NSS+NEES
T AMPA
2019 National Sustainability Summit &
National Extension Energy Summit
ABOUT US
This joint conference will bring leading sustainability and energy educators and practitioners together to showcase land grant university Extension and research program successes, share challenges, and identify opportunities to strengthen our collective impacts. Participants will hear from dynamic plenary speakers with expertise in sustainability and energy issues, enhance their professional knowledge and skills through pre-conference educational tours and/or mobile workshops, attend inspiring abstract presentations and networking sessions, and learn from local exhibitors and sponsors. Extension professionals from all national associations will benefit from the cross-disciplinary and process-oriented structure of the joint Summits.
Extension Sustainability Summit 2016: Portland, OR
2016 Extension Sustainability Summit offered attendees several field tour options. This photo is of the group who toured Portland on bikes./B. Elrod.
National Extension Energy Summit 2017: Knoxville, TN
THE PATH TO NSS+NEES 2019
SUSTAINABILITY SUMMITS
First held in 2013, the Extension Sustainability Summit was developed by
Utah State University’s Sustainability Extension Specialist Roslynn Brain McCann
in collaboration with the Western Rural Development Center’s Betsy Newman,
and a dedicated planning committee comprised of Mark Apel, Gregg Garfin,
Milton Geiger, Rose Hayden-Smith, and Bob Simmons.
The success of and interest generated from the inaugural summit inspired the planning committee to forge ahead in developing the 2016 summit. Based on participant feedback, the summit is held every other year, and thanks to an increased national interest, the summit will expand from a western-focused event to one with a national focus. This shift in focus caught the attention of new collaborators and partners including the Western Rural Development Center’s sister centers, collectively known as the Regional Rural Development Centers, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the National Network for Sustainable Living Education, an initiative of the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals. Using the Extension Sustainability Summit as a springboard, these entities are now working together to host future summits and develop a national strategic initiative for
Extension Sustainability Outreach and Education.
Three publications were produced as a result of these first two Extension Sustainability Summits:
“Extension Sustainability Summit: Outcomes and Impacts of the 2013 Summit”
“Extension’s Role in Sustainability - a special issue of Rural Connections”
"ESS 2016 Impact Evaluation and Lightning Sessions Summaries"
ENERGY SUMMITS
Biennial national summits organized by the National Extension Energy Initiative (NEEI) and hosted by Colorado State University in 2013 (Fort Collins, CO), Washington State University in 2015 (Seattle, WA), and the University of Tennessee in 2017 (Knoxville, TN).
Planning Committee
Conference Chair
Jennison Kipp Searcy, University of Florida: mjkipp@ufl.edu
Conference Co-Chairs
National Sustainability Summit (NSS)
Ramona Madhosingh-Hector, University of Florida: ramona.m.hector@ufl.edu
Linda Seals, University of Florida: lseals@ufl.edu
National Extension Energy Summit (NEES)
Craig Miller, University of Florida: craigmil@ufl.edu
Dave Ripplinger, North Dakota State University: david.ripplinger@ndsu.edu
Community Partners
Michelle Jenkins, Environmental Protection Commission Hillsborough County
Sheila McNamara, Hillsborough County Government
National Planning Team & Partners
Mark Apel, University of Arizona
Brent Elrod, USDA-NIFA
Chris Geith, eXtension Foundation
Merrill (Charles) Gould, Michigan State University
Teresa Hogue, eXtension Foundation
John Ignosh, Virginia Tech
Lesly Jerome, University of Florida
Randi Johnson, USDA-NIFA
Chris Jones, University of Arizona
David Kay, Cornell University
Roslynn Brain McCann, Utah State University
Terry Meisenbach, eXtension Foundation
Betsy Newman, Utah State University
Lissa Pawlisch, University of Minnesota
Eric Romich, The Ohio State University
Katherine Spiering, Mississippi State University
Jennifer Taylor, Florida A&M University
Patricia Townsend, Washington State University
Steve Turner, Mississippi State University
Aaron Weibe, eXtension Foundation
Cary Weiner, Colorado State University
Rachel Welborn, Southern Rural Development Center