UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Cooperative Extension has named Jane Landis of Elizabethtown as county extension director in Dauphin County, effective Jan. 1, 2004.

"As a result of her various leadership experiences locally and nationally, as well as her strengths in community networking, Jane brings an important skill set to the county extension director position," says Michelle Rodgers, director of Penn State Cooperative Extension's Capital Region.

Landis began her career with Penn State Cooperative Extension in 1988 as a family living educator based in Perry County. She was responsible for planning and conducting nonformal educational programs with an emphasis on family strengths/relations.

In 1997, she joined the Dauphin County extension office, where she has developed educational programs for families and individuals across the life span, pregnant and parenting teens, day care providers, senior citizens, incarcerated youths and adults, and school-aged children. She has taught and facilitated programs covering nutrition and family health, child development, building self-esteem, stress management, leadership and decision making skills, communication styles, and household safety and management.

Prior to joining Penn State, Landis was a teen parenting educator for the Harrisburg School District. She also worked at the Dauphin County Vocational-Technical School as a facilitator for two student organizations and served as a part-time home economics teacher in the Lower Dauphin School District. Landis received a bachelor's degree in home economics from Murray State University in Kentucky and a master's degree in adult education from Penn State. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, which honored her with its 1999 Distinguished Service Award and its 2001 Continued Excellence Award.

Landis is a graduate of the Harrisburg Leadership program, secretary of the Mid-Atlantic Council of Family Relations and a member of the board of directors for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, which supplies food pantries in 17 counties. Penn State's Office of the Vice President for Outreach presented her with its 1999 "Bridge Builder Award" for her collaborative attitude and dedication to bringing together individuals, units and organizations to accomplish goals. She also was a recipient of the 1999 Vice President's Team Award for Diversity and Public Service.

Penn State Cooperative Extension is a nonformal, community-based educational resource, funded cooperatively by state and county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Each year, more than 2 million people participate in Penn State Cooperative Extension programs in agriculture; natural resources and environmental management; 4-H/youth development; community resources and economic development; family development and resource management; leadership and volunteer development; and nutrition, diet and health.

To learn more, contact the Dauphin County extension office at (717) 921-8803 or visit the Web at http://www.extension.psu.edu for program information and links to county sites.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Jane Landis at (717) 921-8803 or Michelle Rodgers at (717) 948-6326.

Contact:

Chuck Gill cdg5@psu.edu 814-863-2713 814-863-9877 fax #295