Melanie Biersmith serves as the State 4-H Leader (and Director of 4-H) for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. She is the ninth state leader in the organization’s 118-year history. Melanie leads a staff and faculty of over 200 hundred employees that support the implementation of the 4-H program in Georgia which serves over 200,000 youth in a typical year.

From 2018-2023, Melanie served as an Associate State 4-H Leader for the Georgia 4-H program. In this role, she was responsible for the operation of the 4-H facilities across Georgia: Wahsega 4-H Center in Dahlonega, Fortson 4-H Center in Hampton, Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island, Georgia 4-H at Camp Jekyll, and 4-H Tidelands Nature Center on Jekyll Island.  She also provided leadership to the residential programs that operate out of the 4-H facilities including the 4-H Environmental Education program and the 4-H summer camping program.

She holds the faculty rank of Senior Public Service Associate at the University of Georgia and is a recipient of the 2017 Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach.  She has also been recognized as Facilitator of the Year for three environmental education curricula: Project WET (2002), Project WILD (2017), and Project Learning Tree (2019).

She started her career with UGA Extension on Jekyll Island in 2003.  She first served as 4-H Environmental Education Coordinator and then 4-H Center Director.  In 2008, she transitioned to the state 4-H staff where she served as Extension 4-H Specialist for Science and Environmental Education until 2018.

Melanie’s degrees, a B.S. in biology from Georgia College and a M.A. in science education from the University of Georgia, have both contributed to work with Georgia 4-H. Additionally, she worked with UGA’s Marine Extension on Skidaway Island for three years and taught high school science in Georgia for two years. She stays in touch with the formal education community as her husband is a high school science teacher in Morgan County. Together, they have two children.