Behind the Clover: Real 4-H Talk with Real 4-H Pros

Learn more about our "alphabet soup" of county, unit, and statewide leadership teams, with Leadership Specialist Katie Duitsman. Discover how to get your local youth engaged in state opportunities, and get practical tips to improve your own local leadership programs!

Get to know Illinois 4-H State Leadership Specialist, Katie Duitsman, and learn about her background in and out of 4-H, what car mishaps she's gotten into, her reading habits, and the day to day of her work. Explore how Katie can help staff start new leadership teams, improve existing ones, deal with leadership challenges, and help engage folks all over the state with resources and guest presenter...

Learn more about how Katie Turkal's Federation youth leadership team functions and get tips for starting or improving your local leadership teams.

Get to know Katie Turkal, Extension Program Coordinator in Jasper County, and learn about her 4-H experience as a kid, and then how she came to work for Extension. Learn about Katie and the hosts nostalgia triggers and food habits as kids. Then learn about what Katie finds most rewarding in her work and get an introduction to her local Federation teen leadership program.

Get to know Michele Aavang, youth development educator in Lake and McHenry counties, and learn all about her Ambassadors youth leadership team. Hear her favorite 4-H moments, how her ambassador team is structured, what curriculum she uses to help build her team's skills, and her tips for starting or reinvigorating your own local leadership team!

Meet Michele Aavang, youth development educator in Lake and McHenry counties, and get the scoop on how she found 4-H, and went from parent, to volunteer, to program coordinator, to educator! Get updates on what the crew has been up to, what jobs they'd do if they didn't need to worry about money, and what Microsoft Office product they are.

Join us for the second half of our interview with Extension Program Coordinator Sara Seyfert about her work with her Emerging Leaders Program. Learn more about how the program works and who it reaches, what types of events the group helps support, and how she uses youth voice to make choices in her county! Hear about some cool events their county runs including "Meet the Projects" and "Welcome to...

Get to know Extension Program Coordinator Sara Seyfert, from her favorite book, to what she does to decompress! Learn how she found her way to 4-H from the culinary world and how she created her Emerging Leaders youth leadership program in her counties!

Learn about Dr. Kevin Carey's experiences on the board of the Illinois 4-H Foundation, and how that organization partners with Illinois 4-H to provide opportunities for Illinois youth. Also hear about Kevin's time on the Youth Leadership Team (YLT) and how important that experience can be for members!

Get to know Dr. Kevin Carey, Acting Director of 4-H Youth Development and Senior Program Lead, Positive Youth Development with Illinois 4-H! Learn about his journey to joining the 4-H staff team! Hear about the holiday traditions (and tunes) of Kevin and the Behind the Clover hosts, then learn about Kevin's early years in 4-H and how he volunteers his time. Get nostalgic with Kevin, Amy and Ryan a...

Learn more about Kasey Kemme's transition from the classroom to Youth Development educator and the people who helped her make that change successfully! Hear about her love for informal ed and the flexibility it provides, and what about her job gives her joy! Also learn about extra help positions and how they can be a great window into if an Extension job is right for someone!

Learn about how Kasey Kemme went from formal education in the classroom to Youth Development educator! Hear how she got introduced to the ins and outs of 4-H as extra help in Champaign, and why she decided to transition to working full time with Extension! Hear about where Kasey grew up, how she spends time with her family (hint: it involves show pigs and cheering for the Illini) and what dishes s...

Hear more from Latosha Reggans, Youth Development Educator in Cook County, about the challenges of growing 4-H in Chicago and beyond. She shares some great tips about scheduling time to process your work and plan, allowing yourself to focus in on one specific program, and learning from your peers!

Learn about Educator Latosha Reggans' move from being a Master Gardener Program Coordinator to an 4-H Youth Development Educator in Cook County! Hear about the learning curve in both positions, and how they are similar and different. Also discover how Tasha found Extension and 4-H, what spooks her, how she decompresses!

Join us as we meet Tiffany Cervantes, 4-H Extension Program Coordinator for Clark, Crawford, and Edgar counties, and learn about the iDREAM and iCREATE program and the opportunities it brings to the youth. Get the scoop on the best ice cream and where we can be found competing in the next Olympic games. 

Learn about Educator Andrea Farrier's favorite 4-H memories and how she made the transition from a program coordinator to an educator. Hear how she got her Master's while working for Extension, and get her tips on how to not play the comparison game with other staff. She also shares how she pitches 4-H to different audiences, especially potential partners.

Meet Andrea Farrier, Youth Development Educator in Unit 5, and learn about her background as a 4-Her in LaSalle County, her hobbies, and her love of Disney. Also hear about the whole team's thoughts on black raspberries, and if they were troublemakers as kids.

Hear about 4-H Assistant Dean and Director, Lisa Diaz's special assignment with National 4-H to get kids Beyond Ready! Get her tips on how to survive and keep positive as a 4-H professional, and hear how she pitches 4-H to families unfamiliar with the program. Learn about Lisa's hopes for the future and how she champions our 4-H youth.

Get to know 4-H Assistant Dean and Director, Lisa Diaz! Learn about Lisa's background and hobbies and how she came to Illinois 4-H. Get insight on how she approaches leading the Illinois 4-H team and what she does in her job!

Learn about County Directors with the second part of our interview with Tara Buerster, the County Director in Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash and Wayne Counties. Hear about her time in 4-H, watching her daughter grow her communication skills in 4-H, and how County directors support the 4-H program! 

Learn about County Directors with Tara Buerster, the County Director in Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash and Wayne Counties. Hear about her background and journey to Extension! Tara shares about the challenges of starting with Extension during Covid, how she decompresses from work, the importance of setting boundaries, and what's on her bucket list. Hear more from Tara in part 2 soon!

Learn about 4-H State Specialists with Shooting Sports and Environmental Education Specialist, storyteller, and all around awesome human, Curt Sinclair. Hear about how Curt sees the role of a State Specialist and listen to tips he has for new and experienced staff.

Learn about 4-H State Specialists with Shooting Sports and Environmental Education Specialist, storyteller, and all around awesome human, Curt Sinclair. Hear about how Curt ended up working for Illinois 4-H at 4-H Memorial Camp, and how he helped bring 4-H Shooting Sports programming to the state! Our conversation with Curt will continue with our next episode!

Explore the ins and outs of the 4-H Youth Development Educator position with Johnna Jennings, an experienced educator in Boone, DeKalb and Ogle counties. Johnna shares insights from more than 30 years of service with Illinois Extension, including guiding a local 4-H team, implementing Signature Programs like embryology, putting on overnight camps, dealing with organizational changes, and more! 

Learn about the day-to-day of someone in the Extension Program Coordinator (EPC) position in Illinois 4-H! Megan Pierson, EPC from Clay County, joins your hosts to talk about working for Extension in her home county, having a livestock background, building relationships with colleagues, and more!