Developing a Comprehensive Leadership Program for Extension County Directors

This article provides an overview of the development and components of LEAD95, UT Extension’s comprehensive leadership program for county-level leaders. The program was designed using results from a Delphi study, which identified critical skills and resources for new county directors to be successful. The program consists of face-to-face workshops, mentoring, a multi-rater assessment, online learning opportunities, and an online resource toolkit. Expected outcomes include increased competency, increased job satisfaction, and more consistent leadership and direction among county-level leaders in the UT Extension system

Investing in Extension\u27s Workforce: Assessing and Developing Critical Competencies of New Agents

This article describes Tennessee Extension\u27s creation and implementation of a competency assessment and development program for new Extension agents. The program is based on results of a Delphi study that identified critical soft skill competencies new Extension agents need to be successful in building partnerships and delivering Extension programming in their communities. The program consists of online assessments, interactive feedback with regional program leaders, and identification of targeted online professional development courses. Expected results include targeted professional development, increased competency of agents, greater job satisfaction, increased retention, and increased public value for Extension