Working Groups

NECI Working Groups are essential to any and all of our accomplishments as an Initiative. They address specific topics.

Interested in joining a Working Group? Sign up here! For more information about the Working Groups and how you can get involved, please contact the appropriate Chair listed below or our NECI Executive Committee Chair David Kay at dlk2@cornell.edu.

Each working group holds separate meetings and will post updated information on their respective NECI Connect Extension forums.

Communications

Facilitate internal and external communications
Connect to learn from and partner with existing climate communication experts
Investigate strategies to develop communications with new stakeholders.

Chair: Paul Lachapelle, paul.lachapelle@montana.edu

Curriculum Development

Coordinate the development of existing and new climate-based curricular materials
Work with partners like federal-level employees, USDA Climate Hubs, etc. to develop and promote new materials (e.g., national youth climate stewards curriculum)
Work to develop community programs on energy literacy, green workforce development, volunteer corps, etc.

Chair: James Shope, james.shope@rutgers.edu

Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

Investigate strategies to engage with marginalized populations to address meaningful and impactful change
Work with other committees on developing resources to educate about and empower allyship in Extension climate justice work
Investigate strategies for shifting away from information exchange and harness knowledge of different world views to build relationships engaging diverse knowledge forms as the foundation for driving action.

Chair: Shibu Kar, shibakar@illinois.edu, and Tracy Morgan, tracy.morgan@wsu.edu

Professional Development

Organize NECI’s monthly professional development webinars and additional PD opportunities
Inventory, design and/or implement professional development trainings for everyone in Extension
Implement regional conferences/meetings between USDA Climate Hubs and state Extension employees.

Chair: David Kay, dlk2@cornell.edu

Partnerships & Policy

Identify, strengthen, and develop new relationships, partnerships, and pathways to leverage and grow current work on climate change
Facilitate compensation of expertise
Encourage land grant universities/administration to support climate programming by identifying or designating state-level Extension specialists/faculty points of contact
Improve willingness to act throughout the system.

Chair: Linda Seals, lseals@ufl.edu

Evaluation & Surveys

Develop a unified tool/set of indicators to measure/assess climate progress and impacts and increase accountability of Extension programs and leaders
Conduct national needs assessment of what major stakeholders need to know with regards to climate change.

Chair: Wendy Hamilton, whamilto@nmsu.edu