November 8, 2023
Two selected as communicators of the year
The Communicator of the Year Award goes to two recipients, Elizabeth Brunscheen-Cartagena, Sedgwick County family and resource management agent, and Sandra Wick, Post Rock District crop production agent. Both exemplify the desire to make extension programming available to all that is one of the marks of an effective communicator.
The award is presented annually by the K-State communications and agricultural education department members and the Kansas chapter of the Association for Communication Excellence, the international professional association for extension communicators.
Brunscheen-Cartagena has been with K-State Research and Extension for 13 years. During that time, she has been an integral leader for the Sedgwick County family life and resource management area. In addition to programming in her subject area, including the popular Bonding thru Board Games program, she has built coalitions to reach new audiences for Sedgwick County Extension. She has provided information in both English and Spanish for both print and broadcast media and is involved in regular events in the Hispanic community. She uses social media and regular newsletter contributions to further the extension mission. In addition, she serves the larger K-State Research and Extension family on the new agent team and serves the state of Kansas on the State Interagency Committee and Council. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, leadership and innovation are key to reaching new audiences for K-State Research and Extension.
Wick has been part of K-State Research and Extension for 34 years. Wick is a diversified communicator and has demonstrated that quality through using a variety of communication tools to reach new audiences as well as helping traditional clientele use new tools. She has made good use of Facebook Live events and added new videos to the district YouTube channel. Her work with local schools includes providing "Building Strong Families" inserts for their monthly newsletters to help families understand the importance of agriculture. Wick makes producers and the public aware of new developments in her field and effectively uses a variety of social media tools to communicate new information. Her enthusiasm, knowledge, leadership and innovation are key to reaching new audiences for K-State Research and Extension.