2023-Now
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Senior Extension Specialist
UK Agricultural Economics, CES Center for Crop Diversification KY Sustainable Agriculture, Research & Education (SARE)
I lead the Center for Crop Diversification team as we create and curate resources for Cooperative Extension personnel, other agriculture outreach professionals, and producers in Kentucky, the Southeast and Midwest United States. I am co-host of the popular horticulture podcast Hort Culture.
At the Center for Crop Diversification we generate, aggregate, and host regional specialty crop production and marketing resources and training. These include specialty crop overviews, budgets, production resources, marketing guides, economic decision tools, and price reports. I spearheaded a redesign of our website in 2016, and again in 2024. My current priorities are strengthening our regional partnerships, and developing resources relevant to our clients. We produce a monthly newsletter, manage a Facebook and Instagram page, develop trainings, and regularly deliver lectures and workshops throughout the region. |
I coordinate a team of price reporters and student employees to assemble weekly Farmer's Market price reports in Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana and West Virginia. I travel nationwide to promote the CCD, and to find better ways to help our growers. Grant writing has become an important part of my position. Since 2017 I have led the development and delivery of the innovative Marketing for All educational program, which has received over $170,000 in grant funding and won the 2022 Outstanding Program Award from the Kentucky Association of State Extension Professionals (KASEP).
In my KY SARE duties, I facilitate sustainable agriculture programming throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I have written, managed, and reported on 20 grants (>$530,000 total). I support the Kentucky State University Third Thursday Thing program, facilitate funding for sustainable agriculture projects across the state, and work to evaluate our programming. I frequently collaborate with university faculty, extension personnel, and members of the community. I travel regularly throughout the region supporting numerous grant programs and educational events covering topics such as cover cropping, community nutrition, local food system development and food safety.
Awards:
2023 Outstanding Program Award - Produce Safety Program for Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Growers. KASEP
2022 Outstanding Program Award - Marketing for All, Kentucky Association of Extension Professionals (KASEP)
2021 Dr. Lisa Collins Outstanding Staff Award, UK College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment,
2020 Staff Member of the Year, University of Kentucky
2020 Outstanding Staff Member, recognized by fellow staff, University of Kentucky
In addition to my full-time work, I am enrolled as a PhD student in the UK Educational Policy and Evaluation Department focused on Studies in Higher Education. I am specifically exploring the Land Grant University's values and how their practices contribute or detract from the public good.
In my KY SARE duties, I facilitate sustainable agriculture programming throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I have written, managed, and reported on 20 grants (>$530,000 total). I support the Kentucky State University Third Thursday Thing program, facilitate funding for sustainable agriculture projects across the state, and work to evaluate our programming. I frequently collaborate with university faculty, extension personnel, and members of the community. I travel regularly throughout the region supporting numerous grant programs and educational events covering topics such as cover cropping, community nutrition, local food system development and food safety.
Awards:
2023 Outstanding Program Award - Produce Safety Program for Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Growers. KASEP
2022 Outstanding Program Award - Marketing for All, Kentucky Association of Extension Professionals (KASEP)
2021 Dr. Lisa Collins Outstanding Staff Award, UK College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment,
2020 Staff Member of the Year, University of Kentucky
2020 Outstanding Staff Member, recognized by fellow staff, University of Kentucky
In addition to my full-time work, I am enrolled as a PhD student in the UK Educational Policy and Evaluation Department focused on Studies in Higher Education. I am specifically exploring the Land Grant University's values and how their practices contribute or detract from the public good.
2017-2023
In August 2023, I was promoted from Extension Specialist to Senior Extension Specialist in recognition of my performance and to reflect my numerous additional responsibilities. The Senior Specialist position description above includes some duties from my previous roles as well as the extra responsibilities and accomplishments that led to the promotion.
Brett provides critical leadership for the Center for Crop Diversification and the KY USDA-SARE program. Brett is highly sought after for conducting outside evaluations because of the strong Extension networking and program development he has led in his own right. Brett continues to provide a great store of specialty crop resources that are highly valued by county agents - especially horticulture agents, but farmers and farm agency professionals, as well. CCD, as he notes, played a critical role throughout the pandemic providing timely TA resources - many created and delivered by Brett personally. I should note here that I have especially appreciated Brett's team leadership as we've added newer Extension Associates both to AEC and HORT, added interns, graduate students, and others working around the specialty crop spaces. He provides critical training and support across the College. Brett is a strong grant writer and grant manager. The CCD and our partners across CAFE and UK increasingly are drawing on Federal funding. This has included Brett stepping up to manage increasingly difficult budget and grant management. Brett received funding on 8 different Federally-funded projects in 2022. It’s also important to note that he is a great person to work with - providing intentional and helpful mentorship to junior team members and also accessible to me to sort through large-scale planning and projects with national funding and reach. He is highly sought after by county agents - an important measure for me, and demonstrates genuine care in his connections with people.
