Public Issues Leadership Development Conference



Thank you to those who attended the

2022 PILD conference.


We look forward to bringing you a quality program

April 16-19, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.


Download the PDF - 2022 PILD Conference Program

Download the PDF - 2022 First Timers Information


PILD Full Conference Program


Sunday – April 3, 2022

1:30 – 6:30 pm Conference Registration Desk Open

Regency C Foyer

2:30 – 5:00 pm PILD 1st Timers Orientation

This is a walking tour of the hotel, metro stop, and surrounding area.

Meet in Hotel Lobby

5:00 pm Dinner on your own

6:00 – 9:30 pm Washington Twilight Tour

Registered individuals meet in the hotel lobby at 5:45 pm to board buses. (Pre-purchased ticket required).

Meet in Hotel Lobby


Monday – April 4, 2022

7:00 am Registration open

Regency C Foyer

7:30 – 8:30 am Breakfast

Regency C Foyer

8:30 – 8:45 am Introductions & Welcome to PILD

Alicia Betancourt, PILD Chair

Gene McAvoy, 2022 JCEP President

Regency Ballroom CD

8:45 – 9:30 am Keynote Presentation

Breaking Through Is Hard to Do: Getting Your Voice

Heard in Congress

Mark Bayer

Regency Ballroom CD

Discover behind-the-scenes factors that can determine if your priorities get the attention of policymakers and their staff so you can develop and deliver messages that spur the actions you're seeking.

9:30 -10:30 am Public Extension Leadership – Your Power to Represent

Extension in DC and at Home

Panel Moderator – Alicia Betancourt

Panel Members –

-Bill Hoffman, USDA/NIFA Chief of Staff

-Andy Ferrin, SVP, Chief Strategy Officer for National 4-H Council

-Caron Gala, Director, Governmental Affairs, Agriculture and International Development at APLU

-Christina Laridaen, BAA Advocacy Firm, Lewis-Burke Associates

Regency Ballroom CD

10:30 – 11:00 am Networking Break

11:00 am – Noon ECOP’s New Advocacy & Education Vision for the Cooperative

Extension System

Panel Moderator – Alil Mitchell

Panel Members –

o Brent Hales, Jason Henderson and Roger Rennekam, ECOP Program Committee - to discuss the Priority Action Teams

o Jon Boren, ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee Chair - to discuss the BLC and the 4-H advocacy subcommittee

o Caroline Henney, ECOP Executive Directors - to discuss the Advocacy Toolkit

o Doug Steele, VP FANR - to discuss the new advocacy firm relationship

Regency Ballroom CD

12:00 – 1:15 pm Lunch

Regency Foyer/Regency Ballroom CD

1:15 – 2:00 pm The New NIFA

Dr. Carrie Castille, Director of the National Institute for Food & Agriculture (NIFA) via video

Q&A with Bill Hoffman NIFA, Chief of Staff, Directors Office

Regency Ballroom CD

2:00 - 2:30 pm NIFA is your Partner

A panel of NIFA leaders to discuss how Extension fits into the USDA portfolio from the Federal perspective.

Panel Moderator – Bill Hoffman, Chief of Staff, NIFA

Panel Members – NIFA Staff

Regency Ballroom CD

2:30 - 3:00 pm Networking Break

3:00 – 3:20 pm ECOP Priority Action Team (PAT) Breakout Sessions

Learn about PAT progress, how to get involved and meet related NIFA Staff

1. 4-H Positive Youth Development- Jon Boran, Brent Elrod and NIFA representative

Potomac I

2. Health and Wellness- Roger Rennekamp and NIFA representative

Potomac II

3. Urban Extension- Brent Hales, Marie Ruemenapp and NIFA representative

Potomac III

4. Climate Change- Jason Henderson and NIFA representative

Potomac IV

5. Broadband- Roberto Gallardo and NIFA representative

Potomac V

3:20 – 3:30 pm Stretch Break

3:30 – 3:50 pm ECOP Priority Action Teams (PAT) Breakout Sessions (Repeat)

Learn about PAT progress, how to get involved and meet your NIFA Science Liaisons.

1. 4-H Positive Youth Development- Jon Boran, Brent Elrod and NIFA representative

Potomac I

2. Health and Wellness- Roger Rennekamp and NIFA representative

Potomac II

3. Urban Extension- Brent Hales, Marie Ruemenapp and NIFA representative

Potomac III

4. Climate Change- Jason Henderson and NIFA representative

Potomac IV

5. Broadband- Roberto Gallardo and NIFA representative

Potomac V

3:50 – 4:00 pm Stretch Break

4:00 – 5:30 pm Professional Association Meetings

NAE4-HYDP - Potomac I

NEAFCS - Potomac II

NACDEP - Potomac III

ANREP - Potomac IV

ESP - Potomac V

NACAA - Potomac VI

NAEPSDP - Conference Theater

6:00 pm Association Night Out

Associations make plans on their own.

6:00 pm Volunteers/Directors/Administrators Night Out

Interested individuals meet in the Lobby at 6:00 pm to walk to dinner together.

