Extension’s worthy endeavors: Being mindful of the mission to educate and serve

Dr. Ahlishia Shipley embodies her roles within Family and Consumer Sciences and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) when she posits that, to invest in a healthier society, we start with families: “Families are (one of) the most important piece to society. That’s where people are built.” Yes. Yes, indeed. More about the people, policies, and programs within this episode. Key takeaways are that:

• Relationships are the key to Extension work.
• Need help maintaining relationships: A tool can be to say “I’m sorry how can I fix it?”
• Remember: One kind interaction might lead to something decades down the road
• Overall goal summarized: Wide and lasting impact on health and communities
• Education as an equalizer
• How to flourish at work: Engage in worthy endeavors
• “Alignment of our hands to our flourishing spirit”
• Some things need to be done yesterday, but taking care of our own health remains a priority.

Dr. Ahlishia Shipley is a National Program Leader (NPL) for Family and Community Health in the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences within the Institute of Youth, Family, and Community. She provides leadership for the Rural Health and Safety Education Program, the Extension COVID Immunization Training and Education (EXCITE) Program, and supports initiatives focused on health equity and well-being across the research, education, and extension mission areas. Dr. Shipley joins NIFA from the National Institutes of Health, Center for Scientific Review where she was the Scientific Review Officer for the chartered study section, Lifestyle Change and Behavioral Health providing leadership for the peer review process for extramural research applications focused on chronic disease prevention and health promotion. She previously served as an NPL for Families and Health at NIFA.