The Brown County Purdue Extension Office has welcomed two new Extension educators this month.
4-H Youth Development
Britt Copeland is the new 4-H Youth Development Extension educator in Brown County. He is originally from Jefferson County, grew up on a small cattle farm, and was an avid, 10-year 4-H member. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics with a concentration in agribusiness management and a minor in crop science from Purdue University. During his undergraduate studies, he completed the Purdue Extension Summer Internship and Governors Summer Internship at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture as well as studied abroad for a semester in Wales.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Shortly after graduating, Copeland began his graduate career as a research assistant for B. Allen Talbert working on a USDA-SPECA grant: “Engaging Underrepresented Populations in the Food and Agricultural Sciences through Urban Agriculture.” He recently defended his thesis research, “Exploring the Employability Skills and Academic Success of the National FFA Membership,” and graduated this month with a master’s degree in agricultural sciences education and communication.
Outside of work, he enjoys training dogs, riding horses and being outdoors.
Copeland is new to the Brown County area and is looking forward to meeting community members in the coming months and at the Brown County 4-H Fair, which runs from July 29 to Aug. 3.
If you or your organization are interested in learning more about 4-H, the Extension in general, or just want to say “Hi!,” email Britt at [email protected] or call the Extension office at 812-988-5495.
Health and Human Services/Agriculture and Natural Resources
Kara Hammes is the new Health and Human Sciences & Ag and Natural Resources Extension educator for Brown County.
Hammes grew up in southwest Ohio, but has lived in Indiana for all of her adult life. She has called several placed in Indiana home; she graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and from the IUPUI/IU School of Medicine with a master’s degree in health policy and management in 2011. While earning her MPH, she worked at the Indiana State Department of Health Laboratory, starting out as a microbiologist and ultimately ending up as director of the laboratory outreach team. She went on to work at the Indiana Board of Animal Health as the director of animal health support programs. During a brief stint as a project manager for a clinical trial lab testing company, she and her family moved to Brown County in 2016.
Hammes has become active in the community through the Nashville Farmers Market, the Brown County Health Department Septic Ordinance Committee, and as a part-time Realtor.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Clint, and two daughters, Ayla, 6, and Bree, 4, as well as gardening, cooking, do-it-yourself projects and hiking.
Kara is excited to bring her professional experience and personal interests together as the HHS and ANR Extension Educator to ultimately serve as a resource to connect the community to Purdue’s educational and programming resources, and focus on providing practical solutions to local issues. She can be reached at [email protected] or 812-988-5495 with questions or suggestions.
