Scholarly Works, Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education
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- Building the future: A practice-based approach to youth leadership developmentOyedare, Israel; Kaufman, Eric K.; Council, Austin (Emerald, 2025-05-06)Purpose: While leadership is a popular field of research and practice, there is a need for more studies emphasizing youth leadership development. The importance of youth leadership development in solving complex societal and organizational problems cannot be overemphasized. The purpose of this teaching tool is, first, to contribute to the field of youth leadership development. Secondly, gleaning from nonprofit work in Africa, this article aims to explore emerging leadership education approaches for developing young leaders. Design/methodology/approach: This research maximizes a recent evaluation of the Teens and Youth in Leadership (TYIL) Fellowship program, conducted using a focus group interview with previous participants and assessing the impact and relevance of TYIL’s model for the leadership development among youth. Findings: Participants believed that the model adopted by the TYIL Fellowship for youth leadership development is relevant for their personal leadership successes and can be adopted by other youth leadership programs. Originality/value: The featured program is novel, with potential for broad application. Youth program leaders, faculty members and practitioners can utilize this teaching tool research for developing young leaders in their various contexts.
- Exploring the Applicability of KAI in Evalpreneurship: A Pilot Study with Evaluation Consultants and EvalpreneursUwitonze, Nicolas; Archibald, Thomas G.; Friedel, Curtis R. (2025-04-07)As a pilot study contributing to a dissertation study, this poster explored the applicability of Kirton’s A-I in evalpreneurship with Intention2Impact (I2I)’s, where a purposive sample from I2I's evalpreneurs (owners or co-owners of evaluation business) and their team of 4 evaluation consultants were select for this pilot study. This qualitative pilot study informed by quantitative data (demographic survey and KAI data) took place during the Summer & Fall of 2024 and explored the preferred problem-solving styles and how preferred & coping behaviors are evidenced in their evaluation consulting practice.
- Strengthening the Voice: A Program for Local Farm Bureau LeadersCarter, Hannah S.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Rudd, Rick D. (2027-07-12)
- Got Followership? Rethinking Leadership from the Other SideKaufman, Eric K. (2025-03-04)90-second presentation for Virginia Tech's 2025 Faculty Nutshell Talks.
- Courageous Followership Amid UncertaintyKaufman, Eric K.; Oyedare, Israel; Olowoyo, Olamide (2025-03-25)Guest lecture on courageous followership for Virginia Tech's undergraduate course on "Toxic Leadership." Guiding Questions: How do we view leadership? What are the priorities with followership? When might courage be necessary?
- Am I maintaining, reforming, or transforming the status quo? Exploring the role of followership in leading changeOyedare, Israel; Kaufman, Eric K. (2025-02-14)This paper aims to uncover emerging followership discourses and themes. Additionally, this study examines how current and historic trends have shaped the direction of followership research and studies. The research utilizes the World Café approach in collecting data from participants of three professional conferences: the Global Followership Conference, the Association of Leadership Educators conference, and the International Leadership Association global conference. Artifacts from the sessions were analyzed thematically by manual sorting. The findings reveal three followership discourses — Maintaining, Reframing, and Transforming discourses. Furthermore, the study highlights the influence of social media, the COVID-19 pandemic, power relations, etc. on followership discourses. The fluid and dynamic nature of World Café increases the risk of different interpretations and misconstruals of participants’ contributions. Further research is needed to confirm the findings and advance the understanding of followership discourses. This paper will be beneficial to scholars and practitioners who are seeking understanding on how to build, recognize and appreciate a followership culture within their environment, including management development and related educational programs. This study adopts the World Café approach, an unconventional qualitative data collection method for followership research and studies, highlighting its potential within participatory research. Additionally, the research presents a novel effort to explore the influence of historical and current trends in followership discourses.
- Leadership systems for tackling the system of povertyPoudel, Sonika; Kaufman, Eric K. (2025-02-13)Leadership plays a crucial role in addressing complex social challenges, such as poverty. Traditional leadership models have evolved to incorporate more collaborative, systems-based approaches that emphasize collective action. This study examines leadership’s role in poverty reduction efforts within the Commonwealth of Virginia, where poverty rates have declined despite national trends. By exploring leadership within civic organizations and government systems, this research identifies key contextual factors that enhance or hinder poverty alleviation. Drawing on qualitative methods, the study involved interviews with 14 leaders from organizations working to combat poverty. Thematic analysis revealed two core findings: (1) poverty is a systemic issue influenced by generational cycles, economic mobility barriers, and structural inequities, and (2) leadership is multifaceted, requiring both formal (institutional) and informal (community-driven) approaches. Leaders operating at different levels—policy-makers, organizational leaders, and community advocates—play distinct yet interconnected roles in addressing poverty. The findings suggest that collective leadership enhances community resilience by fostering networks of support, enabling policy innovation, and improving access to resources. However, leadership effectiveness depends on navigating economic, social, and emotional complexities. The study highlights the importance of empowering local communities as active participants in leadership processes, ensuring sustainable poverty reduction efforts. This research contributes to interdisciplinary discussions on leadership and social change by integrating perspectives from public policy, sociology, and community development. The insights offer practical implications for policymakers, educators, and nonprofit organizations seeking to strengthen leadership strategies for poverty alleviation.
