EDEN Executive Team Mid-Winter Meeting Recap: Key Strategies for Enhancing Communication and Collaboration

By Soni Cochran, Marketing and Membership Committee Chair

The EDEN Executive Team met in Irvine, California, February 25-28 for the annual mid-winter meeting, focusing on how to improve communication and collaboration across the network. Some key topics included ways to improve communication and provide better resources for committee chairs, Points of Contact (POCs), and delegates. They also discussed setting up onboarding opportunities for new delegates and POCs.

The team also worked on refining the operating guidelines to clarify training, committee structures, and job descriptions for committee chairs and vice-chairs, making sure everything aligns with EDEN’s mission. A task force has been formed to develop resources to help both new and current members communicate the value of EDEN to Extension Administrations.

To improve collaboration, the Executive Committee and the FADI team plan to have bi-weekly check-ins, which will help with coordination and reporting across EDEN’s initiatives. The team also discussed the EDEN All-Hazards Resource Dashboard on the website. Featured resources like “What to Do After a Disaster” and materials supporting Extension’s role at the state level are needed. The team is working on improving the dashboard’s search features, making sure resources are up-to-date, easy to find, and clearly separate from those of member institutions. The EDEN membership database is being reviewed to ensure that only current delegates are listed.

These efforts are designed to strengthen EDEN’s role in supporting Extension faculty, staff, and stakeholders throughout all phases of disaster and emergency response—preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery—while ensuring critical resources are shared across the network. The next strategic planning session for the EDEN Executive Team is scheduled for July 9-11.