-2022 Year-End Performance Review Comments
Brett's programming in the state has been exceptional. He essentially lead the KY SARE team, including the state advisory board and leads key programming interactions with partners at KY State University. Video, monthly CCD newsletter, CD social media, CCD publication updates, new FSMA training resources, all receive primary support from Brett and he graciously provides added support to faculty in Horticulture for aspects of their Extension programming. Brett is a strong leader and mentor for our Extension Associate team both in AEC and HORT. Brett is also highly respected by county agents who he has also worked closely with to help them both develop and deliver resources of their own. Brett has a great vision for Extension resource needs and for effective delivery. He led the submission (with subsequent funding) of a new SCBG grant project on Digital Marketing, building on the successful Marketing for All curriculum he designed. He provides great support for the SSARE resources across the state on a very limited budget - highly leveraging that program for maximum reach and collaboration.
-2021 Year-End Performance Review Comments
The Center for Crop Diversification has been an amazing resource for agents and specialty crop producers during covid, and Brett has developed and directed the vast majority of this effort. Brett's engagement, accessibility, and creative program development for virtual training provided a high bar for Extension programming in this environment. His very successful Marketing for All program has been reframed and expanded for a subsequent Specialty Crop Block grant and this proposal has already been invited for full development by the reviewers. I was extremely proud of his recognition as the Outstanding UK Staff Member for 2020 - it was well deserved and against amazing competition all across campus. We are fortunate to have him on our Extension team - both for his abilities, leadership, responsiveness to need, and professionalism.
-2020 Year-End Performance Review Comments
2015-2017
In August 2017, I was promoted from Senior Extension Associate to Extension Specialist in recognition of my performance and to reflect my numerous additional responsibilities. The Senior Specialist position description above includes some duties from my previous roles as well as the extra responsibilities and accomplishments that led to the promotion.
"Brett keeps the Extension Associate productivity bar extremely high. But he works in such a way that inspires others around him to work harder and be better. He is the consummate professional communicator and program planner...Brett's initiative is hard to over state… He holds himself to the highest standards of self-improvement, but prioritizes these opportunities with a view toward what can help grow the programs and industry around him…The newsletter, Facebook and other media are highly effective and growing in reach and quality. The webinars and the website itself are of excellent quality that represent our UK programming in the most professional way possible…He manages a complex program, including complex funding and programming across multiple departments and institutions, and I cannot stress enough his excellence in assuring that the Kentucky SARE program remains well-regarded throughout the southern region."
-2016 Year-End Performance Review Comments
“Brett has been enormously productive…His efforts have been widely acclaimed by administrators, Extension professionals, and producers…Brett has been a superior professional. I can’t imagine anything more that anyone can do in this position…I have a lot of confidence to put him in any potentially sensitive situation professionally…Hard to overstate how easy it is to work with Brett. Mostly I'm trying to keep up with his energy and ideas myself to make sure he has the resources he needs. Brett is a solid self-starter and very creative.”
-2015 Year-End Performance Review Comments
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2012-2015
Research Analyst, University of Kentucky Department of Horticulture (2012-2015
This position demanded equal parts back-breaking labor in extreme conditions, focused time-sensitive laboratory and computer-based tasks, and organization and facilitation of a diverse team. I managed multiple complex projects grant funded in excess of $500,000 and coordinated a team of 3-8 members depending on the time of year. The blend of agricultural and human variables necessitated immense flexibility, organizational aptitude, and time management skills. The cyclical nature of agricultural work required me to provide very different things to a variety of clients at different times of year. During the summer season, I taught dozens of undergraduate apprentices about how our system works and how to complete necessary tasks for growing success. I was responsible for mechanical and structural maintenance of 6 large greenhouse structures and various equipment.
We worked heavily with season extending structures called "high tunnels" (or hoop houses) to grow vegetables during times of year when traditional outdoor growing is impossible. Besides the constant opportunities to learn new information and skills, my favorite part of this job was helping producers, students, and the general public understand how to apply the technologies we were researching. In support of this goal, I gave educational tours, spoke at grower association meetings, and developed educational resources. Examples are the videos below and websites for my work team, the Jacobsen Lab, and our facility the University of Kentucky High Tunnel Research Facility. I developed these resources after spearheading a project to identify producer needs through survey and focus group research.
