Elaine Johannes, Field Liaison
Dr. Elaine Johannes is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Youth Development in the School of Family Studies and Human Services (FSHS) at Kansas State University. Dr. Johannes has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, master’s degree in Adult and Community Counseling, and a doctorate in Lifespan Human Development from the School of Family Studies and Human Services, Kansas State University. As an Extension Specialist, Johannes focuses on adolescent health and development, risk reduction for unique populations of youth (e.g., rural/frontier, impoverished), and community-based participatory research.
Dr. Johannes brings more than twenty years of experience and a multitude of skills and insight in working with Kansas communities. When the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority was first formed in 1997, she worked closely with Bob Hedberg on the community needs assessments across Kansas, training local Extension agents. From 2015-2016, Dr. Johannes conducted Kansas' first adolescent health needs assessment for the Bureau of Family Health, Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Johannes also is an appointed member of the Kansas Maternal and Child Health Council, as well as the national ECOP/APLU Positive Youth Development for Health Action Team.
As K-State Extension Specialist faculty, she is currently connected to a USDA grant, designed to integrate extension with community corrections personnel in three Kansas judicial districts to implement the Strengthening Families Program 10-14 and Strengthening Families Program 7-17, supported by the United Methodist Health Ministry. She also works with Dr. Anthony Ferraro on a court-ordered co-parenting program, part of a multi-state project that involves K-State and Kansas and is conducting an ongoing study of the transmission of resilience factors between parents and their adolescents who are living in poverty.
Dr. Johannes currently directs the Youth Development and Family and Community Services graduate programs in FSHS and teaches graduate courses in adolescent health, adolescents and their families, and youth program management/administration.
