Every office needs someone to keep it running smoothly, which is why the Kamuela Cooperative Extension office is so glad that Raquel Stephenson has joined as the new office assistant IV. Raquel is originally from O‘ahu, but she and her family moved to agricultural land in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island several years ago. She is excited about learning more about the Big Island as well as agriculture on the island.

HNFAS alumna Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser has been appointed acting chair of the Hawaii State Board of Agriculture. Phyllis graduated with a BS in Animal Sciences from CTAHR and earned an MS in Poultry Science from UC-Davis. She has been the deputy chair of Board of Agriculture since 2015. Previously, Phyllis was the vice-president and CEO of Mikilua Poultry Farm. 

Grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren face some unique challenges as well as the potential for special joys. Here to help them is the GRANDCares Project, which offers grandparents a variety of useful tools to cope with their unique family situation and added responsibilities. It also provides grandchildren with positive youth-development experiences through its Youth Club. 

The latest CTAHR Impact Report, focusing on positive community impacts on the island of Kaua‘i, is now up on the college’s website. This issue pays tribute to outstanding faculty, staff, volunteers, and projects on the Garden Isle. Find out about how these initiatives are making life better for Kaua‘i and the whole state!

How do policy-makers reconcile competing priorities when creating policies to safeguard natural resources? Learn about a possible solution at the next NREM seminar, where visiting scholar Dr. Miku Lenentine will be presenting “Biofuels, Wolves, and ATVs: Using Q-Methodology for Assessing Stakeholder Perspectives in Natural Resource Management.”