Upskilling Team
The Upskilling team is an interdisciplinary group of CSU faculty and staff with diverse expertise advancing workforce innovation and training programs that support individuals no matter where they are located or their backgrounds, ultimately empowering the industries they serve and communities they call home.
Upskilling Leadership Team
Deana Namuth-Covert
Executive Director
deana.namuth-covert@colostate.edu
Deana Namuth-Covert, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Throughout her career she has taught undergraduate and graduate agronomy students, as well as professional development learners. For more than 25 years, she has secured over $3 million in grant funding to construct creative approaches for supporting sustained online education growth, while expanding the impact of research, teaching and workforce development efforts. In doing so, she has formed and led both internal and external diverse teams encompassing: instructional design, IT, facilities, education and data research, subject matter experts and teachers, administrators, marketing, communications, accounting, international programs, industry partners and government collaborators.
Jennifer Martin
Director of Strategic Planning and Content Developer
Jennifer Martin, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Meat Safety and Quality and Meat Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences. She is originally from Central Texas and received her M.S. and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University before joining the CSU faculty in the Spring of 2015. Jennifer has an active research program, works closely with meat and livestock industry members across Colorado and the nation, and plays an active role in many campus programs, including serving as a Presidential Leadership Fellow, on Provost’s Council for Engagement and Faculty Council, and on numerous Department and University committees.
Team Members
Content and Hands-on Activity Developers
- Ian Aksland — Research Associate and Graduate Student, Soil and Crop Sciences
- Allan Andales — Faculty, Soil and Crop Sciences
- Tamla Blunt — Emeritus Faculty, Agricultural Biology
- Patrick Byrne — Emeritus Faculty, Soil and Crop Sciences
- Josh Craver – Faculty, Horticulture
- Lisa Eash – Postdoctoral Fellow, IN-RICHES at CSU Agricultural Experiment Station
- Lexi Firth – Postdoctoral Fellow, IN-RICHES at CSU Agricultural Experiment Station
- Jay Ham — Faculty, Soil and Crop Sciences
- Jake Holley – Faculty, SPUR
- Megan Machmuller – Research Scientist, Soil & Crop Sciences Department & Co-Director, IN-RICHES at CSU Agricultural Experiment Station
- Laura Pottorff — Research Staff, Soil and Crop Sciences
- Connie Reimers-Hild — Consultant, Wild Innovation
- Helen Silver – Co-director, IN-RICHES at CSU Agricultural Experiment Station
- Gayle Volk — Research Plant Physiologist, USDA
Online Degree Completion Partnerships
- Suellen Melzer – Faculty, Soil & Crop
High School Ag Teacher Professional Development
- Nathan Clark — Instructor, Agricultural Education
- Kellie Enns — Faculty, Agricultural Education
Student and Instructor Support
- Dessa Watson — Faculty, Agricultural Education
- Tamla Blunt — Emeritus Faculty, Agricultural Biology
Education Research
- Michelle Bigler — Ph.D. Student and Instructor, School of Education
- Deb Weitzenkamp — Consultant, Extension Foundation
- Jill Zarestky — Associate Professor, School of Education
- James Folkestad — Director – Center for the Analytics of Learning and Teaching
Public Demonstrations/Community Liason
- Dan Goldhamer — Director – Engagement and Extension Programs at CSU Metro Ag Experiment Station
- Alison O’Connor — Extension Professor
Urban Agriculture Professionals
- Colorado Master Gardeners, Alison O’Connor
- Ekar Farm, Jason Plotkin
- Loveland Youth Gardeners, Kelly Robenhagen, Erica Wharton & Jessica Schneider
- The Urban Farm, Roth Vowels & Grace Young
- Well Power Dahlia Campus, Katie Huszcza