- How Do We Talk About Followership? Uncovering Followership Discourse(s) through World CaféKaufman, Eric K.; Oyedare, Israel (Emerald, 2025-03-18)This paper aims to uncover emerging followership discourses and themes. Additionally, this study examines how current and historic trends have shaped the direction of followership research and studies. The research utilizes the World Café approach in collecting data from participants of three professional conferences: the Global Followership Conference, the Association of Leadership Educators conference, and the International Leadership Association global conference. Artifacts from the sessions were analyzed thematically by manual sorting. The findings reveal three followership discourses — Maintaining, Reframing, and Transforming discourses. Furthermore, the study highlights the influence of social media, the COVID-19 pandemic, power relations, etc. on followership discourses. The fluid and dynamic nature of World Café increases the risk of different interpretations and misconstruals of participants’ contributions. Further research is needed to confirm the findings and advance the understanding of followership discourses. This paper will be beneficial to scholars and practitioners who are seeking understanding on how to build, recognize and appreciate a followership culture within their environment, including management development and related educational programs. This study adopts the World Café approach, an unconventional qualitative data collection method for followership research and studies, highlighting its potential within participatory research. Additionally, the research presents a novel effort to explore the influence of historical and current trends in followership discourses.
- Mentoring Conversations That Matter: Tools and Strategies for GrowthKaufman, Eric K.; Niewolny, Kimberly L. (2025-03-05)Mentoring is a cornerstone of academic and professional development, yet many faculty struggle to foster truly impactful mentoring relationships. To deepen their mentoring practice, this interactive workshop introduces participants to practical tools and strategies from The Encouraging Mentor: Your Guide to 40 Conversations that Matter. Designed for faculty at all career stages, the session will focus on facilitating meaningful conversations that inspire growth, encourage curiosity, and build trust. Participants will explore actionable methods to initiate and sustain mentoring relationships, including conversation prompts that help uncover mentees' goals, values, and potential. We will discuss how to tailor mentoring approaches to diverse needs and contexts, emphasizing inclusive practices and flexibility. Key topics include fostering psychological safety, navigating cross-difference mentoring, and balancing encouragement with constructive challenge. Through hands-on activities and group discussions, attendees will practice using conversation tools and develop strategies for applying these techniques in their mentoring contexts. The session will also introduce free resources, such as videos and worksheets, to support participants in extending their learning and integrating the tools into their mentoring practices.
- The Spectrum of Community EngagementKaufman, Eric K.; Johnson, Lonnie (2025-02-05)Community engagement is a key focus of Cooperative Extension’s mission to foster collaboration and develop culturally relevant solutions for communities. Drawing upon insights from the VCE situation analysis and the work of Extension Leadership Councils, this session will explore diverse models of community engagement, emphasizing how Extension’s program delivery has evolved from traditional, expert-driven approaches toward more collaborative, transformative practices. Attendees will explore the Engaged Model of Program Delivery, which offers a pathway toward sustainable, contextualized problem-solving. The session will also feature the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation, a model that illustrates the continuum of engagement from informing to empowering the public in decision-making processes. We will highlight how different forms of communication—one-way, two-way, and deliberative—shape the outcomes of community engagement efforts. Additionally, we will consider Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation as a critical framework for understanding the levels of public power in decision-making. This session will provide practical insights and tools for VCE professionals to enhance their community engagement strategies and navigate the spectrum of participation, from service delivery to empowerment.
- Authorize Yourself to LeadKaufman, Eric K.; Seibel, Megan M. (2025-02-06)Leadership is not confined to formal titles or roles—it’s an action that anyone can take. This workshop, inspired by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride’s "When Everyone Leads," focuses on self-authorizing leadership, empowering participants to step beyond their defined responsibilities. Whether you're an Extension agent, specialist, program assistant, or technician, true leadership often requires going outside of what's expected. We’ll dive into why self-authorization is necessary, what makes it difficult, and how participants can overcome common barriers, such as fear of mistakes or being confined by conventional expectations. The workshop will offer practical strategies for identifying moments to lead and encourage attendees to embrace the mindset that leadership is a choice available to all. We will also highlight the potential value of professional development opportunities, like the VCE Faculty Leadership Development Program (FLDP) and the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program. By the end of the session, you will feel more confident in authorizing yourself to lead in your workplace, community, or personal life, contributing to a culture of progress and collaboration. Whether you're tackling an adaptive challenge or seeking to make a difference, this workshop will equip you with the mindset and tools to lead from any position.
