Melinda Miller is the 4-H Program Development Coordinator serving 41 counties in UGA Extension’s Southwest District.  As a PDC, Melinda provides training, support and coaching to the 4-H agents, associates and program assistants in the counties located in middle Georgia beginning at Peach and Houston Counties, west to the Alabama line and south to the Florida line along the I-75 corridor.  Southwest District is mostly rural with strong agricultural row crop and vegetable production at its economic core.  Many counties have very active 4-H youth livestock programs with exhibitors showing pigs, goats, cattle and sheep.  Most counties also boast accomplished 4-H SAFE (Shooting Awareness Fun Education) programs with solid particiation in modified trap, archery, air pistol, trap and skeet and BB team events.  County 4-H faculty and staff in SW District offer a variety of issue based programming in agricultural awareness and healthy living, communication and leadership.  4-H programs in SW maintain strong partnerships with public, private and homeschool educational systems.

Melinda is a product of the Georgia 4-H program starting her 4-H journey like most, in 5th grade with a great experience at Cloverleaf Project Achievement.  She was raised on a farm in Lowndes County and became a Master 4-H’er in the Conservation of Natural Resources Project and served as a SW District Senior Board member and State 4-H Officer.  She is an alumna of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia, and earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications and Master of Science in Sociology from Valdosta State University.

Prior to joining the SW District team in August 2012, Melinda served as the County Extension Coordinator and  4-H Extension Agent in Lowndes County for 12 years.  Her Extension career began in 1999 at Moody AFB in Lowndes County.  In her role as the Youth Collaboration Project Coordinator, she led one of three fully funded grant programs in the nation supporting the start up of 4-H on USAF installations.  Serving military families is one of many highlights of her Extension career.  In 2008, Miller was nominated by her peers to receive the William H. Booth Award winning the distinguished honor among 4-H agents in SW District and the state of Georgia.  She has also received the Achievement in Service and Distinguished Service Awards from the Georgia and National Associations of Extension 4-H Agents.  She is a member of Epsilon Sigma Phi Extension Honor Society and the Georgia and National Associations of County Agricultural Agents.

Melinda resides in Valdosta, Georgia, with her husband Tony Miller, an active 4-H volunteer, and their two children Janey and Jon Jon who also enjoy being active 4-H members.

Ryan Rose serves as a Development Officer for the Georgia 4-H Foundation. Ryan is a lifelong 4-H’er thanks to encouragement from his Grandma, who served as an extension secretary in Boone County, Kentucky. Judging teams and Project Achievement events secured his passion for engaging and fun 4-H programming.

He served five summers in the Georgia 4-H camping program, with two in leadership positions. After graduating from UGA with a degree in Criminal Justice, Ryan worked as a 4-H Military Youth Program Assistant before transitioning to Admissions Counselor at Athens Technical College. Ryan was eventually promoted to Assistant Director for Admissions before transitioning into his role as Development Officer.

Ryan is originally from Augusta, Georgia, but has been living in Athens since 2013. In his free time, Ryan enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and golf.

Al is a member of the State 4-H Faculty serving as the 4-H Program Development Coordinator for Northeast District.  Al joined State Staff in November 2009.  Previously, he was a 4-H agent for 12 years serving in Fannin, Union, Towns, Rabun, Baldwin, Greene and Putnam Counties.  Before joining Extension, he had a successful career in radio broadcasting.

His 4-H career began in the fifth grade in Wilkinson County.  He attended District Project Achievement eight years and State 4-H Congress four years in the Poultry Project.  He became an active 4-H Volunteer in 1991 and served as Vice-President, President-Elect and President of the Georgia 4-H Volunteer Leader Association.  Al is the only person to ever step down as President of G4-HVLA to become a 4-H Agent.

Al graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism from Georgia College and State University in 1990.  After serving as a 4-H volunteer leader for several years, he decided to return to school to meet the qualifications to become a 4-H Agent.  In 1997, he graduated from the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences with a Master of Agriculture Extension Education.  In 1998, he began his Extension career.

While serving in Putnam County, he was responsible for the development of an Experiential Learning Garden that has received  numerous awards and grants totaling more than $200,000.00.  The garden is used for 4-H club meetings, an After-School Junior Master Gardener Club, and by teachers and their students everyday.   He also worked with school officials to require all 4th – 8th grade students in Putnam County to participate in the project achievement process.  Over 600 students participated in County Project Achievement and over 125 youth competed at District Project Achievement each year.  This process has been credited with increasing 8th grade Writing Assessment scores.  A video of this success has been created and was distributed to Boards of Education statewide.

During his Extension career, Al has received many awards from his peers including National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Distinguished Service Award and the JCPenney Excellence in After-school Programming Award.  He was elected to serve as Vice-President of the Georgia Association of Extension 4-H Agents in 2008.  The position was a four-year responsibility that included President-Elect, President, and Past-President.  He served as Chairperson for the NAE4-HA Entertainment Committee for the national meeting held in Atlanta in 2007.  He served as Chairperson for the GAE4-HA Oceans of Fun Committee for six years.  OOF provides classes and workshops to the children of school officials attending the annual Georgia Association of Educational Leadership Conference each summer on Jekyll Island.

Al is married to Joan Parker and they live in Eatonton, Georgia.  They have five children:  Eryn, Kari, Brent, Katy and Jenna.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Education degree from UGA as well as a Master of Elementary Education degree and an Educational Specialist degree in Leadership from Clemson. She began her career as a teacher in Toccoa, Georgia, and later continued teaching and eventually serving as the admissions director at St. Joseph Catholic School in Athens. Before joining the 4-H team, she worked with her family at Davis Transfer Company in Carnesville. Stephanie’s children all participated in 4-H and her son, Davis, served as a state officer in 2021-2022. She is excited to contribute to the mission of making the best better.

