Bernadette O’Rourke received the 2016 CALS Academic Staff Award for Excellence in Leadership. Her leadership in program creation and expansion is evident in the Wisconsin Youth Livestock Program which has grown in terms of value and scale. She leads activities connected to the education and personal development of young people engaged in the animal sector of the state. In this role, Bernie manages youth, leaders and parents in the beef, sheep, swine and meat goat projects across Wisconsin’s 72 counties.

A participant in the program noted, “I always admired Bernie’s passion and dedication for what she does.” Another participant said, “Bernie’s caring personality allows her to be an influence in many of Wisconsin’s livestock youth’s lives.”

It was noted that Bernie is the “go to” person for any educational activity and materials that target Wisconsin youth engaged in meat animal projects. More than 9,000 youth participated in the 4-H projects she oversaw in 2015. Although a similar count is not available for FFA project members, a large number of them have contact with Bernie’s program and materials. Bernie has also recruited nearly $100,000 of support for her programs from the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, Wisconsin Pork Association, Governor’s Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction and Wisconsin Ag Growth Foundation.

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