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October 2023
Hello and welcome to my page!
I have had the pleasure of serving as the Camden County 4-H Agent since 2007. As a former 4-H member in Warren County, I have fond memories of participating in my 4-H dairy club, competing in dairy judging and county public presentations, and participating in our county fair every year. Two of my most memorable 4-H events took place when I was in 8th and 9th grades. First, I competed in the NJ State 4-H Public Presentations Contest for the first time ever and even came in second in my category. Later that year, I competed at the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest in Madison, WI. It was the first time I was on a plane which made for an even more exciting time! I don’t remember our team placing, but I do remember the experience and it has stayed with me for years.
Now when I was a kid, belonging to 4-H was a given. I grew up on a 128-acre dairy farm as part of a 4th generation family farm. My family milked about 100 Holsteins and Jerseys. Both of my parents belonged to 4-H and my grandmother was even a volunteer in Hunterdon County. My dad showed his Jersey cows in the 1950s and still has his trophies and ribbons, just like I do from my days of showing.
While the roots of 4-H are steeped in agriculture, much like my own, today’s 4-H has something for everyone whether you live in the suburbs, the city, or the country. That’s because 4-H is about lifeskill development, such as communications, leadership, goal setting, and responsibility. It is also about feeling a sense of belonging, building generosity for others, mastering skills in your project area, and exploring independent decision-making.
With three program areas to explore: Science, Engineering and Technology; Healthy Living; and Citizenship, I hope you will find a project or program that matches your interests. And, of course, I certainly hope your 4-H experiences will be as rewarding as mine were! Stay tuned for future posts!
Sincerely,
Sharon Kinsey
Duckworth Family Farm, Harmony Twp., NJ
Academic Background
Ed.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Expected Spring 2024. Educational, Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL). Concentration in Global Studies in Education. Thesis: Youth and their sense of belonging and global identity as English Language Learners in the U.S. Advisor: Dr. Allison Witt.
Certificate of Post-Graduate Leadership Studies, Thierry Graduate School of Leadership, Brussels, Belgium. 2012. Leadership and Organizational Change. Final Project: Learning to Accept Change and Becoming Successful Change Agents: An Analysis of Organizational Change in the Camden County 4-H Youth Development Program.
https://camden.njaes.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Kinsey-INSIL-paper-12-15-11.pdf
M.A., Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ. December 2002. Strategic Communication and Leadership. Final Project: Addressing the agricultural education teacher shortage in New Jersey: A strategic communications plan. Advisor: Dr. Cecilia Wooden.
B.A., Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. May 1994. Journalism and Mass Media.
Publications
Torretta, A., Newman, M., & Kinsey, S. (2021). 4-H International Camp United Program and the 2025 4-H Strategic Vision. Journal of Extension, 58(6), Article 23. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol58/iss6/23
Nathaniel, K.C, & Kinsey, S.B. (2013). Contributions of Youth Engagement to the Development of Social Capital through Community Mapping. Journal of Extension, 51(1), Article 17. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol51/iss1/17
Kinsey, S. & Haberland, M. (2012). Using Rain Gardens to Promote Service Learning and Climate Science Education with Urban Youth. Journal of Extension, 50(4). https://archives.joe.org/joe/2012august/iw4.php
Kinsey, S. (2011). Action Learning – An Experiential Tool For Solving Organizational Issues, Journal of Extension. August. Vol. 49 (4). https://archives.joe.org/joe/2011august/tt2.php
Kinsey, S. (2010). Quiet Leadership – How to Create Positive Organizational Change without the Noise, Journal of Extension. Oct. Vol. 48 (5). http://www.joe.org/joe/2010october/tt2.php
Non-Refereed Articles completed as part of EdD program
https://cgscholar.com/community/profiles/user-3237/updates
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory
Ubiquitous Learning and Peer-to-Peer Learning