well on my own. Also, Dr. L.H. Newcomb was an outstanding undergraduate professor and made his courses lively and interesting. The late Dr. Rodny Plimpton (Animal Science) and Dr. Bernard Erven (Ag Econ) were also stand-out instructors.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
I made several lasting friendships at OSU, and really enjoyed the size and scale of the place. I came from a rural background, and found the size of OSU very different from what I was used to, and thus exciting. Some ag students found this a negative — a necessary evil in order to get their degree, and they went back home each weekend for high school sporting events, etc. But I liked to stay on campus because there was a lot going on! University 4-H hosted square dances in the Ag Admin parking lot, and they were fun.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
Teacher of vocational agriculture at Crestview Schools, Van Wert County, Ohio.

For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career and what were your responsibilities in those positions?
Vocational agriculture teacher at Crestview Schools in Van Wert County, then area supervisor of agricultural education for the Ohio Department of Education and State FFA Executive Secretary, then I changed careers, leaving agriculture for financial services/investments.

During your career, honors or awards have you been presented?
I was a member of the state board of education for nine years – one term appointed by Governor Bob Taft, and one term elected by the voters. I received the Honorary State and American FFA Degrees, a distinguished service award from the Agricultural Education Society, and a career award from the College of Agriculture. I also received the Dave Kysilko Award for Outstanding Service to State Boards of Education, from the National Association of State Boards of Education.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
I am proud of some accomplishments while serving as state FFA executive secretary. I am also proud of having built a successful brokerage practice in Holmes County over the past 29 years.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Be more diligent in doing all the reading assignments for each course — don’t rely only on what you learn in lectures for all that you take away from a course. (In saying that, I am neither admitting nor denying anything!) Broaden your course choices — don’t take only courses in your major — acquire an understanding of the larger world than just your career choice. Don’t stop at the minimum number of courses you need for your degree. I had to have 196 quarter credit hours to graduate. I graduated with 238 quarter credit hours. Some would view those extra 42 credits as a waste of time and money. My mind works differently. It was a bargain! I would not want to have missed any of those courses I took beyond the minimum. Don’t let “minimums” set by others become your “maximums.”

What did ACEL cultivate in you? How?
I learned “how to learn,” and how to organize activities. I learned how to write a curriculum and a lesson plan, how to teach the lesson, and how to evaluate student learning. All of these skills have great transferability to other careers and other activities in life, because they are disciplines of thinking in an organized way while maintaining a focus on the end result. Teaching is essentially the art and science of finding out what someone already knows about a given subject, and then moving their knowledge or skill to the next level. The ability to do that has broad application in life — well beyond a classroom.

