Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Erica Hefner, 806-435-4501, Erica.Hefner@ag.tamu.edu
PERRYTON – Erica Hefner, a native of Dallas, traveled half way across the state to accept her new position as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service family and consumer sciences agent in Ochiltree County, but she did so all in the name of food, you might say.
“My grandmother is at the forefront of every memory I have as it relates to food,” Hefner said. “When I went to visit her in Iowa as a child, raspberries and other produce could be sold to the local grocery stores for profit. She would let me keep whatever I picked. The practices of harvest and consumption exposed me to the financial aspects of food in business.Hefner earned two bachelor’s degrees, one in exercise physiology from Texas State University in San Marcos and one in nutrition in dietetics from Texas Women’s University in Denton.
“More importantly, it gave me survival skills and a unique exposure to other benefits of food,” she said. “It is my belief that the earlier children learn about food through example and positive experiences, the better their food choices will be throughout life.
“The message I bring is a simple mix of nutrition and knowledge with an added dusting of life experience, the latter making people more receptive and open to change.”
Hefner was president of the Texas Women’s University Student Dietetic Association, is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, where she serves as the public education committee chair, and she is an invited member of the Dallas Area Coalition to Prevent Childhood Obesity.
“We are very excited to have Erica as a part of the District 1 Extension family,” said Danny Nusser, AgriLife Extension district administrator in Amarillo. “Erica brings a passion for education in many family and consumer sciences programming areas, and is excited about her opportunity to teach and make a difference.
“She has a very unique life experience and education background that I believe give her a great opportunity to be successful as the family and consumer sciences agent in Ochiltree County,” Nusser said.
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