We worked heavily with season extending structures called "high tunnels" (or hoop houses) to grow vegetables during times of year when traditional outdoor growing is impossible. Besides the constant opportunities to learn new information and skills, my favorite part of this job was helping producers, students, and the general public understand how to apply the technologies we were researching. In support of this goal, I gave educational tours, spoke at grower association meetings, and developed educational resources. Examples are the videos below and websites for my work team, the Jacobsen Lab, and our facility the University of Kentucky High Tunnel Research Facility. I developed these resources after spearheading a project to identify producer needs through survey and focus group research.
“[Brett] sets an inclusive tone for our entire group, and provides a lot of social cohesion within the team and in our interactions with other faculty and staff…[He presents] a high standard of ethical behavior and conducting [himself] in a highly professional manner…His leadership of the graduate students and other staff has led to marked improvements in facilities and our capacity as a group…[Brett is] identifying key issues in our organizational structure and infrastructure that are limiting the quality of work that we do, and finding creative and effective solutions for all manners of problems. [His] ability to identify issues, and determine root causes, and apply solutions is impressive.”
- 2013 Year-End Performance Review Comments
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Instructor, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology (2013-2014)
I worked as a Part Time Instructor in the UK Department of Sociology teaching evening courses. I loved helping students perform better in my class, choose their academic path, and understand complex topics that directly affect their lives. This work complements my student service and education experience at the farm. Classroom teaching requires public speaking, facilitation, writing, and one-to-one interpersonal student service. In taking on this challenge, I have found that I have both natural and cultivated skills necessary to serve students effectively.
I worked as a Part Time Instructor in the UK Department of Sociology teaching evening courses. I loved helping students perform better in my class, choose their academic path, and understand complex topics that directly affect their lives. This work complements my student service and education experience at the farm. Classroom teaching requires public speaking, facilitation, writing, and one-to-one interpersonal student service. In taking on this challenge, I have found that I have both natural and cultivated skills necessary to serve students effectively.
"Excellent! I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot about sociology. Easily one of the best classes I have taken at UK."
"I really enjoyed the emphasis on learning in this class rather than the emphasis on grading."
"The style of class material made content easily relatable to real-world scenarios."
"Thoroughly enjoyed the professor and the way he taught the class. Looked forward to coming to class because he made things interesting."
"He’s got a nice beard."
- Student evaluations (2013 & 14)
2010-2012
M.A. Sociology, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology
Research Focus: Meaning from method: An investigation of United States food security measurement tools
Research Assistant, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology
Supervised by Dr. Keiko Tanaka
Co-Authored:
My research focused on agricultural and food related issues including production, distribution, and consumption. I received training in quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as social theory. I prepared and submitted research materials to the Institutional Review Board, assisted in planning 3 national conferences, and travelled to Indonesia to pilot an international education program.
Research Focus: Meaning from method: An investigation of United States food security measurement tools
Research Assistant, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology
Supervised by Dr. Keiko Tanaka
Co-Authored:
- "Food Insecurity and Obesity in Rural America: A Paradox of the Modern Agrifood System" published in Rural America in a Globalizing World (2014)
- "Who's Hungry: Food Security in the United States" published in Understanding Diversity (2014)
My research focused on agricultural and food related issues including production, distribution, and consumption. I received training in quantitative and qualitative research methods as well as social theory. I prepared and submitted research materials to the Institutional Review Board, assisted in planning 3 national conferences, and travelled to Indonesia to pilot an international education program.
2006-2010
B.A. Sociology, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology
Authored:
The Writing on the Stall: Graffiti, Vandalism, and Social Expression published in Kaleidoscope (2010)
Project Supervised by Dr. Cynthia Leedham
B.A. Spanish, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology
German minor
Research Assistant, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology (2010 only)
Supervised by Dr. Keiko Tanaka
Authored:
The Writing on the Stall: Graffiti, Vandalism, and Social Expression published in Kaleidoscope (2010)
Project Supervised by Dr. Cynthia Leedham
B.A. Spanish, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology
German minor
Research Assistant, University of Kentucky Department of Sociology (2010 only)
Supervised by Dr. Keiko Tanaka
2002-2006
H.S. Diploma, St. Xavier High School, Louisville, KY
Customer Service Associate, Pets Galore Pet Shop, Lexington, KY
Customer Service Associate, Pets Galore Pet Shop, Lexington, KY