Alumni Spotlight: J. David McCracken ’70 PhD

 
Dr. J. David McCracken graduated from Ohio State in 1970, receiving his PhD in agricultural education.  He is now a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University.
Why did you decide to get a doctoral degree in agricultural education at Ohio Sate?
I was raised on a farm in Iowa, went to Iowa State University, then taught high school and adult farmer agriculture in Charles City, Iowa. My Iowa State University advisor recommended that I attend Ohio State if I wanted to pursue an advance degree at another university. He said that Ohio State was the place to pursue the Ph.D.
How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
Work with the professors in the department enabled me to obtain a faculty position in the department after graduating with my Ph.D. I worked at the National Center for Research in Vocational Education at Ohio State before moving to the academic department in 1973.
What were you involved in as an Ohio State student (student organizations, honoraries, campus jobs, Greek life, etc.):
I was a research associate with the “National Center” during my studies. I abstracted publications for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Vocational Education, which was located at Ohio State.
What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State? What was your favorite and why?
My favorite class was in Research Design. It was a class I would later teach.
What professor, faculty or staff member had an impact on your education and career?
Dr. Robert Warmbrod probably had the greatest impact on my career. He was my professor in the research series and later was my department chair. Robert Taylor, who directed the National Center for Research in Vocational Education, was my advisor and provided employment after my graduation with a doctoral degree.
What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
My favorite memory relates to the faculty and students with which I had the opportunity to work.
What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
I worked for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Vocational Education as assistant director. I was responsible for acquiring and abstracting documents and entering them into the system.
For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career and what were your responsibilities in those positions?
After graduating from Iowa State University with a M.S. Degree, I was a Lt. in the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery, teacher of agriculture at Charles City, Iowa, and then at Ohio State I was with the National Center for Research in Vocational Education and the Department of Agricultural Education.
During your career, honors or awards have you been presented?
  • President, American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE)
  • Teaching Award of Merit, Gamma Sigma Delta, Honor Society of Agriculture, The Ohio State University;
  • Listed, American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in Education, and Who’s Who in the Midwest;
  • Fellow, Distinguished Service Award, Distinguished Lecturer, AAAE;
  • Author of the Year, The Journal of AATEA, 1986 Volume;
  • Founding Member, Phi Beta Delta, Honor Society for International Scholars, Alpha Epsilon Chapter;
  • Fulbright Scholar, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, 1985-86;
  • President, Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi;
  • Honorary American Farmer Degree, Future Farmers of America;
  • President, American Vocational Education Research Association;
  • Editor, Journal of Vocational Education Research;
  • Member, The Ohio State University Senate;
  • Chair, College Promotion and Tenure Committee;
  • Member College Faculty Council.
As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
I advised 28 Ph.D. and 46 M.S. students to completion of their degrees. I produced 97 refereed papers, 38 invited papers, 24 non-refereed journal articles, 22 research and development reports, and 18 books or chapters in books. I served as advisor to the Malaysian Student Association and the Thai Student Association at Ohio State. This led to my serving a university in Malaysia as a Fulbright Scholar for my sabbatical year in 1985-86 and three years (1995-1998) after early retirement. I then returned to the U.S. and worked part-time for Ohio State until 2003 and the University of Arizona until 2006.
What advice would you give to a current student?
Work to excel in all that you do. Assume you might someday teach the courses you are taking. Prepare!
What did ACEL cultivate in you? How?
ACEL taught me to desire and work for excellence in all that I did. It also taught me that the colleagues with whom I worked  were critically important to the success of all that we do.

After receiving the Honorary American Farmer degree.

 

 

My retirement from Ohio State in 1995.

Alumni Spotlight: Chris Clark ’88, ’94 M.S.

 

Chris Clark ’88, ’94 M.S. completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in agricultural education at Ohio State. Following graduation, Clark became the agricultural education instructor for Madison Plains High School and later served as the school principal. He is now the superintendent for Black River School District, where he attended high school.

[ACEL]: Hi Chris! Why did you major in agricultural education?
[Clark]: I selected agriculture education as my major, after I completed agricultural education 200, which requried us to visit a school that offered agriculture education. After I had viewed the classes at the time which were taught at Wellington High School by Mrs. Whittington, I made the decision to major in agricultural education.

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
I wanted to obtain a college degree and I was the first member of my family to attend college. I also had some personal reasons to attend the Columbus campus.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
Agriculture education allowed me to have some diverse training and I was able to choose some classes that allowed me to be very diversified in agriculture. I have used many of the concepts and ideas as both an ag teacher and a school administrator.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
I was involved in Alpha Zeta Fraternity, Agriculture Education Society and a college ambassador.

What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State?
I really enjoyed all my classes, the most challenging was animal nutrition classes with Dr. Tyznick and animal science classes with Dr. Plimpton.

What professor, faculty or staff member had an impact on your education?
Dr. Jim Knight challenged me in my teaching methods classes. Had it not been for a lot of his comments and expectations, I would not have been able to survive my first year as a teacher.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
My favorite memory is just the four years while I was obtaining my BS degree; whether it is in class or student organizations.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
I was hired as the agriculture education instructor for Madison-Plains High School.

For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career?
I was an agriculture education Instructor for the Madison-Plains Local Schools (16 years). I then became the high school principal for
Madison-Plains (10 years) and I am currently the superintendent of the Black River Local Schools.

