As of January 2011, Megan is moving to the sidelines of WNC AgOptions, performing grant reporting, marketing and miscellaneous communications work for the program, while Jen Ferre conducts administration, facilitation and field work duties. Megan had the pleasure of working with Jen to ensure a smooth transition between managers.
WNC AgOptions program leaders comment that the program has come a long way since Megan first stepped into the coordination/management role in January 2008. During those three years, Megan worked with the steering committee, primarily composed of N.C. Cooperative Extension Agents, to:
· Improve the scoring system and grant review process to better reflect the committee's intentions and the agricultural community's needs;
· Enter a successful partnership with RAFI-USA Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, which administered 2009-2011 WNC AgOptions grants;
· Accept and distribute an additional $100,000 from Governor Beverly Purdue's Family Farm Innovation Fund, so that the program awarded a third of a million dollars in 2011;
· Initiate a community grant program for groups of farmers to respond to the local agricultural system's needs for improved distribution, packaging, processing and marketing;
· Undertake a research project into past recipient projects, which identified key areas for bettering the region's agricultural educational resources;
· Evolve business planning training to best suit WNC AgOptions recipients' needs;
· Improve the program's promotional, evaluation and reporting materials.
Now that Megan will not have a full-time contract with WNC AgOptions, her colleagues and clients are asking her, "What's next for you?" She returns, "What's next for you? What are your needs as you improve current programs or develop new ones, and how can I help?" Her philosophy and skills in management, program development, marketing and reporting, which contributed to the success of WNC AgOptions, can translate to a wide range of small or large projects for mission-driven businesses and non-profit organizations.
Megan provides services not only in the fields of land conservation and sustainable agriculture but also alternative education, the arts, cultural dynamics and holistic medicine. She continues to create a network with other contractors so that she can partner with them to expand the scope of her services for her clients—and benefit her community to the best of her abilities.
