At their annual conference, Delaware Cooperative Extension professionals took on new ways to collaborate more effectively with internal and external partners to have a more powerful, collective impact across the First State.

Three guest speakers included Rebecca Kelley, director of development at National 4-H Council, Adam Foley, associate director of the University of Delaware's Office of Diversity, and Dan Rich, UD professor and director of the Community Engagement Initiative. They inspired the audience of 100 to examine how they might work differently and collaborate more strategically.

Extension agents, educators, specialists and faculty members from UD and Delaware State University examined how they might view the style of their own leadership roles and change how they work with diverse partners in order to create a stronger, strategic collective impact. The importance of developing a personal understanding of cultural literacy in order to communicate effectively was reinforced. The representatives of both universities were happy to hear that their outreach efforts are accomplishing the mission of being engaged public institutions of higher learning.

Held on Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover, the conference also featured innovative ideas, an update on innovation grants from 2017, and a joint plan of work session. The conference continued its annual tradition of honoring seven individuals or groups as valued partners with thel Friend of Extension awards. To read more about the 2018 Delaware Cooperative Extension Conference, please visit: http://extension.udel.edu/blog/extension-gathers-focus-collective-impact/