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TarahAlfredson Case Study

Background

TarahAlfredson is an Extension Agent and County Director assigned to Family and Consumer Sciences (80 percent) and Administrative/Executive (20 percent). She has 12 years of experience with the last two years serving as County Director. She is the leader of a countywide Tennessee Shapes Up program that is one of the states best with numerous businesses, churches, schools and public agencies involved. Tarah has shown incredible organizational and teaching skills as the county has had a Tennessee Shapes Up course or activity every week for the past two years. Tarah measures results through multisession Tennessee Shapes Up courses. This year, 495 people participated with these results:

• 450 (90 percent) participants now eat more wholegrains.
• 425 (85 percent) now eat more fruits and vegetables.
• 450 (90 percent) participants decreased consumption of high-sugarfoods.
• 240 (48 percent) participants now eat at least six meals together as a family eachweek.
• 350 (70 percent) participants engaged in physical activity for at least 30 minutes fiveor more days during mostweeks.
• 390 (78 percent) lost weight; 1,950 total pounds were lost for an average of five pounds perparticipant.
• 400 (80 percent) participants reported improved blood pressure, blood sugar,cholesterol levels and/or triglyceridelevels.

Tarah implements Tennessee Shapes Up so that it reaches many diverse audiences including senior adults, food stamp recipients and families. She has conducted programs at every school and senior center in the county and many workplaces. She carefully considers her program results and works to figure out how to improve outcomes. She has strong partnerships with the Head Start in her community where she has taught Head Start teachers to use the Healthy Steps curriculum, and she has reached parents with numerous programs. This year was her second year as a member of the State Nutrition and Food Safety Leadership Team that developed a numberof educationalresources.

Tarahs individual annual plan was acceptable, and it was composed of action agendas in Tennessee Shapes Up and Tennessee Saves. Based on the needs of the county she serves, Tarah places most of her effort on Tennessee Shapes Up. However, the Tennessee Saves program she delivers has achieved similar success. In Tennessee Saves, she coordinates efforts with the Extension 4-H Agent. Other information about Tarahs work this year follows:

• She co-taught a Tennessee Saves inservice in her region where she demonstrated theuse of money management apps forconsumers.
• The county population is approximately 20 percent minority. Tarahs direct contacts are 25 percentminority.
• The questions she receives from the general public seem to become more varied every year. This year, Tarah noticed an increase in questions related to physical effects of poor indoor air, proper ventilation, asthma and natural cleaning products. She feels marginally competent with questions about physical effects of poor indoor air, proper ventilation, asthma and natural cleaning products.
• She involves approximately 40 individual volunteers in numerous programs. The volunteers represent Family and Community Education Clubs, parents and others who she meets through her programming, such as Parenting Apart: Effective Co-Parenting. Tarah primarily manages this cadre of volunteers to fully implement base programs,such as pressure canner testing and Farmers Market Fresh. She works to recruit numerous minority leaders to serve as volunteers in programs and advisorycouncils.

Mentoring

When Tarah began her Extension career 12 years ago, she was assigned an outstanding mentor. Her mentor told her to be very concerned that everything you do is of the highest quality. The mentor reasoned that if an Extension Agent strives for quality programs, then a great number of clients, volunteers, community leaders and other stakeholders will seek out the Extension Agent as a resource, support their programs, and adopt the best practices and innovations being taught. Tarah took this advice to heart, and she strives for excellence in all that she does. Tarah has served as a mentor for a new agent in a neighboring county. It was a very good match because the mentee has struggled with policy compliance, and Tarah is regarded as an expert and role model in that area.

Tarahs mentor was also a strong believer in lifelong learning, and she stressed the need to schedule appropriate time for professional development. Tarah has followed that advice, and she shares it with other Extension professionals. This year, she attended inservice training in Parenting Apart: Effective Co-Parenting, Living Well with Chronic Conditions, Home Food Preservation, and Effective Performance Appraisals. She participated in the Tennessee Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference where she received the Family Health and Wellness Award. She is a member of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. She served as Region Vice President for the Tennessee Omega Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi.

