UM Extension FCS Educators Garner National Awards

University of Maryland Extension FCS Educators Garner Prestigious National Awards 

Two University of Maryland Family and Consumer Sciences field faculty members were awarded a total of three national awards recently at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Meeting in Birmingham.  

Megan O'Neil-Haight was honored with the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) Dean Don Felker Financial Management Award after her collaboration with a furry friend! 

O'Neil-Haight teamed up with It's a Habit and Sammy Rabbit to teach children the importance of saving money, setting financial goals and working toward them, thereby laying the foundation for lifelong healthy monetary habits. Together, It's a Habit and O'Neil-Haight have reached thousands of school children and their parents as well as hundreds of teachers with messages of saving early and often. 

The Dean Don Felker Award is highly competitive and is presented annually to two national awardees who develop programs which help individuals and families gain financial management skills necessary to plan for their present and future needs. 

O'Neil was a double award recipient this year, also being recognized with the National Living Well award. Each year, two national awards are given to groups or individuals who have used Living Well marketing materials in a creative approach in marketing the Extension Family and Consumer Sciences profession to the general public and / or the news media. 

Megan's Living Well entry focused on a series of thirteen thirty-second television public service announcements co-branded with University of Maryland Extension and National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NAEFCS) "Living Well" logos with the following messages: Get Free Tax Assistance, Improve Earning Power, Stay Within a Budget, Compare Terms and Interest Rates, Keep Credit Healthy, Start Saving Today, Invest Wisely, Learn EARLY about spending, Saving and investing, Set specific goals for managing money, Make a HABIT of saving money, Mentor others in money management, and Apply for the Earned Income Credit. 

Oneil-Haight, a personal finance and early childhood development expert, currently serves as a tenure-track Finance Educator for three rural Maryland counties with University of Maryland Extension. O'Neil-Haight earned her Master's Degree from Alfred University in Community Services Administration with an emphasis on not-for-profit management. 

The third National award, the Housing Outreach Award, was presented to Susan Morris, FCS Educator in Montgomery County, for her innovative Aging in Place program. The program was designed to provide strategies and options for simple changes that can be made in homes that will result in a safe and accessible environment for aging parents and Baby Boomers to continue to reside as they age. These changes can result in new affordable options for our aging citizens to remain self sufficient much longer, as well as live in their own homes much longer. The Extension Housing Outreach Award recognizes NEAFCS members for outstanding housing educational programs conducted for families and/or communities which enhances outreach to communities and special need families. Montana State University Extension Housing Program established the award.

Susan is a tenured University faculty member with more than 29 years of experience with UM Extension. Her primary program focus is in personal and family financial management.

Susan received a B.S. degree in Vocational Home Economics Education and an M.S. degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Services, both from Kansas State University. She is also an Accredited Financial Counselor with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Mrs. Morris worked for the National 4-H Council in Chevy Chase and was a high school home economics teacher in her native Kansas.