Posted: 4-17-2009
Cothran receives community development educator award
Hank Cothran, an extension specialist in community resource development who’s been with IFAS since 1990, is the 2009 recipient of the Bonnie Teater Community Development Educator Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the Southern Rural Development Center.
Cothran, a member of UF’s food and resource economics department, has dedicated his career to public policy education, community leadership development and business retention and expansion.
He’s worked at the local, regional, national and international levels to advance community and economic development extension programs.
Cothran is a former president of Business Retention & Expansion International, and took the lead in developing the basic BREI course when it needed an update and revisions in 2003. He has presented the program in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and in many parts of the U.S.
He also played the role of “coach” for the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI), coordinated by the Southern Rural Development Center to help advance the community outreach efforts of rural community and tribal colleges in the south.
He also served as treasurer of the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, helping craft that group’s financial policies.
Among his current projects is one funded by FEMA that looks at how communities might better involve local citizens in disaster planning and preparation. The grant requires meetings with service providers and community members and later, a facilitated joint discussion between the groups.
The award is given to a superior extension educator from the SRDC’s southern region. They must be employed by one of the 29 land-grant universities in the region and have worked in the community development area for at least 10 years.
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Hank Cothran
