- Beekeeping and sharing honey: Beeyard is small so the few gallons of honey are shared with family and friends Planning and executing educational programs for local beekeepers still occurs
- Reading: Preferred books are novels by Tom Clancy and history books about various American military events: American Revolution, Korean Conflict, WWII, etc
- Motorcycling and bicycling: Two wheels are fun to ride
Keith Hawkins
DeRidder,LA
Summary
Dynamic Extension Agent with a proven track record at LSU AgCenter, enhancing community engagement and program visibility. Expert in educational programming and collaborative projects, achieving high participant satisfaction through innovative workshops and effective partnership building. Skilled in environmental awareness and technical assistance, showcasing significant achievements in community-driven initiatives without exceeding a numerical percentage.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Extension Agent
LSU AgCenter
07.2007 - 08.2024
- Increased program visibility through marketing efforts, including social media campaigns, press releases, and community presentations.
- Managed budgets efficiently for several initiatives while adhering to organizational policies and procedures.
- Supported dozens of phone calls, emails, and office visit each week from various stakeholders.
- Empowered participants through skill-building activities that promoted self-sufficiency in their personal lives or businesses operations alike.
- Secured local funding for multiple projects by researching opportunities, writing proposals, and maintaining positive relationships with local funding entities.
- Recruited volunteers for various initiatives by leveraging personal networks, tapping into existing resources within the organization, and clearly communicating project goals or expectations.
- Organized successful community events that showcased extension programs while fostering increased public awareness and support such as forestry forums, gardens forums, and basic beekeeping classes
- Conducted needs assessments on local trends to ensure the relevancy of educational content provided during workshops or trainings.
- Served as a liaison between the cooperative extension office and local stakeholders such a Beauregard Parish Police Jury and Beauregard Parish School Board to facilitate open communication channels and identify emerging issues or concerns.
- Created educational materials tailored to specific audience needs, ensuring effective communication of complex concepts.
- Developed partnerships with local organizations for collaborative projects, resulting in improved community outreach and resource sharing.
- Achieved high levels of participant satisfaction by consistently delivering engaging presentations utilizing strong public speaking skills and subject matter expertise.
- Evaluated program effectiveness through participant surveys and feedback sessions, identifying areas for improvement and adjusting strategies accordingly.
- Collaborated with colleagues across disciplines on interdisciplinary projects that addressed complex community challenges from multiple perspectives.
- Gave instruction on agricultural processes, pest management, home horticulture, and beekeeping.
- Prepared and distributed educational leaflets, pamphlets and visual aids.
- Taught individuals how to properly complete tasks, improving execution, and streamlining processes.
- Collaborated with other educators to develop strong curricula, instructional methods and policies.
- Taught classes on topics such as beekeeping and for Master Gardeners.
Extension Agen
University of Georgia Extension Service
09.2005 - 07.2007
- Advised farmers and demonstrated techniques in feeding and health maintenance of livestock, growing and harvesting practices and financial planning.
- Assisted walk-in clients as well as responding to phone calls and emails, usually ten to twenty per week.
- Collaborated with producers to diagnose and prevent management and production problems.
- Collaborated with producers to diagnose and prevent production problems.
- Prepared and distributed educational leaflets, pamphlets and visual aids.
- Gave instruction on agricultural processes, pest management and farm safety.
Education
Master of Science - Forestry
LSU
Baton Rouge, LA12-1986
Bachelor of Science - Forestry And Wildlife
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg05-1984
Skills
- Monitoring and evaluation: Methods include the use of pre- and post-tests for courses, and use of evaluations for each individual classes
- Educational programming; Original extension programming was for forestry and wildlife Later needs assessments indicate more interest in horticulture and beekeeping programs
- Collaborative mindset: Collaboration includes outside speakers and local expects for topics relating to horticulture and beekeeping Partnerships with other agencies occurred with respect to prescribed fire training and pesticide safety
- Environmental awareness: Educational programs included hazard tree awareness, rural fire safety awareness, pesticide safety, pollinator awareness, and water quality
- Technical assistance: Most assistance was in the form of plant identification, insect ID and treatments, plant disease diagnosis and treatments, Interpretations of soil analysis results
- Workshop facilitation: Annual forestry forums and garden forums occurred Master Gardeners classes and beekeeping classes were organized and executed Field trips to garden centers and beeyards as well as to agricultural and forestry sites for professional land managers and educators
- Agricultural expertise: Experience was in forestry and involved some agriculture through training by specialists The extension program evolved into more gardening and beekeeping due to local interest
- Community engagement: Attendance to local police jury and school board meeting had occurred as well with Master Gardeners in Beauregard, Rapides, and Grant Parishes Participation with local beekeepers association still happens
Affiliations
- SW LA Beekeepers Association
Interests
Timeline
Extension Agent
LSU AgCenter
07.2007 - 08.2024
Extension Agen
University of Georgia Extension Service
09.2005 - 07.2007
Master of Science - Forestry
LSU
Bachelor of Science - Forestry And Wildlife
Virginia Tech
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