❖ Learning and Networking Platform for CES: Connect Extension is a co-learning environment that expands professional development opportunities to all Land-Grant Universities, NTAE partners, and their constituents. Launched in response to Covid-19 in March 2020, the platform currently has 5,063 Extension users participating in subgroups from Health, Urban Agriculture, to Climate. The accounts represent 4581 from 1862 institutions, 370 from 1890 institutions, 25 from 1994 institutions, 84 from federal agencies (USDA, HHS, EPA, NIH), and three from USDA-NIFA certified NLGCA's. Since September 1, 2021, there were 562,123 users representing 700,954 sessions. 88.6% were new visitors to the platform. 54.7% were on mobile, 43% on Desktops and 2.3% were on tablets. They represented a total of 1,074,073 pageviews since September 2021. The Hubspot platform was added in Year 3 Quarter 1 to further enhance communication and connectedness with CES. ❖ USDA Related NTAE Projects: Research and Extension Catalysts mobilize talent among networks within Extension and from private- and public sector partners. The Catalysts recruited projects from across the Land Grant system. Project teams submitted an online nomination form. Projects that applied went through an application process where the projects were scored in a vetted rubric by outside reviewers. Final selection for projects rested on the scored rubrics and advice from catalysts about project readiness. All NTAE project topics related to the USDA Strategic Goals. Catalysts provide a lead mentor role with projects. Additionally, in Year 3, NIFA identified a number of preselected projects to fund that are placed in our project accelerator for Catalysts to mentor and Key Information Services to provide additional resources to. Catalysts serve as program advisory support past senior program or administrative CES personnel. Catalysts have many years of experience with programming and networks across the country. Catalysts are: Dr. Scott Reed, Dr. Fred Schlutt, Dr. Rick Klemme, Dr. Chuck Hibberd, Dr. Jimmy Henning, Dr. Dawn Mellion, Dr. Chuck Ross, and Dr. Dyremple Marsh. ➢ Communication and Marketing: Targeted communication and marketing strategies to ensure resources are available to CES professionals to create a national network of CES involved in a focused effort and provide greater visibility for CES. The Extension Foundation now uses HubSpot as the customer resource management tool and as a platform for communications and email. ➢ NTAE Competitive and Preselected Project Information: These strategies are described in length in this report starting on page 14. ➢ Partnerships for Expansion and Sustainability: Leadership by individual stakeholders is necessary but not sufficient to drive transformational and systemic change. Collective action and collaboration is essential. It is needed among projects themselves, in specific sectors, around specific issues and locations. It is also needed on a cross-sector or multi-stakeholder basis between companies,
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