Emy Swadley, ROI Program Coordinator, recognized with USU Extension's 2022 Staff Service Award🥇

The Staff Service to USU Extension Award was established in 2020 to pay tribute to the many staff, on- and off-campus, that support the mission, programs, and faculty of USU Extension.

Emy Swadley was the first employee hired under the Rural Online Initiative and has been instrumental in the program's growth and development since its founding in 2018. At the onset of the ROI program, she immediately went to work designing the user experience and database systems to process program participants at scale. Emy is the mastermind behind the database systems that have allowed the ROI program to scale, not only across Utah but in multiple states and countries. Emy is a systems thinker, and her ability to bring order to an innovative new program has produced quantifiable data that the ROI program use to demonstrate impact to stakeholders.

Student of the month: Haylee Hendry - Tooele County

"I'm taking the remote work course because I went through a life-changing event in 2020, and it really altered my perspective. My mom passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. It made me realize how short life really is, and that if I'm not happy with my life, I need to change it. I decided to take the course to help me achieve better work-life balance, and be able to focus more on the important things in life. I believe having a professional remote work certificate on my resume will offer me distinction from other candidates."

Find out how you can also take the Certified Remote Work Professional.

Take a Course!

Welcome Jake Marino!

Jake is a Regional Program Coordinator for the Rural Online Initiative based in Washington County. Jake has previous experience as an employment counselor, rehabilitation counselor, and business relations manager. He has managed a team of employment specialists remotely for several years and has two bachelor's degrees from the University of Utah (and wants it pointed out that he has always had love for USU despite being a diehard Ute fan). Jake also has a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a master's degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University.

He enjoys hiking and camping in Utah's great outdoors and visiting small rural towns. He also enjoys traveling and has visited every U.S. state and almost every continent.

Washington County 4-H Youth

ROI program director, Dr. Paul Hill, recently took his 4-H citizenship club from Washington County to meet with legislators and state officials about rural issues.

Find Out More!

Utah Internet Speed Test Campaign

The Utah Broadband Center at the Governors Office of Economic Opportunity is conducting a statewide broadband speed test initiative. Data will be collected and used to pinpoint areas across Utah with the greatest “need for speed”. Take the quick test wherever you are connected and please forward out to your network!

Test your internet!

LedgerGurus is hiring

LedgerGurus has 2 remote-job positions open. Full-time and part-time are available

Apply Now!

Jorgensen’s Powersports is hiring!

Jorgensen’s Powersports in Sevier County is hiring a Shopify eCommerce Marketplace Specialist. Qualified applicants can send a resume to Darin Bushman.

Email Resume!

Utah House of Representatives Podcast interview with rural champion Representative Carl Albrecht

Representative Carl Albrecht discusses the expansion of investments and economic development opportunities in rural Utah. Listen to this recent episode to learn about the policies passed this session that will support rural Utah.

Listen Now!

Avoid back-to-back meeting fatigue

Too many meetings is a common complaint in the current work climate. First, if you can, avoid having too many meetings scheduled and follow other recommendations in our earlier newsletter article “Escape the Zoom Tomb: ways to avoid virtual meeting fatigue”. Furthermore, recent research from Microsoft shows that back-to-back meetings are stressful, but check out this article to see how taking breaks supports better brain functioning.