Specialist Earns Excellence in Extension Honor
Brandon awarded for role in workforce development
Dr. Dorothy Brandon received the 1890 Excellence in Extension Award from the Association of Extension Administrators for her body of work in the areas of family and consumer science, and workforce development.
Brandon oversees several outreach initiatives, including PREP, the workforce development program now aimed at helping former inmates at day reporting centers find meaningful employment. Through the Making Money Count program, thousands of individuals have reduced debt and now better manage their finances. Older adults, however, continue to be one of her favorite audiences, as she instructs them on using computers for daily life applications and how to successfully “age in place” within their own homes and communities.
For the past five years, Dr. Brandon and her team have also coordinated the Family Day of Education and Fun, reaching thousands of participants and garnering state and national recognition. Family Fun Day is part of the Parent-Child Reading Enhancement Program activities that help parents teach their children how to be successful readers at a critical stage in life.
In addition to program development, Brandon was awarded more than $792,000 in grant funding.
As the 2019 1890 Land-grant Extension award recipient, she received a plaque and a monetary gift at the Southern Program Leadership Network Award Luncheon in New Orleans, La. This award makes her eligible for a National Excellence in Extension Award. The national award will be presented by the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy in November during the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in San Diego, Calif.
“We are proud of the work that is coming from our Extension programming staff here at Alabama A&M University,” said Extension Associate Director Celvia Stovall. “What’s more important is that our programs continue to achieve national recognition among our peers.”
Previous 1890 Extension in Excellence Award winners from Alabama Extension at Alabama A&M University are Dr. Andrea Morris in 2018; Dr. Karnita Garner in 2016; Kimberly Burgess-Neloms in 2015; Dr. Roger Richardson in 2013; and Dr. Maria Leite-Browning, Edna Coleman, Dr. Julio Correa, Kevin Crenshaw, and Robert Spencer in 2012.
For more information on Alabama Extension family and consumer science and workforce development programs, please contact Dr. Brandon at (256) 372-5458 or e-mail dpb0010@aces.edu.
- Wendi Williams