Sandy Haggard is the new Southwind K-State Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health Agent, who has an office out of Iola.

Haggard has been employed in the current Kansas State University Research and Extension, Southwind District since April 14

She felt this job was a good fit.

“I’ve often had a position where I coordinated a program or gave presentations, so I was looking for a position where I could use those skills. Also, at Neosho County Community College, I had been working in the same four counties with older adults who volunteered at non-profits, so I’m able to keep in touch with several of the same contacts. I had attended several K-State Research and Extension programs during the eight years I’ve lived in Kansas, so I was excited to work alongside the agents I’ve known for years. I’m looking forward to giving presentations on nutrition and health and getting to know more people in our four-county area.”

 

The job is multi-faceted.

Her duties include leading the development, implementation, and evaluation of research-based educational programming related to nutrition, food safety, and health.

This includes nutrition through the life cycle, supplemental nutrition education, food security, consumer and food handler food safety, local food systems, physical activity promotion, and chronic disease prevention.

She will be covering four counties:  Allen, Bourbon, Neosho, and Woodson.

In the next year, she hopes to have programs for ServSafe food handling, Dining with Diabetes, Food Preservation, and Basic Nutrition, she said.

 

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Secondary English from Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, MO, and Adult Education from  Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona.

Haggard taught Adult Basic Education/GED Instruction at Northland Pioneer College, Winslow, Arizona.

She taught internationally as a Middle School English teacher at Morrison Academy in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and  was a part of the English Faculty at Meiho University, Neipu, Taiwan.

Most recently, she has been the RSVP Director with AmeriCorps Seniors at Neosho County Community College (NCCC) serving Allen, Bourbon, Neosho, and Woodson Counties.