- Lessons from the Buffalo River Restoration: A Case Study Approach to Teaching Collaborative Problem SolvingPoudel, Sonika; Kaufman, Eric K. (2025-02-02)
- Bridging the Skills Gap: Digital Badges for Employability in AgricultureKaufman, Eric K.; Coartney, Jama S.; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; Seibel, Megan M.; Friedel, Curtis R.; White, Amy; Carmichael, Celeste (American Association for Agricultural Education, 2025-02-02)More than a decade ago, the National Research Council (2009) challenged agricultural education professionals to transform how they prepare students for the evolving global food and agricultural enterprise. A critical component of this preparation is durable skills, as they allow employees to adapt and relearn job-specific skills as industry demands evolve (D2L, 2019). However, research suggests durable skills are “more difficult to train for and are not easily assessed” (D2L, 2019, p. 4). In 2020, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) released a report on workforce development skills and attributes for natural resources and agricultural workers (Crawford & Fink, 2020). Critical employability skills (a.k.a., durable skills) included competencies such as communication, the ability to work in teams, and adaptability. Agricultural employers are increasingly in need of a workforce that effectively engages in collaborative leadership (Colclasure, 2020; Donaldson et al., 2023; Kaki et al., 2022; Parrella et al., 2024; Watson et al., 2019). In response to this challenge, the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership (AWT4CL) project has created a digital learning badge system for helping students develop and claim the durable skills needed for dynamic careers in agriculture.
- Engaging Generation Z: Exploring Volunteering Preferences and Influential Factors for 4-H ProgrammingMiner, Gemma; Nayak, Roshan; Butterfield, Cheryl; Schwarting, Donna; MacArthur, Stacey (2025)
- Evaluating Shifting Trends in Youth Development Volunteerism: University of California 4-H Youth Development ProgramWorker, Steven M.; Nayak, Roshan K.; Miner, Gemma; Wilkins, Tamika; Rodriguez, Matthew; Nathaniel, Keith; Cho, Zeva (2024-10-23)
- Long-Term Outcomes of Youth Development Programs: California 4-H Alumni StudyWorker, Steven; Nayak, Roshan K.; Iaccopucci, Anne; Marshall-Wheeler, Nicole (2025)
- Using Technical Assistance to Bridge the Gap Between Policy, Research, and ImplementationEaly, Phillip L.; Tyler-Mackey, Crystal; Ashurst, Kerri; Blue-Terry, Misty; Cano-Guin, Autumn; Derienfield, Candi; Grant, Samantha; Harmon, Denae; Payne, Pamela B.; Wells-Marshall, Jennifer; Perkins, Daniel F. (Frontiers, 2024-06-12)This case study on the Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Professional Development and Technical Assistance (PDTA) Center highlights a government-funded entity’s efforts to provide technical assistance to federal grantees of the CYFAR Sustainable Community Projects (SCP) grant program. The PDTA Center aligns with and supports components of an evidence-based system for innovation support. Through these components, the system provides targeted tools, training for CYFAR SCP grantees, dedicated technical assistance in the form of coaching, and quality improvement support through the evaluation of available program data.
- Strategies for Group Project SuccessKaufman, Eric K. (2025-01-29)Workshop for FIW 2514: Fish & Wildlife Conservation Policy
- Leading & Following in Community Settings [Podcast episode]Kaufman, Eric K.; Fabiano, Sharna (Lead & Follow, 2024-08-18)Leadership Educator and Scholar Eric Kaufman shares his observations of leading and following dynamics in a variety of community and volunteer settings, from civic organizations like Kiwanis Clubs to parent-teacher organizations to church governance bodies. Eric is a professor at Virginia Tech, where he coordinates a graduate certificate in collaborative community leadership and supports an undergraduate minor in leadership and social change. He also has a partial appointment at Virginia Cooperative Extension, and that role has focused his attention on best practices for working with community members to guide educational programming. Eric is a past president of the Association of Leadership Educators, and he is the current chair of the International Leadership Association’s followership member community. Eric has also held significant volunteer roles with his local church and draws upon those experiences to inform his research. “Leadership is the process of inspiring vision and hope. Followership is the process of aligning behavior with a particular vision or purpose.” “People will put up with bad leadership in a business setting when they won’t in a community setting.” “In some community associations, we have a lot of people who care that it’s successful but they don’t want to be in the leader role.” “Sometimes there’s a default to lead through statements, to tell people, ‘this is where we’re going,’ but leading through questions opens space for conversations and it can surface some answers we may not otherwise come up with.”
- Youth Leadership with Eric Kaufman [Podcast episode]Kaufman, Eric K.; Oyedare, Israel (The Future of Leadership Podcast with Israel Oyedare, 2024-12-21)The podcast episode titled "Youth Leadership with Eric Kaufman" is part of "The Future of Leadership" series, hosted by Israel Oyedare. In this episode, Eric Kaufman, a leadership educator and scholar, discusses best practices for collective leadership, emphasizing problem-solving and team development. He also shares insights from his work with the Department of Defense Education Activity and the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity program.