“Leah is a strategist, a team builder and a master of collaboration. She initiated and coordinated numerous award-winning efforts for N.C. Cooperative Extension. She brought together agents in counties across the state, packaged programs for impact and high visibility, attracted media and corporate sponsors, and packaged information to reach both key funding partners and thousands of citizens.
Dr. Deborah Crandall, RD, District Director, and Ms. Martha Burris, County Extension Director, N.C. Cooperative Extension
North Carolina Cooperative Extension is an educational outreach of N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University. As a marketing and media relations specialist, Leah worked on wide-ranging efforts that had both strong educational components paired with marketing communications to reach large numbers of people. Leah worked with numerous teams and was instrumental in starting such media efforts as a weekly segment, “Keeping It Simple,” on the morning newscast of WBTV (CBS) in Charlotte, a weekly gardening segment on WCNC (NBC) in Charlotte and regional events such as, “Give Your Heart a Healthy Beat,” that secured media sponsors WBTV, WPEG and WBAV radio and the Charlotte Post, along with numerous community and corporate support. Her directors nominated her for the State Award of Visionary Leadership, which she received from Epsilon Sigma Phi, the National Honorary Extension Fraternity.