Josie Smith joined the State 4-H Staff as Public Relations Coordinator in November 2021. Prior to coming to Athens, she served for seven years in marketing and communication roles with the Office of College Advancement at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton, GA.

 

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender Studies from Georgia College and State University and an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies from ABAC. Prior to her position at ABAC, she served as a Baldwin County 4-H Program Assistant in Milledgeville, GA and a Youth Health Educator with Dekalb Board of Health in Atlanta, GA.

 

Josie followed a family legacy as a 4-H’er in Tift County and was inspired to join 4-H by her mother, a championship-winning Pennsylvania 4-H’er. She is a six-time Master 4-H’er and her siblings share a combined total of twelve Master awards. She received the Tift County 4-H Volunteer of the Year Award in 2018 and the Georgia State 4-H Volunteer of the Year Finalist Award in 2017.

Michele Svoboda serves as the Georgia 4-H Fiscal Affairs Manager.  In this role, she assists the State 4-H Leader and two Assistant 4-H Leaders by providing oversight of financial activity and business management functions as they relate to Georgia 4-H, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the University of Georgia.

In December of 1994, after graduating from Gwinnett Technical College, Michele began working at the University of Georgia.  During the earlier part of her career, she worked in the Procurement Office, Department of Child and Family Development and Extension Plant Pathology.  In January 2003, Michele transferred to the CAES Business Office accepting the position of Sr. Budget Analyst.  The knowledge and relationships that Michele gained while working in the CAES Business Office prepared her tremendously for her role of lead Business Manager with Georgia 4-H, originally taken in April 2009.  In 2014, Michele left Georgia 4-H for another opportunity with the State Botanical Garden but soon returned to Georgia 4-H as the Business Manager for the Georgia 4-H Foundation.  Now back in the lead Business Manager position for Georgia 4-H, she brings with her the knowledge and experience from every department that connected her to Georgia 4-H.

Michele enjoys spending time with family, camping and traveling.  She lives in Statham, GA with her husband Bill and two cats.  Michele has a daughter that lives in Vancouver Canada and a son that lives in Homer GA.  She also has one grandson and two granddaughters.

Steve coordinates 4-H IT planning and staff activities for the State 4-H Office on UGA’s campus and the five 4-H centers statewide as well as data management for 4-H statewide.

He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Auburn University in 1988. In 1992, Steve received his MBA from Georgia College and State University, and in 1996 he received a Master of Management Information Systems from GC&SU. Prior to coming to work for The University of Georgia 4-H Program in April of 1998, he had been a faculty member at Georgia College and State University since 1993.

Steve is an avid water skier and former Georgia State Men’s Jump Record Holder. Steve was a professional water ski show performer in Italy, Germany, Japan, and the US. He has two children.

Deon Wallace serves as the State 4-H Events and Programs Coordinator for Georgia 4-H. In this role, he works to support the planning, promotion, and execution of the events and activities that serve the more than 240,000 4-H youth in Georgia. He also acts as the State Staff Liaison for Clovers & Co., Georgia 4-H’s premier performing arts group.

Following a family history of 4-H participation, Deon began his 4-H career like many others, in 5th grade, with a successful and fun-filled Cloverleaf Project Achievement. A proud alumnus of the Johnson County 4-H program, Deon served as Senior Club President, was part of a National Championship Consumer Judging Team, and was awarded Johnson County 4-H’er of the Year.

In 2015, Deon received his B.S.F.C.S in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Georgia. While attending UGA, Deon was an active Collegiate 4-Her, Collegiate 4-H President, and served four summers in the Georgia 4-H Camping Program with one summer in a leadership position. Additionally, he was recognized as an Honorary Master 4-Her in 2014.

After graduating from UGA, Deon worked on the catering and events team at Athens Chick-fil-A, pioneering Chick-fil-A’s first-ever food truck. In this return to Georgia 4-H, Deon is excited to plan and execute many of the same events that meant so much to him as a 4-H’er

Deon enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends in his free time. He can also be found on stages throughout the Athens area performing in dance and musical theatre.

Kate Whiting serves as the Extension 4-H Specialist for Animal Science Programs. Kate is responsible for youth equine and poultry programming through Georgia 4-H. In this role, she coordinates the State Horse Show, Horse Judging, Horse Quiz Bowl, Hippology, and Poultry Judging. She also develops and provides training and education for agents and those leading and teaching animal science programming.

Kate holds the rank of Senior Public Service Associate at the University of Georgia. She began her career with UGA Extension in 2006 as the Peach County 4-H Agent. Kate transitioned to her role as Peach County Extension Coordinator and 4-H Agent in 2010. Kate was honored with the William H. Booth Award from the Georgia Association 4-H Youth Development Professionals and Georgia EMC in 2018 and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of 4-H Youth Development Professionals in 2019.

Kate is a graduate of Auburn University, where is received her Bachelor of Science, majoring in Agricultural Business and Economics. She also earned her Master of Agriculture in Agricultural Business and Economics from Auburn University.

Kate grew up in the Georgia 4-H program and was highly active in equine programs including Horse Judging, Horse Quiz Bowl, Horse Show and Horse School. She resides in Perry, GA were she continues to be active in the equine industry on the national level.

Tracy serves as the main point of contact for donations received into the Georgia 4-H Foundation. As a Development Associate, she works with the fundraising team to ensure that all gifts are received into the correct funds and that tax letters are sent out to the donors. She oversees the recordkeeping for fundraising, interfaces with the Business Office, and serves as a liaison to the University of Georgia Foundation and their donor records.

Tracy’s favorite activities include family time with her 3 adult children, her grand kids, thrift shopping, crafting, and finding joy in by being out in nature.