During your career, have you received any awards or honors?
I was named the Outstanding Young Educator for OVATA (now OAAE). I also served as an officer in that organization.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
My favorite career highlight was the growth of the students at Madison-Plains and all that we accomplished in the areas of Education and FFA.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Take advantage of all the education you can in college and accept failure and learn from it.

What did ACEL cultivate in you?
ACEL cultivated in me a firm desire to want to be successful.  All the staff I worked with helped push me along.  I have continued to push myself and the persons and students I work with to do as well as you can and accept challenges.

 

Alumni Spotlight: Dennis Hall ’81, ’81 MS

 

[ACEL]: Hi Denny! Why did you select your major?
[Hall]: I always knew that I would study agriculture, but it was my vo-ag teacher, Harold Karcher, that inspired me to study agricultural education. While at Ohio State and as a participant in several student organizations, I observed that many of the ag industry leaders that I looked up to were former ag teachers. My conclusion was that there must be something valuable in the training to become and the discipline of directing a vo-ag program that was good preparation for future endeavors.

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
My first thought is to say that there was never any doubt, but that is not true. While agriculture was and remains my passion, I actually explored the idea of going to Wilmington to play basketball. After a campus visit there and watching one of their games, I knew that style of play was not for me. Also, I knew I was not good enough to play basketball for the Buckeyes.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
During my freshman year, I was not very ambitious. I was content to just take classes and play sports. Then I met Dr. L.H. Newcomb. He changed my life. He saw potential in me that I did not see in myself and challenged me to assume a leadership role in the Ag Ed Society. He lit a fire in me that burns to this day. In all honesty, I have no idea who I would have been had it not been for LH.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
I lived in Norton/Scott for three years.  After serving as co-chair of the Agricultural Education Society FSR Food Stand committee, I went on to several leadership roles within the College eventually serving as co-chair of the College Recognition Banquet and president of the Council for Agriculture, Home Economics, and Natural Resources (CAHENR) Council. In addition, I was a member of Bucket and Dipper and Sphinx honorary societies.

What professor, faculty or staff member had an impact on your education/career? How?
Dr. Newcomb had the most life changing impact, but the College community was full of faculty that were incredibly supportive and encouraging. I loved my advisor, Dr. J. Robert Warmbrod. Clarence Cunningham, John Stitzlein, Keith Smith, Jo Jones, and Nikki Conklin also had a major influence on my Extension career.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
Ohio State is where I grew up. I went from a kid to being a citizen. The highlight is clearly that I met my wife of 36 years, Lynne, in the Norton-Scott Complex. She has been a terrific partner in life.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
I taught Vo-Ag for two years at Ridgedale.

For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career?
After a couple of ag extension agent retirements in my vicinity, I decided to try that out. I have loved extension work for the 34 years since.

During your career, have you received any awards or honors? If so, what are those?
I served as president of the CFAES Alumni Society and secretary of the Development Board. The Nature Conservancy awarded me their President’s Award for supporting farmer leadership of water quality and watershed management programming.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
I am proud of the fact that I have played a significant role in attracting and managing over $30 million in major grants to the College and helping to craft a new vision for advanced bioenergy and biobased products in Ohio. I aspire to see over $1 billion in economic impact during my service at OBIC. To date, I can account for over $600 million in business and programmatic activity as a result of OBIC programs.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Be positive and passionate about the opportunities that you have to serve, whatever the role. Take advantage of opportunities the university provides.
Be intentional about your personal growth and development. Strive to innovate by looking at challenges and opportunities in creative ways.

What did ACEL cultivate in you? How?
My interest in agriculture was transformed into a career of public service and community leadership. There was no way to know the interesting work that would be in my future, but ACEL provided me a foundation to build a fascinating career upon.

Alumni Spotlight: Whitney Beck Short ’07, ’09 MS

[ACEL]: Hi Whitney! Why did you choose to major in agricultural education?
When I first went to college, I majored in animal sciences with the intention of pursuing a veterinary degree. Soon after I began classes, I realized vet school was not in my future, but I still enjoyed the livestock industry. During my first year at OSU, I also served as an Ohio FFA officer. This experience led to an interest in teaching at the high school level. After this year of service, I added the Agricultural Education major and am so grateful that I did!

