Woodie Hughes Jr., Fort Valley State University’s assistant Extension administrator state 4-H program leader, received an award for his work in 4-H positive youth development.
The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) 1890 Region honored Hughes with the 1890 Award for Excellence in Extension during the annual Southern Region Program Leadership Network Meeting in Orlando, Florida. APLU is composed of 237 land-grant institutions, public research universities, state university systems and other affiliated organizations in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Its purpose is to promote the work and achievements of these institutions.
To be eligible for the honor, the awardee must be a Cooperative Extension Program professional exhibiting excellence with a minimum of five consecutive years of Extension programming responsibilities.
“It is a humbling and inspiring feeling for me to be recognized through a national organization such as APLU for promoting 4-H positive youth development through FVSU’s 4-H Program,” Hughes said. During Hughes’ 15 year career at FVSU, he said that being honored with this award ranks high among his many achievements with FVSU’s 4-H program. He said he feels blessed to receive this honor.
“I was acknowledged for my proven commitment to helping people help themselves,” Hughes said.
Dr. Mark Latimore, FVSU Extension administrator, nominated Hughes for the honor. “With the contributions he has made to the university, to our Cooperative Extension Program and most importantly to youth in terms of their development, we couldn’t help but to nominate him for this award,” Latimore said.
Along with this award, Hughes is also a leader in 4-H programming, holding leadership positions at national levels.
For example, Hughes is the first African-American to be named to the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP 4-H) committee. He also serves as chair of the National Institute of Food and Nutrition (NIFA)-U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Vulnerable Populations Incarcerated Youth program and the National 4-H Pathways Committee 1890 Team Leader. Moreover, he is chair of the eXtension Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Listen and Learn Committee.
For more information about FVSU’s 4-H program, contact Hughes at (478) 825-6296 or email hughesw@fvsu.edu.