Kimberly (Alexander) Gaines, Rebecca (O’Day) Adams, Debbie (Short) Kirk and Elaine (Zeitler) Webb at their 1995 graduation from the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; the four were part of the first cohort of Ag Ambassadors. Photo courtesy of Debbie Kirk.

Once and always an Ag Ambassador

Article by Molly Schafer Photos by Katie Young and courtesy of Debbie Kirk, Jean LonieDudley, and Noël Wolhar October 22, 2024

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Ag Ambassadors proudly uphold a tradition of community support

The benefits of volunteering are numerous. Just ask any Ag Ambassador. These student volunteers represent the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at special events and provide in-depth tours to prospective students and their families. Participation in the program, which facilitates personal development and networking, has benefitted hundreds of UD students, launching lifelong friendships, first jobs, and careers in community service.

The Ag Ambassadors program, now a long-standing tradition, was established in 1994 by Karen Roth Moline. At the time, Moline was CANR’s assistant dean of student services; she is now the college’s associate dean for strategic initiatives and planning. Moline credits former CANR Dean John Nye for the idea. Nye's previous university used Ag Ambassadors as tour guides, and he suggested that Moline start a similar program at the University of Delaware.

“That was pre-internet,” Moline said. “I didn’t have a way to research these other ambassador groups, so I created one.”

When others doubted that a volunteer-based program could succeed, Moline only worked harder. Moline hoped prospective students would see themselves and their potential in the Ag Ambassadors, and she was right.

“When a prospective student listened to a 19-year-old talking about their study abroad in New Zealand,” Moline elaborated, “or about working in the woods or the gardens on campus, how attentive their advisors were, and how small their classes were, they knew they were hearing that student’s firsthand experience.”

Lifelong friendships

Rebecca (O’Day) Adams, Kimberly (Alexander) Gaines, Debbie (Short) Kirk, and Elaine (Zeitler) Webb, all UD CANR Class of 1995 alumni, were among the college’s first Ag Ambassadors. The former classmates have kept in touch since graduation. Earlier this year, they met at the Delaware State Fair.

“As far as recruiting us, I don't think Dr. Moline had too hard of a job,” said Webb, a licensed professional engineer working in Delaware's regulatory sector in the Sediment and Stormwater Program. “We wanted to be involved and to represent the college.”

“We were excited to talk about our experiences, the friends we made, and the clubs and organizations that we were involved in,” continued Adams, who is the credit manager at Growmark FS, an agricultural retailer and former president of the UD Agricultural Alumni.

Kirk said being an Ag Ambassador allowed her to give back to the college, something important to her as a scholarship recipient.

“When you are proud of where you are, you want to share the good experiences that you’ve had,” said Kirk, who recently retired from a career as an ag educator and FFA advisor at Delaware public schools.

Adams, Kirk and Webb met in high school during the Farm Bureau Queen competition. They each represented one of Delaware's three counties. Kirk was crowned queen and is still involved in the Farm Bureau as chairperson of the Education and Promotion Committee. Instead of becoming rivals, the competition planted the seeds of a lifelong friendship that blossomed when they met Gaines at UD.

Gaines, Webb, Kirk and Adams at Newark’s Deer Park Tavern in the early 1990’s. (credit: courtesy Debbie Kirk,)

Gaines, Webb, Kirk and Adams at Newark’s Deer Park Tavern in the early 1990’s. Photo courtesy of Debbie Kirk.

Gaines, an animal science major, went on to earn her doctorate of veterinary medicine and owns Forrest Avenue Animal Hospital in Dover.

“The CANR career fair was life-changing for me,” Gaines emphasized. “Through the fair, I got an internship with Perdue Farms. The poultry veterinarian at Perdue wrote me a letter of recommendation for veterinary school. That alone probably set me apart from everyone else, and that all stems back to [CANR].”

Like many CANR students, Ag Day was the highlight of these Blue Hens’ years as they represented their student organizations and clubs.

“Between the four of us, I think we were involved in just about every club CANR had,” Webb said. “Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), Animal Science Club, Alpha Zeta, and Agriculture College Council (AgCC), to name a few.”

The four friends remain heavily involved in their communities, especially with agricultural organizations, including FFA and Delaware 4-H where Webb and Adams hold leadership positions.

