UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jill Varner, Penn State Extension food, families and communities educator, was appointed as the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Extension Fellow, effective Jan. 1.
During her two-year term, Varner will work with the association in Harrisburg, providing expertise to commissioners in the state’s 67 counties to enhance the statewide partnership between the association and Penn State while learning more about county and state agencies and offices.
“This fellowship is an opportunity to continue to foster a collaborative relationship between Penn State Extension, CCAP and county commissioners, which is crucial for the success of Extension’s outreach programs,” said Tara Mondock, Penn State Extension associate director for client relations. “This prestigious fellowship will enable Extension to align our expertise and address issues of importance to our counties across the commonwealth.”
Penn State Extension receives significant support from county governments across Pennsylvania and maintains offices statewide, providing local educational programs and services. Extension also is supported by state and federal appropriations as part of Penn State’s status as a land-grant university.
Based in Erie County, Varner holds bachelor’s degrees in education and family therapy along with a master’s degree in education. She grew up on a hobby farm in rural Texas. With expertise in mental health, she is a member of the extension farm stress team, a mental health first aid instructor, and a Question, Persuade and Refer suicide prevention team member.
“We are thrilled that Jill Varner has been appointed as the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Extension Fellow,” Mondock said. “This distinguished fellowship will enable her to work with CCAP and county commissioners across the state to leverage her experience and expertise as well as connect to program team members from five other programming units.”
Varner said she plans to focus on community health throughout Pennsylvania, looking at ways to build relationships to help fill needs within various communities. She will harness her expertise and experience to share mental health and wellness resources across the commonwealth, particularly in the agriculture community.
“Pennsylvania is so diverse,” she said. “We have urban areas, rural areas and everything in between. Each community has unique needs.”
She noted that a community-based approach considers many angles, such as financial, nutritional, physical and family health. “Those are all things that I want to integrate and bring with me in this new role,” she said.
Varner helped represent Extension at the association’s annual conference in August, held in Erie County. During this experience, she started envisioning many opportunities for connections between the government and Penn State Extension.
“I heard a sad story about a suicide that happened in a rural area, and I instantly could think of multiple programs that would be able to fill a need for that specific community,” Varner said.
She said that thinking about questions such as “What can we do?” “How can we help?” and “How can we collaborate?” energize her.
Lisa Schaefer, CCAP executive director, said, “We are excited to have someone with Jill’s expertise and experience join us in a fellowship role. We know her efforts will continue our successful relationship with Penn State Extension and will provide a great value to our leadership and the residents of our counties.”
Mondock agreed, noting that the fellowship benefits both organizations. “The relationship with CCAP is an important and longstanding relationship that has enabled us to live out our land-grant mission,” she said. “The CCAP fellowship allows us to listen and respond, bringing resources from Extension where, when and how they’re needed to every county and citizen across Pennsylvania.”
Varner said she has made a lot of great friends in Extension, from Master Gardeners to 4-H to Master Watershed Stewards, among others. “I respect and appreciate all of the work and benefits that they offer to their communities,” she said. “I want to do my best in representing Extension as a whole.
“It’s such an exciting opportunity for me,” Varner added. “I’m ready to get to work and hit the ground running. I have a lot of ideas, and I’m excited to see how I can make it all work.”
