Extension Educator

Extension Educator-Fixed

Inland Lakes Shoreline Educator

Michigan State University Extension is committed to fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment, which requires all staff to contribute toward a vision for success regardless of title or position within the organization. We strive to create a positive culture, access to resources, and a sense of belonging for staff, partners, and programming participants. This means that all staff at MSU Extension are dedicated to the following:

• We work together to ensure that programming is available to all audiences, creates meaningful and positive impacts for participants, and demonstrates partnership and collaboration across communities.
• We understand that a welcoming and respectful environment is built through the efforts of everyone.
• We foster an environment that welcomes a broad range of perspectives and experiences, ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute and thrive.
• We ensure that every team member is prepared with the skills and resources to contribute to our welcoming and supportive culture.
• We foster an environment that values a range of perspectives, skills, and experiences by working to ensure access to programming for communities.
• We commit to continuous learning and engagement to better serve Michigan residents and meet the evolving needs of communities.
• We recognize that broad accessibility and collaboration are essential elements of our work and are vital to organizational and programmatic success.
• We embrace a culture of understanding, coaching, and feedback toward achieving a vision of success for the entire organization and its staff.
• Together we will achieve success, and we commit to these goals in our work, continued education, and ongoing efforts.

As part of MSU Extension (MSUE) and the Community, Food and Environment Institute (CFEI), this position provides local as well as statewide leadership and educational programming expertise in support of MSU Extension's Center for Lakes and Streams, as well as a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) funded project focused on advancing lake stewardship in Michigan.

In this position, you will identify, design, implement and evaluate research-based educational programs that meet current and projected outreach needs related to the adoption of best management practices (BMPs) in lakes statewide, with an emphasis on Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Peninsula. Through your leadership, you will conduct site visits, provide technical assistance, and deliver educational programming that ultimately results in shoreline habitat restoration efforts that include native plantings, bioengineering, and adoption of upland stormwater BMPs.

You will also support education on and development of conservation easements on lakes of high conservation value.

Through collaboration in research, engagement with community members, and dissemination of research-based information through various methods, including in-person and multimedia programming and written communications, you will explore and implement programs that lead to public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that encourage adoption of best practices that support inland lake health. You will also develop, produce, and deliver outreach materials with messaging and content that is accessible and is consistent with Community, Food and Environment Institute, and the MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams messaging.

Your work will include close collaboration with colleagues at MSU and MSU Extension, as well as the network of partner groups that include Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Tribes including the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.

In order to reach program objectives, you will collaborate and lead within a multi-agency team. This includes your participation in the co-leadership team, representing project goals, and coordination of cross-partner efforts to meet timelines and conservation objectives. You will oversee outreach strategy and planning. This includes your leadership and coordination of the outreach workgroup, development of annual outreach workplans, and ensuring alignment with project goals and behavior-change strategies.

You will design and deliver education and engagement programs that implement targeted outreach (workshops, trainings, meetings, materials) to promote shoreline best management practices, conservation easements, and lakeshore stewardship. Engagement and support of key audiences is also required. You will work directly with lakefront property owners, lake associations, contractors, and agencies to increase participation, remove barriers, and build long-term stewardship culture.

Additionally, you will monitor, evaluate, and adapt efforts to track outreach metrics, assess…