“All of our kids are involved in 4-H,” Adams said. “It has acted like a strong thread helping us maintain our friendship,” said Adams.

Even 30 years after graduation, Kirk, Gaines, Adams and Webb have remained close friends. This year they attended the Delaware State Fair together. (credit: Katie Young)

Even 30 years after graduation, Kirk, Gaines, Adams and Webb have remained close friends. They attended the Delaware State Fair together in 2024. Photo by Katie Young.

Career connections

Jean Lonie Dudely, a general agriculture major and UD Class of 1996 alumna, was one of the college’s first Ag Ambassadors. Today, she is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at Tarleton State University.

As a first-generation college student, Lonie Dudley knows how important it is to find your place at university. After a rough transition from W. B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences in Philadelphia, she says joining the Ag Ambassador program helped her find her stride at UD.

“Stepping into that first group of ambassadors gave me the resources to better understand everything around me,” Lonie Dudley said. “Being an Ag Ambassador helped me build a support system and gave me the confidence to keep exploring what I was passionate about.”

Thirty years later, Lonie Dudley is still exploring the world of agriculture. Last winter, she was the first American accepted into the annual Challenge of Rural Leadership program in Devon, England. Her career highlights include working for both the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture. She was also the director of student recruitment for the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State University, where she earned her Ph.D. in agricultural and extension education and was honored as a Nuffield International Farming Scholar.

Jean Lonie Dudley, a UD alumna and former Ag Ambassador, represented the U.S. at the Challenge of Rural Leadership program in Devon, England, earlier this year. Photo courtesy of Jean Lonie Dudely.

The current crop

Today, the program has 44 ambassadors and is run by Noël Wolhar, associate director of undergraduate student recruitment. Since 2021, Ag Ambassadors have provided 384 individual tours for prospective students and their families and welcomed hundreds of students to the college’s open houses.

“Anytime there is a request for student participation or need for a student perspective, we tap the Ag Ambassadors,” Wolhar said. “A recent, exciting experience was an Ag Ambassador panel discussion with Xochitl Torres Small, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary.”

After the discussion, the Ag Ambassadors accompanied the Deputy Secretary and Delaware U.S. Senator Tom Carper on a tour of CANR's 350-acre campus in Newark.

The college boasts working farms, botanic gardens, an apiary, state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, greenhouses and an esteemed Center for Experimental and Applied Economics. There is simply too much to fit into one tour! Luckily there is an Ag Ambassador from each of the college’s 13 majors. CANR offers six different tours covering everything from food science to wildlife ecology and conservation.

“Our Ag Ambassadors are an invaluable group of people,” Wolhar said. We find that students who volunteer out of a love of what they’ve experienced here are dedicated representatives.”

While the Ag Ambassadors are volunteers, there is no doubt that these students get as much out of the program as they put in. Sure, they earn an array of increasingly cool UD apparel each semester, and there is an annual party with gifts, but the real prize is more substantive.

In a Spring 2024 visit, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small (center) and her staff joined Dean Brian Farkas (second from right) to converse with UD Ag Ambassadors students about the grand challenges facing our food systems and the planet. Photo by Kathy Atkinson.

The next 30 years

Moline believes the college has a responsibility to invest in its students.

“I wanted the ambassadors to get something from the experience,” Moline emphasized. “I didn’t want them just to give; I wanted them to leave as better spokespeople, presenters, and professionals.”

Adams, Gaines, Kirk and Webb agree that the public speaking experience and connections from Ag Ambassadors have opened doors for them throughout their careers. Moline says it is well deserved.

“Those four have paid it forward a thousand times over,” Moline said. “I see what they’ve done in their careers and what they're teaching their kids to do.”

Giving back to your community and extending opportunities are values the Ag Ambassador community shares.

“My dad always taught me to have a legacy,” Moline said of her father, beloved UD professor Roland Roth. “What will the ripples be beyond your moment here?”

“There is nothing as rewarding as working with students and then seeing them go on to do amazing things,” Moline underscored.

Were you an Ag Ambassador? Let us know where your career has led you, and share your story with us at canr-alumni@udel.edu.

UD Class of 2024 Ag Ambassadors smile for a photo at an end-of-year event. The students received graduation gifts, including an Ag Ambassador beach towel and a license plate frame. Photo by Noël Wolhar.