NUEL Award

NUEL Awards Ceremony

Please join us in congratulating the NUEL Award and Regional Award recipients at the Welcome Dinner & Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 23, 2022 from 5:30-10:00pm at the Adventure Aquarium, 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103. The Awards Ceremony will start at 8:00pm upstairs in the South Seas Rotunda. The dinner is free to all full conference registrants. Free event parking in the Aquarium lot--just park and come right in. Five-minute walk along the waterfront promenade from the Camden hotel. From the conference venue, 10-minute walk or take the Riverline Light Rail 1 stop from Cooper St station to the Aquarium station (7 min).


NUEL Award

The NUEL Award recognizes Extension leaders who have made exceptional contributions to urban programming. This year's NUEL Award winner is Nicole Debose, Area Leader and Program Director for Ohio State Extension in Cuyahoga County!

Nicole Debose has over 15 years of experience working with nonprofit and public organizations to meet the needs of Cuyahoga County residents. With a strong knowledge of program development, project management and fund management she promotes the strengthening of families, enhancement of agriculture systems and the expansion of local business opportunities.

Nicole serves communities in the Cleveland area, creating an innovative interdisciplinary program and raising $1.2 million to support this work. She chaired the NUEL North Central Regional Network from 2018-2021.

Prior to joining OSU Extension, Nicole worked for Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services, where she developed and managed many community-based programs and initiatives. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning, Design and Development, a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration with a concentration in Informatics.

2020 Regional Award Recipients

  • 1890 Region Leadership Award: Misty Layne Watkins, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent with Tennessee State University

  • Southern Region Leadership Award: Diana Doggett, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent at the University of Kentucky

  • North Central Region Leadership Award: Nicole Debose, Area Leader and Program Director, Cuyahoga County Extension, Ohio State University

  • Northeast Region Dynamic Duo Award: Manami Brown, City Extension Director, University of Maryland; Christopher Obropta, Extension Specialist and Director of the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute, Rutgers University

  • Northeast Regional Innovative Program Award: Rutgers Food Waste Team

  • Western Region Program Innovator Award: DeShana York, Director, Urban Extension & AgrAbility at University of Alaska

  • Western Region Leadership Award: Brad Gaolach, Director, Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension and the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research at Washington State University