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
I chose OSU because of its outstanding College of Food, Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. I knew that I wanted to pursue a degree and career in agriculture, and this was a natural fit in Ohio.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
My professors were instrumental in developing my passion for agricultural education. Their personal relationships with their students are impressive, and I was fortunate to have great professional relationships with the ACEL professors. They pushed me to be my best, while also helping me to find where I am most talented.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?:
I was involved in a variety of student organizations such as Saddle & Sirloin, Ag Ed Society, Towers Agricultural Honorary, and Buckeye Dairy Club. I was a CFAES Ambassador, and was a co-chair for the CFAES Banquet. I worked for Dr. Eastridge with research, and also worked with OSU Extension with the Ohio State Fair Skillathons. Finally, I had the opportunity to intern with Elanco Animal Health and The Maschhoffs, Inc., which were both outstanding experiences. While in Grad School, I was a member of the ACEL Graduate Student Association. I was also a TA for Dr. Lichtensteiger, which was another incredible experience.

What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State?
I really enjoyed my animal sciences and agricultural education classes. My favorite class was Dr. Whittington’s methods class. This was one of the most influential classes for me as a teacher. I use so much of what I learned in that class today in the classroom.

What professor, faculty or staff member had an impact on your education?
Dr. Cano and Dr. Whittington were both influential in my education and career. Dr. Cano was the person that encouraged me to attend grad school and pursue a teaching career rather than an industry career. Dr. Whittington was my master’s advisor, and taught me a great deal about classroom teaching and research. I use what I learned today in my classroom!

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
Two memories come to mind. The first is the CFAES Banquet that I helped co-chair. It was a great experience to plan it, and was even better to watch it all come together. The second memory is working with Dr. Lichtensteiger as a TA. He is extremely intelligent, and I learned a great deal from him that I continue to use today in my classroom and in life.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
My first full time job is the same job that I have today! I am an agriculture instructor & FFA advisor at Anthony Wayne High School, a satellite of Penta Career Center.

Have you worked with any other organizations to promote agricultural education?
My full time job is through Penta Career Center. I am also fortunate to serve as a network leader for GrowNextGen, which is a special project of Ohio Soybean Council.

During your career, have you received any awards or honors?
I recently received the Ohio Association of Agricultural Educators (OAAE) Agriscience Teacher of the Year. I will also receive the Region IV National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Agriscience Teacher of the Year award this December in Nashville. In 2014, I was awarded the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) Outstanding Agriculture teacher award. We have had the honor of hosting the Ohio Secretary of Education to our program two times, and I also had the honor of traveling to Honduras with Dr. Cano and other agriculture teachers/students in 2015. Another unique opportunity that I had was giving a testimony to the Ohio House of Representatives Agriculture & Rural Development Committee as an Ohio Agriculture teacher.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
My favorite career highlight by far is seeing students succeed, reach goals, and find their passions. It is truly an honor to teach students on a daily basis, and the opportunity to see them find and pursue their passions is incredible!

What advice would you give to a current student?
Get involved, pursue a variety of internships, and stay focused!

What did ACEL cultivate in you? How?
ACEL cultivated a passion in me for quality research, effective teaching, and service learning. My master’s experience taught me how to conduct quality research. My undergrad experience combined with my graduate work taught me how to be an effective teacher in the classroom. My experiences in the block, Honduras, and as a TA showed me the importance of service learning.

Alumni Spotlight: Rose Smith, ’06

[ACEL]: Hi Rose! Why did you choose to major in agricultural education?
[Smith]: I knew I wanted to be involved in informal agricultural education, educating the general public about where their food comes from. I didn’t know if that meant working in the United States or overseas, but I did know that majoring in agricultural education would prepare me best for my future career.

