The Southern Rural Development Center is proud to honor Ramona Madhosingh-Hector as the 2019 recipient of the Bonnie Teater Community Development Early Career Achievement Award. Ramona is a Regional Specialized Urban Sustainability Agent at University of Florida (UF), Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) in Pinellas County, Florida.
In Ramona’s nine years of serving in this role, she has accomplished numerous achievements. Ramona has received more than 30 state and national awards and has also presented at nearly 100 conferences. By developing innovative and comprehensive Extension programs, Ramona has solved many of the community development issues in her county and region. Ramona has become a leader in not only the Tampa Bay Region, but in the entire state of Florida. She has defined Community Resource Development (CRD) needs and developed programs to address those needs. Her determination to raise the status of Community Resource Development (CRD) work across Florida Extension and the state of Florida led her to launch a National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals state chapter.
Ramona’s drive and dedication has made a real difference in her community. She has been a dominant player in developing and launching a new UF/IFAS Extension Program: CIVIC, Community Voices, Informed Choices. This provides a platform for deliberative dialogue and feedback through a two-way exchange versus a one-way program delivery style. In 2017, helped launch in Florida. Last year, she traveled to Maynooth, Ireland with her team to the 2018 World Development Conference. There, they shared program successes and learned from community development colleagues from around the world. Being part of the leadership team, she conducts forums, designs evaluations, provides training to faculty, and reports on total program development.
Another one of Ramona’s achievements includes a program called Sustainability Connections which is a community film series. This series offers an engaging platform to support regional sustainability education efforts. The series has resulted in multiple partnerships with local universities. Also, in the field of sustainability, Ramona was an integral part of the planning team for the 2019 National Sustainability and National Extension Energy Joint Summit in Tampa, Florida.
On behalf of Ramona Madhosingh-Hector’s nomination Dr. Julie Fox, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Extension for Ohio State University states that “Ramona is a model for what an urban Extension professional should be. Her genuine commitment to community engagement is evident in her innovation with her local and professional communities.” Brenda G Rogers, District Extension Director for UF/IFAS Extension, also stated that “Ramona is very personable, extremely organized, and exhibits a strong professional ethic.”
Clearly, Ramona’s body of work in the field of community development demonstrates the spirit of this prestigious award. Therefore, it is most fitting that Ramona Madhosingh-Hector be honored as the Southern Rural Development Center 2019 recipient of the Bonnie Teater Community Development Early Career Achievement Award.