recently named Tricia Braxton as senior coordinator of partnerships, programs and people engagement, a position created as part of the Wolf Pack Rising Strategic Plan calling for the deployment of new approaches, resources and partnerships to engage with underserved and marginalized communities. This newly created position supports Extension’s efforts to increase the reach of Extension programming for diverse audiences in Clark County.
“Creating this position was a strategic decision to help Extension increase capacity, overcome implementation obstacles and address cultural awareness in our programs,” Jake DeDecker, director of Extension and associate dean for engagement for the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, said. “Tricia has been a valuable member of Extension for quite some time. She has a great track record of working with partners to create programs that address the needs of underserved communities, and in this new position, she’ll be able to expand upon those efforts.”
Braxton has been with Extension in various roles for nearly 11 years, including serving as a program officer in Extension for the All 4 Kids and 4-H Youth Development Programs, and as a member and chair of the College’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. She said she discovered Extension when looking for programming for her daughters and found 4-H.
“I wanted to know more about youth programs for my daughters who were very young at the time, and that’s how I found out about Extension,” Braxton said. “As I learned more about Extension’s youth and community-based programs, I saw an opportunity to lend my collaboration skills and prior career experience working with community to this type of purposeful work.”
Most recently, Braxton served as a program officer for the Youth Horticulture Education Program, which she will continue to oversee. In this role, she collaborated with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to develop a program and curriculum called “Young Men Mentorship through Hip Hop, Literacy & Horticulture,” which is aimed at curtailing violence in schools and incorporates career readiness with plant science.
This program is now being implemented by Extension and law enforcement in several schools in Clark County. It is one of the programs Braxton is most proud of, as it has demonstrated how a program can have a positive impact on participants’ lives. It is also an example of the power of a sustainable partnership.
“One of the biggest impacts of this program for young people who may not have seen themselves as science savvy is that now they may see the possibility that they can pursue science careers and, most importantly, know that they have options to be whatever they want to be in life,” Braxton said.
Before her career with Extension, Braxton served her community in a different role. She served as a New York City Police officer for eight years until she relocated to the West Coast. After relocating and the birth of her two daughters, she spent five years teaching first and third grade at a private school. Since that time, she has also earned her doctorate in public policy and a Master of Arts in urban leadership development from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Howard University. She said she attributes much of her career path to her parents.
“My parents played an important role in shaping my perspective about community work involving youth,” Braxton said. “They were both New York City officers who worked with community for positive community outcomes. After retirement, they moved west and worked as educators within the Clark County School District. My journey from law enforcement to education follows their path.”
Braxton says her new role at Extension is an opportunity to enhance programming to meet the needs of the community and to provide support for programs and staff who are working to improve the lives of those in Clark County. She is leveraging her experience with Extension and sees it as an asset as she takes on this position.
“Since I’ve worked in three different departments, I know the capacity and funding constraints programs face as they work to achieve their goals,” Braxton said. “I want to help strengthen Extension programming by building on work that’s already been done and identifying new programming opportunities warranted by the increasing number of people who call Clark County, Nevada, home.”
As the position is new, Braxton is in the process of conducting a needs assessment that includes getting input from Extension educators, coordinators and staff to get a better understanding of current projects and programs. She is also looking at demographic information to see where the opportunities are to reach individuals or groups that might be being overlooked.
“I know there’s an opportunity to figure out who we’re missing and why,” Braxton said. “In this collaborative team effort, I can focus on the partnership aspect and help programs to extend their reach.”
Braxton also noted that by having this role, it can help with continuity in a community that is always growing and changing.
“By defining what partnership engagement looks like we can make those partnerships more sustainable,” she said.