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
It’s the best! My high school guidance counselor encouraged me attend Ohio State knowing I wanted to teach agriculture, but not necessarily in the classroom. I attended classes at OSU-Lima for the first two years of my education, as they were offering evening classes locally in Bellefontaine. This was perfect as it allowed me to work full time during the day and attend small classes in the evening. Once it was time to focus on my major, it was an easy transition to main campus.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your choice of career or your career path?
My education at Ohio State opened my eyes to what a huge need there is for educating consumers on the food supply and food systems. I have worked in the organic industry for over six years now and the desire for people to know how their food is raised is higher now than ever before.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
My favorite job was working at the RPAC. It had just opened when I began working there. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet such a diverse group of students and I still run into my former boss on a regular basis, mainly when tailgating before football games!

What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State? 
I really enjoyed the “Block” set up, spending large chunks of time with some of my closest college friends, knowing we were all working on the same thing was interesting.

Some of my other favorite classroom memories happened because my brother and I had the same major, and he was only a few quarters ahead of me, so occasionally we would have classes together. Those classes were always more challenging because we were fairly competitive with each other on anything where there could be the slightest bit of competition, so I would always try a little harder in those classes. He would also make me buy the book, saying we would “share it”… I never saw those books again.

What professor, faculty or staff member had an impact on your education/career? 
There are a few that stand out, but Dr. Susie Whittington probably made the largest impact on me. She has a super power of knowing the special skills of each student and where they would fit best once leaving college. She has the great ability of encouraging students just when they need it most and nudging them in the right direction. She was a big part of me getting my first job after college. Just recently, I was visiting with her at a wedding, discussing women doing jobs that historically were held my men. Though I already knew it, it was an amazing reminder of what a trail blazer she is, leading the way for woman to teach agriculture in a variety of formats.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State?
What a hard question! There are so many, but one that is coming to mind is the 2002 Ohio State vs. Michigan Game. The game was obviously amazing and unbelievable. Digital cameras weren’t in full swing yet, and everyone was still using film cameras. I remember walking to the CVS on the corner of High and Lane to drop my film off the next day and there was a pile of film several feet tall that had been turned in to be developed. The girl behind the counter looked at me, with this look of panic on her face and firmly said, “It’s going to be a longer than an hour”. It was just the reminder of what a historic this had happened the day before. It was exciting being a part of it.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
I worked as an Outreach Educator at COSI. I traveled to elementary schools putting on an assembly of a specific topic, then spent the rest of the day working with smaller classes doing hands on science experiments. The most valuable thing I got from working there was a strong ability to be independent. It was me and a box truck full of science equipment traveling all over Ohio and the surrounding states. Plus, who wouldn’t love a job where it was normal to shoot off a rocket any given day?

For what schools, companies and/or organizations have you worked throughout your career?
After COSI, I worked for just about a year at FFA Camp Muskingum. A job opportunity became available working in the organic industry in Bellefontaine, so I moved back home. I worked for two different organic certification agencies, Global Organic Alliance and Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, before landing what has become my dream job at Organic Valley. As a regional pool manager, I work with a dairy farmers that are currently organic and shipping milk with Organic Valley, as well as the farmers that are in transition to organic production. Organic Valley is a farmer-owned cooperative, and it is an honor to work with organic farmers who are working hard to keep their families farming by producing organic products.

During your career, have you received any awards or honors? 
It isn’t an official award or honor, but I am the first female regional pool manager that works remotely for Organic Valley. Since I was hired there have been three additional women hired. There was a lot of discussion on how farmers would handle having a woman as their manager, but it has turned out just fine. I had been working at Organic Valley for about a month when I stopped at a farm to take a farmer out to lunch. While we were eating he said, “You know this is no job for a woman”. I had no idea how to respond. Since then, I have formed a great relationship with him and he has actually told me, “They hired the right woman for this job”, which is a huge complement.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
I love being able to offer farmers a market for their milk. I remember one spring day about two years ago, when I was going through the contract we complete with farmers when they join the co-op. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, so we sat at the picnic table in his yard and completed the paperwork. I will never forget the happiness the farmer was showing, as this meant he could be a full time farmer and no longer needed to work at his factory job. Though there are really tough parts of this job, it is always a highlight when I get to offer a contact to a farmer!

