Kerri Rollins selected as CSU Extension's Front Range Regional Director
Kerri Rollins, a two-time graduate of Colorado State University, was recently selected as CSU Extension’s Front Range Regional Director. Rollins has served in the position in an interim capacity since 2020 in addition to her role as director of Larimer County Extension, which she’s held since 2018. As Front Range Regional Director, Rollins is overseeing more than 80 Extension professionals across 10 counties in Colorado.
“Over these past two years, it’s become increasingly clear that the resources we’re able to provide through Extension are incredibly relevant,” said Rollins.
Amid upheaval from the pandemic, Extension specialists have taken on critical work such as increasing food access for older adults, expanding opportunities for youth development, bringing more mental health resources to rural communities, providing technical assistance to agriculture producers, providing nutrition education and food safety training, and supporting gardeners’ efforts to feed themselves and their communities.
“We have so many opportunities to make a difference in people’s day-to-day lives.”
– Kerri Rollins, CSU Extension’s Front Range Regional Director
During times of need, countless Coloradoans have turned to Extension’s horticulturalists, 4-H agents, family and consumer science experts, ag economists, water specialists, crop analysts, rangeland managers, and more to get help solving real-world problems.
“I’m very much a goal-oriented person and I want to make sure that our work is applicable in meeting all our communities’ needs,” Rollins said. “I’m also looking forward to providing leadership and stability for all our specialists who are working in the field every day and delivering meaningful educational content and advice.”
Rollins played a pivotal role in developing Extension’s community needs assessment, a tool that has helped gather input on the programming that would be most impactful for individual counties.
“From there, I was able to develop a more targeted strategic plan, something that every county in the state has now followed suit on, helping create broader awareness of our work and impact,” she said.
One of the widespread needs that emerged from the assessments was an increase in youth development programming, something Rollins has focused on across the Front Range region. Rollins has also helped launch a Juntos 4-H pilot program in the Poudre School District. Juntos 4-H focuses on helping underserved Latino youth and their families gain the knowledge and skills they need to bridge the gap between high school and higher education.
In Colorado, the program first began in Douglas County and is also being delivered in the San Luis Valley. This effort is part of Extension’s broader goal to expand educational opportunities for young learners within 4-H.
“Across Extension we have so many opportunities to make a difference in people’s day-to-day lives, and I’m excited to continue learning about the unique needs of all our communities to ensure that we do,” Rollins said.