Regional Extension Education Director Sherry McGill has her office in the Woodbury County Extension Office, 4301 Sergeant Road, No. 213, Sioux City, Iowa; (712) 276-2157. Region 5 includes Monona, Plymouth and Woodbury counties. McGill can be reached by e-mail at mcgills@iastate.edu.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Sherry McGill understands that many Iowans are concerned about how Iowa State University Extension will function locally now that the organization has restructured into regions. But she’s quick to reassure them.
“We still exist and are open for business. Let us know what you need,” said McGill, the new director for ISU Extension Region 5, covering Monona, Plymouth and Woodbury counties.
Her office is in the Woodbury County Extension office, 4301 Sergeant Road, Suite #213, Sioux City, Iowa. She can be reached by phone at (712) 276-2157 and e-mail at mcgills@iastate.edu.
McGill became regional director Aug. 1 and since then has been meeting with the elected nine-member extension council in each of the three counties.
“I will be relating to each council separately,” she said, participating in their regular meetings. In addition, all three councils have met once as a regional group and will meet again in September.
“We’re going to be going over ways we can work together that may lessen some people’s workload if we share in responsibilities together,” she explained.
Regional Staffing
Each council has to decide the type of staff it needs to carry out county programs, McGill said. The Plymouth County Extension Council is hiring the current county director, Carol Schneider, as a county extension coordinator. Cheri Hardison will retire as Monona County director at the end of January. As the former ISU Extension education director for Woodbury County, McGill is working with the county council to facilitate programming and help determine next steps.
She’s also meeting with the extension staff who serve the three counties to determine how best to serve the region with ISU Extension educational programs that support healthy people, healthy environments and healthy economies. For example, two youth program specialists will serve the region. Cheryl Connot-Perez, an urban 4-H specialist, will focus on Sioux City and Woodbury County. Brenda Welch will be based in Plymouth County and serve all three counties.
Upcoming Programs
Upcoming ISU Extension programs in the region include “Kids a Cookin” to help kindergarten to second-grade youth learn to cook and be active. All three counties are gearing up for the fall 4-H year with community club activity.
Extension is partnering with the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) and USDA for a wind energy conference Tuesday, Sept. 15. Wind energy-related companies will market their products and employment opportunities. Wind energy stories will be shared.
At the “From Your Garden to Our Table” conference to be held Wednesday, Sept. 16 in the afternoon, food producers and purchasers will share their stories to encourage new ventures in local foods.
The Tri-State Child Care conference is Saturday, Oct. 3, in South Sioux City, Neb. Extension in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota have been sponsoring this conference for 20 years for in-home child care providers.
Extension also works with the Midtown Community Center, serving at-risk populations in downtown Sioux City.
McGill’s Background
Before joining ISU Extension in 2005, McGill was the Iowa regional coordinator for Boys and Girls Home and Family Services Inc. in Sioux City. She previously worked at Lutheran Social Service of Iowa in numerous positions for 25 years, serving most years as an area director and regional vice president.
She received a bachelor’s degree in social work with a criminal justice emphasis from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa.
McGill has lived in the Sioux City area since 1975. She is married to Vince McGill and has two adult daughters who are married and live in the region. She is on the board of directors of Sioux City Downtown Rotary, participates in the leadership team for her church and is a member of National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals.