Welcome

Welcome to my work website for Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County.  Yes, I work for OSU and I work and live in Toledo, Ohio. That is one of many things I love about working for a land-grant university – it’s for everyone in the state.  My first part-time job with OSU Extension was with neighborhood community gardening.  Currently, I am Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS).  FCS developed from Home Economics, described by Ruby Green Smith as where “science and art meet life and practice.” Although this is my work website, I will also share some stories from my family experiences as I strive to “walk the talk” at work and at home.

Family and Consumer Sciences in Ohio

I enjoy the continual learning and application of Ruby Green Smiths’ description of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), “where science and art meet life and practices.”  With FCS, some of my work time is dedicated to the broad topics of Local Foods, Healthy Relationships and Mindfulness.  In addition to those topics, I also teach nutrition, food safety, sun safety, household budgeting, Real Money, Real World, universal design, edible gardening and other “Live Smart” topics.   These topics lend well with empowering families to evaluate their daily habits and to make individual as well as family goals to practice healthy and smart living. I love spending time with my family, appreciating the four seasons of Northwest Ohio and benefitting from the abundance of my local community.

Blogs:
 
Education:
B.A. Social Justice, Hiram College
M.A. Family Science, Spring Arbor University
 
Certification:
CFLE, Certified Family Life Educator
 
Member of Professional Organizations:
National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS)
National Council of Family Relationships (NCFR)
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS)
 
Community:
AmeriCorps VISTA Alumnus

Email: powers-barker.1@osu.edu

Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE