Dianna Ullery

4-H Youth Development is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension and land grant universities throughout the US. Over 6 million youth, ages five to19, are engaged in 4-H in the United States, making it the largest youth development program in the country. 4-H is a program that relies heavily on adult volunteers to provide programming and develop opportunities for experiential learning. The youth development professionals who work with those volunteers seek the most appropriate and effective methods of educating volunteers, relying on evidence-based research in best practices and new approaches. Adult 4-H Volunteers, like everyone else, have busy lives, minimal time available for training, and in many cases live in rural or urban areas where training opportunities are limited by available transportation or by distance.
The Washington State University 4-H Youth Development’s T3 project will address enhancement of in-person training experiences, the creation of hybrid online and in-person training, and development of a library of online resources for use by volunteers and staff, to facilitate highly effective, hands-on learning experiences for 4-H youth.

Dianna Ullery has been involved in environmental education for several decades, working for the National Audubon Society at the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm in Ohio, as well as various private, public, and outdoor schools. Dianna earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Master of Science in Recreation and Parks from the Pennsylvania State University, and completed an internship at the Sharon Audubon Center. Dianna was among the first group of naturalists to visit the wintering site of the Monarch butterflies in Mexico, and has had wonderful birding experiences throughout North America. Dianna has had extensive experience working with youth in the out-of-doors and 4-H Youth Development has been a natural fit with its historic focus on hands-on, experiential learning. In Dianna’s free time, gardening, birding, baking, and music provide recreation, spiritual renewal, and opportunities to share experiences with her husband and three children.