What advice would you give to a current student?
Pay attention in class! There have been so many times that I need to do something in my current career, and I remember vaguely some teacher talking about this sometime in college, but I wasn’t really paying close attention. My life would be a lot easier now if I wasn’t going back to relearn all of those things. A perfect example, I remember mildly paying attention when we learned about calculating dry matter in a feed ration, thinking I would never need to know how to do this. I calculate dry matter for farmers almost weekly now. I should have paid attention.

What did ACEL cultivate in you? 
My professors knew I had no intention of teaching in the classroom, but knew that the skills taught in the agricultural education major would be incredibly useful in informal education as well. This showed me that education isn’t a cookie cutter approach and that education is about life skills and not just grades on a paper.

Alumni Spotlight: Ken Parrott ’89

 

Ken Parrott lives in Lexington, Ohio and is currently the agricultural education teacher at Northmor High School in Northern Morrow county.

Why did you select your major or graduate program?
Back in the 1980’s you could dual major so my degree was ag education/animal science. I originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but my family background of education, especially in ag education, rubbed off on me.  My family is full of teachers and my grandfather, Ralph Howard, was a key part of starting FFA in Ohio serving as both executive secretary and Sstate advisor in the infancy of Ohio FFA.  My active involvement in the FFA in high school influenced me to become an ag teacher.

Why did you choose to attend The Ohio State University?
Several reasons influenced my decision.  My father was a graduate of Ohio State.  The rest of my older siblings all went to Muskingum, but knowing that I wanted to pursue a degree in agriculture made Ohio State an easy choice.

How did your education at Ohio State influence your career path?
I had some great professors and great experiences at the Ohio State University in both the ag education and animal sciences departments.  But, when this new guy named Dr. Jamie Cano arrived to the Department of Agricultural Education and I had a few classes with him, I knew that I was making a right choice in my career decision.

What were you involved in as an Ohio State student?
I was very involved in the Alpha Gamma Sigma fraternity, Agriculture Education Society and Saddle and Sirloin. My first year and a half of college I worked on the slaughter floor at the OSU Meat Lab and then the last couple of years I lived and worked at the Sheep Center and worked for Ron Guenther.

What classes did you enjoy the most while at Ohio State?
That is a tough one cause I had so many great instructors in both ag education and animal science.  My love for livestock made many of my animal courses some of my favorites. Anyone that ever had Dr. Tyznik for any nutrition classes could never forget his presence and influence.  I always enjoyed my advanced animal science classes with Dr. Steve Baertsche.  I had some memorable experiences with Dr. Lowel Hedges in the ag ed department and I had the nicest advisor in the world, Dr. Jan Henderson.  But without a doubt, the professor that influenced me the most and I enjoyed thoroughly attending his classes was Dr. Jamie Cano.

Dr. Cano had the biggest influence on me. He was brand new to Ohio State and was trying hard to make an impression. He recognized a talent of teaching in me and pushed me hard to excel. His instruction greatly influenced who I am today.

What is your favorite memory related to your time at Ohio State
There are a lot of them and it would be hard to picked my favorite. Probably most of stories I share revolve around my experiences with Alpha Gamma Sigma. We had a lot of fun back then and I experienced college with a lot of great people.

What was your first job following your education at Ohio State?
When I graduated in 1989, ag teaching openings at the time were pretty scarce.  I took the first job I interviewed for and that was a teaching position at Lincolnview High School near Van Wert, Ohio. A year later I moved closer to home at Highland High School. The following year, my home school, Northmor High School, called me home and I have been here for the last twenty-seven years.

As of today, what is your favorite career highlight?
I have been fortunate to helped a lot of students achieve their FFA dreams.  I have coached many successful FFA teams at the state level as well.  I have also been blessed to have my own three kids in my program and without a doubt, my son Zach winning the State FFA Sheep Proficiency Award has to be right up there as one of my favorite career highlights.

What advice would you give to a current student?
Take advantage of ALL that Ohio State has to offer.  Your education is important but the university experience is just as important. Get involved in as many things as you can handle whether it be the greek system or student clubs and organizations.