Phillips County's new Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent Stephanie Starkebaum began her position with Colorado State University in early January and she is already hitting the ground running. Starkebaum, a Phillips County native, brings with her several areas of expertise including health, wellness and finance.

Starkebaum grew up on a farm just outside of Paoli and attended Haxtun Schools. While in high school, she participated in many extracurricular activities including 4-H, FBLA, FFA, volleyball, basketball, track and softball.

After graduating from Haxtun High School, Starkebaum went on to play basketball at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling. She later transferred to Colorado State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science with a concentration in health promotion.

Her experience after college includes over a decade working in health promotion as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, wellness coach, lifestyle coordinator and exercise specialist.

"A career in health promotion has allowed me to work in all settings such as home, gyms, corporations, resorts, schools and health clubs throughout Vermont, Texas and Colorado," Starkebaum said.

Starkebaum's background also includes nearly a decade in the financial sector as a bank teller, credit union member service representative and accounts manager.

"My true passion is in conducting wellness programs that integrate a whole-person wellness approach that incorporates many aspects of health promotion such as nutrition and fitness as well as behavior and emotional health," she said.

Starkebaum began her new position with CSU as a local extension agent on Jan. 10. In her new role, she is responsible for partnering with and working through a variety of county and community partners to assess needs, plan, coordinate, deliver and evaluate programming to meet local needs in human, family and community development; family financial stability; food safety and preservation; and nutrition, health and wellness as they relate to youth, individuals and communities.

"I also identify priority programming opportunities and develop, deliver, facilitate, evaluate and report outcomes to stakeholders," she said.

In her first few weeks, Starkebaum has partnered with Phillips County 4-H Extension Agent Jessie Stewart to co-run A Healthier Weigh; a 12 week program designed to help promote health and fitness in Phillips County.

"We just finished our pre-assessments with our InBody Scanner, which allows someone to know their compete body composition," Starkebaum said. A Healthier Weight program also helps participants gain knowledge through online lessons, recipes, tips and Facebook posts as well as win prizes for participation.

In the coming weeks, Starkebaum said she plans to meet with other Family Consumer Science Agents from neighboring counties to discuss program planning as well as meet and networking with others in her field to identify needs and develop strategy to facilitate those programs.

Additionally, Starkebaum said she recently met with Jeremy Kilpatrick, the found and Director of Klover Kare, a non-profit business working to establish community gardens in Haxtun, Holyoke and Iliff. "He came to Extension to see if we could help facilitate knowledge for his community gardens and we are open to hearing ideas," Starkebaum said.

Starkebaum also hopes to establish exercise classes in the Haxtun community.

"One goal I have for the Haxtun community is starting some exercise classes, especially with the senior population," she added. "I am currently working on my certification for senior classes. It may take some time to get things going, but I feel it is a need amongst the community to have some form of fitness classes."

Starkebaum said once she read the job description for the open Family and Consumer Science Extension position, she was excited in a way she hadn't felt in years.

"I have a strong passion for helping others work towards their goals in a positive way. When your work aligns with your passion, it becomes a reward," she said. "To me, educating others on ways they can improve their lives in a positive way, to gain new life skills, is rewarding. Being the CSU Family and Consumer Science Agent for Phillips County has so many different programming areas which means I am allowed to use my creativity, knowledge and degree to help connect, support and teach life skills from children to senior citizens. The more I researched the job and talked to others that knew the job, it became clear that this work would fill up my soul, allow me to grow and give me purpose in life. Who wouldn't want a job like that?"

In her free time, Stephanie and her husband, Seth, can most likely be found climbing a mountain top, playing in a river, spending time with friends and family or enjoying a concert. The couple are avid hikers and enjoy adventuring whenever the opportunity presents itself.

"Throughout my life I have always had a passion for being active, outside and exploring nature," said Starkebaum. "In 2012, I moved back to Haxtun after experiencing my own health obstacles. This gave me a newfound appreciation and perspective on what it truly means to be well and live your best life. "

As the new Phillips County Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent, Starkebaum said she is available to help, listen and facilitate community needs through different programming avenues related to Family and Consumer topics. "I am appreciative of this new role and I hope I can truly make a difference in the lives of our Phillips County residents," Starkebaum added. "It's nice to be able to make a difference where I also have had called home for years."

To reach Starkebaum in her new role as Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent, do so by email at [email protected] or by phone, (970) 854-3616. Starkebaum's office is located at the Phillips County Event Center in Holyoke at 22505 Hwy 385 in Holyoke. For more information on local Colorado State University programs visit https://goldenplains.extension.colostate.edu/.