Performance Appraisals

Tarah supervises two Extension Agents, one Program Assistant, and one Administrative Assistant. They were very pleased with Tarahs professionalism and skill with the entire appraisal process. One agent told Tarah that he had an overall better feeling about the appraisal ratings because she had attended the entire Forage Management Field Day to see him teach and interact with farmers. Tarah strives to be an instructional leader for the entire county Extension program, and she provides positive reinforcement and ideas for improvement.

Prior to Tarah becoming County Director, the previous performance appraisal interviews were not really interviews at all. The employees were just presented with their appraisal form and told to sign it. Tarah used the performance factors (Program Development, Program Management, Program Accomplishments, Professionalism, and Community and Organizational Leadership) as an outline for the appraisal interview she conducted with each individual employee. In these appraisals, all of the employees had some goal that touched on technology in programming andoffice efficiency. Tarah was also pleased that she had successfully implemented what she had learned at the performance appraisal inservice.

Despite this overall success with appraisals, Cynthia, one of the Extension Agents, was disappointed to have received an unsatisfactory rating for professional development. Cynthia had been very active in the local chamber of commerce, even leading a new small business education initiative for the chamber. Tarah explained that Cynthia needed to be an active member of an organization that was aligned with the profession and provided processes, techniques, competencies and/or subject matter relevant to the job. Cynthia disagreed, and Tarah feels this may still be causing a small distraction to Cynthias performance since Cynthia is not as engaged in discussions during office conferences.

Interoffice Communications

Tarah holds weekly office conferences that provide time for everyone to share updates, ask questions, and discuss the total Extension effort in the county. Sometimes these brief meetings last only 15 minutes. Tarah also uses the office conference to keep personnel informed about deadlines, policies and procedures, coach them in effective customer service, prepare as a group for the Agriculture Committee meetings, and keep the staff updated on the county budget.

Last year, Tarahs Regional Director challenged her to meet a few times during the year in one- on-one meetings with all of the employees she supervises. After attending a performance appraisal inservice, Tarah was able to see that these meetings provided time for performance feedback and coaching. Tarah has adopted the idea that performance feedback and coaching is paramount to successful performance. Tarah successfully helped an employee improve their attire, which was a sensitive conversation. Tarah had to have the conversation a couple of times. Tarah followed up with her Regional Director who confirmed that Tarah was on the right track.

Reputation and Goals

In the Extension organization, Tarahs county has a very good reputation for doing quality work and fulfilling work assignments and requirements. Reports are accurate and completed on time, and Tarah is a good manager of extramural funds including the Tennessee Nutrition and Consumer Education Program. All of the countys base program efforts are considered to meet expectations, exceed expectations, and some are exemplary. The Regional Director and Regional Program Leaders believe that coaching others was a hidden talent for Tarah and that serving as a County Director has revealed that talent.

The county Extension office is clean and well-organized, and the personnel have the office equipment and furniture they need to do quality work. The office could be more inviting. It has not been painted in 20 years and the carpet shows significant wear; it is buckled in places. All computers are either 6 or 7 years old. Tarah would like to make a number of improvements, and she contemplates the need to balance her programming with her role as a County Director.

Consequently, she has not requested funds for these improvements from either the county or state level. County funding is at the recommended level. Overall, the staff extramural funds this year were at the same level as previous years.

In the community, the Extension office is viewed as professional, positive and helpful. One of the reasons for a strong, positive reputation in the community is Tarahs work to promote Extension programs and accomplishments in various ways. One of Tarahs goals is related to technology. She would like to find ways to integrate technology in Extension programs and support agents in accessing and using new technologies. Another goal is to improve the parking lot at the Extension office. Since it was not swept regularly, dirt and debris blocked drainage just enough to allow standing water in very heavy rainfall. She has worked with the county Agriculture Committee and the county mayor to have the Highway Department sweep the parking lot on a regular basis. While that has been an improvement, other improvements are needed. It needs to be sealed, lines need to be repainted, and lighting could be better. These issues are more aspirational as the parking lot is adequate.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some performance criteria where Tarah demonstrates strength?

2. Tarah rated Cynthia as needs improvement for professional development. What is your opinion of this rating?

3. What, if anything, could Tarah do to improve her performance?

4. How would you assess Tarahs goals for the coming year?

5. The Regional Director and Regional Program Leaders believe that coaching others was a hidden talent for Tarah. What are some characteristics of effective coaches?

6. Rate Tarahs performance using a performance appraisal form.