Tuesday – April 5, 2022

7:30 – 8:30 am Breakfast

Regency C Foyer

8:30 – 9:30 am Extension Directors/Administrators Budget and Legislative Meeting

(Special breakout)

Conference Theater

8:30 – 9:25 am Structure and Funding of Extension

Ali Mitchell, Executive Director, Association of Northeast Extension Directors

Bill Hoffman, NIFA, Chief of Staff, Directors Office

Regency Ballroom CD

9:25 – 9:45 am Networking Break

9:45 – 10:45 am Breakout Sessions

Save Your Brain: Empowering Youth to Advocate for Policy that Promotes Head Injury Prevention and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Emily Doosing, University of Missouri

Youth can become advocates for their safety and leaders for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Youth who understand the importance of research as it relates to their own wellbeing are more likely to support the land-grant mission research and Extension programming. Youth who feel empowered benefit from positive developmental outcomes.

Potomac I

Return on Investment: Presenting the Monetary Value of Your Program

Jamie Ballard; Dean Dr. Lynne Borden and Dr. Stephanie Nunn, University of Minnesota

Participants will learn the value of return on investment analysis in advocating for funding, shifting focus to seeing funding as an investment, rather than a cost. Participants will learn how to apply the Washington State Institute for Public Policy approach to calculating ROI, including measuring the change in outcomes, the monetary value associated with the outcome, and the cost of implementing the program. Participants will learn strategies for calculating the monetary value of outcomes, including accessible data to use as reference points.

Potomac II

Addressing Energy Inequity: Facilitating Funding, Partnerships, Volunteers, and Multi-Sectoral Strategies to Support Low-Income Families

Lee Hayes Byron, University of Florida

The national, state, and local factors influencing energy costs and the context of inequities in how those costs are felt among vulnerable populations. Potential roles for Extension in education and program implementation in supporting efficiency and solar improvements for residents and non-profits. The national identity of Extension makes it well suited to lead in developing these types of programs with significant local impact potential. Possible resources to consider in building capacity for energy programs and bringing them to scale to achieve tangible energy and climate outcomes. Programs are replicable at various levels of investment, from only staff time to large scale grant funded programs. There are opportunities to encourage federal funding to expand these types of programs nationwide using the Extension network.

Potomac III

Starting with Evaluation Leads to a Happy Ending

Melinda Grismer and Maria Wiltse Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD)

Scope: By demonstrating the "triple helix" concept for community economic development, this presentation will help attendees understand how their work on multi-county/regional projects fits into the larger Extension system and mission Storytelling: By utilizing the strategies for measuring and reporting impact shared by the presenters, Extension educators/specialists who attend this session can replicate the evaluation process developed for the WHIN initiative Significance: By leveraging the storytelling strategies shared in this session, Extension educators/specialists can effectively communicate value to regional, state and federal funders/stakeholders

Potomac IV

Understanding Personality Traits Can Improve Your Leadership and Advocacy Skills

Izette McNealy, Alabama Cooperative Extension; Sheridan Hansen, Utah State University Extension, and Jennifer Shukaitis, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

In this training workshop, participants will learn or refresh their understanding of the DISC model personality traits. The will complete a DISC assessment, review and discuss results. The will learn to apply their personality strengths to their Extension leadership and advocacy efforts individually and within local teams.

Potomac V

Talking About Extension Doesn't Have to Be Scary

Mike Knutz, University of Idaho Extension

Peggy Damann UW-Madison Division of Extension

Preparation is essential. Be prepared for the casual/impromptu encounter with stakeholders, as well as the planned meeting with elected officials. You can tell your story better than anyone else and it won’t be a scary thing – if you are well prepared! Content is key. Whether you call it an "Elevator Speech" or not, the idea is the same: Convey what you do and why it matters. Tell your story in a way that is short and catchy, jargon free, conversational, and personalized. Include a description of your organization, your role, and an example of your programming and how it impacts communities and lives. Start with what you already know or write for your Extension reporting such as impact statements or abstract sentences and refine it specifically to fit this short-encounter opportunity. Practice, share, refine. In this session there will be time to write your elevator speech, share it with others and give and get feedback from others in the session.

Potomac VI

10:45 – 11:00 am Stretch Break

11:00 am – Noon The FY 2022 Extension System Budget Request – What it Is, How to Talk About It, and Why It Matters

Panel Moderator – Ali Mitchell

Panel Members -

Dr. Bev Durgan

Jon Boren, ECOP Budget & Legislative Committee Chair

Bridget Krieger, Lewis-Burke Associates LLC

Caron Gala

Regency Ballroom CD

12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch

Regency C Foyer/Regency Ballroom CD

12:00 – 1:00 pm Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) Extension Administrators

Lunch

Gene McAvoy

Capitol Room

1:00 – 2:00 pm Towards a More Perfect Union; Viewing the importance of DEI Education through the American Civil Rights Movement

Barry McNealy - Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Regency Ballroom CD

2:00 - 2:15 pm Networking Break

2:15 - 2:30 pm Recognition of Outgoing JCEP Board Members

Peggy Damann

Regency Ballroom CD

2:30 – 3:15 pm Capnote Presentation: A System without Borders

Jorge Atiles and Caroline Henney

As two of the individuals who developed the National Extension Directors and Administrators Meeting (NEDA) report about the future of Cooperative Extension – A System without Borders, they will share results from the recent NEDA report and conference. Regency Ballroom CD

3:15 – 5:00 pm Networking Break

3:15- 5:00 pm State Planning Time for Hill Visits

6:00 pm States Night Out

Wednesday – April 6, 2022

7:00 – 8:00 am Breakfast on your own

8:00 am - 5:00 pm Congressional and Agency Visits

6:00 pm Dinner on your own