Harriett Edwards, EdD

Bio

Harriett Edwards, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University, providing leadership for volunteerism in the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service which annually engages more than 40,000 youth and adult volunteers. Harriett’s first-of-its-kind dissertation research investigated critical aspects of effectively engaging episodic volunteers in community-based youth programs. She was inducted into the Academy of Outstanding Faculty in Extension and Engagement in 2008. Dr. Edwards teaches graduate courses in volunteer management.

She has previously served as President of the N.C. Association of Volunteer Administration, and as President of the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE). Harriett also serves as the Extension Military Liaison for North Carolina, and has worked with the Department of Defense, the National Military Family Association and private funders to bring more than $14 Million to North Carolina in support of military children and their families.

Dr. Edwards has presented at numerous national and international conferences, including the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the International Conference on Volunteer Administration, the Association for Research in Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Agencies (ARNOVA), and the European Seminar on Extension Education. Harriett teaches graduate level courses in volunteer management at North Carolina State University, and has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. Her work also includes the development of a “Basics in Volunteer Management” training to certify experienced volunteer administrators to teach “Basics in Volunteer Management” classes through North Carolina Community Colleges.

Programs and Initiatives

• 4-H Military Partnership
• NC State Extension Advisory Leadership System
• Operation Homeport

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• AEHS 557: Volunteer Development and Management
• AEHS 558: Contemporary Issues in Volunteer Engagement

Contributing Websites

• https://als.ces.ncsu.edu
• https://4-hmilitarypartnership.org

Selected Publications

• Jeuck, L. S., Jayaratne, K. S., Stumpf-Downing, M., Edwards, H., & McKee, K. (2023). Critical Competencies of 4-H Camp Staff for Achieving High Performance. The Journal of Extension, 61(2), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.61.02.07
• Green, B., Bruce, J., McKee, K.E., Morgan-Fleming, J. & Edwards, H. (2022). Strategies for Diversity & Inclusion: A Case Study of Faculty Decision Making. NACTA Journal, 66.
• Donaldson, J. L., Warner, W., Bruce, J., Morgan, J., Edwards, H. C., & Vaughan, R. (2022). Aligning instruction with extension professional competencies for an enhanced undergraduate extension education minor. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 10(3), 12. https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1437
• Bloom, J., Yao, J., & Edwards, H. (2021). Lessons Learned from the Development of the North Carolina Extension Master Food Volunteer Program. The Journal of Extension, 59(3), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.59.03.02
• Glen, C. D., Jayaratne, K., Moore, G. E., Bradley, L. K., & Edwards, H. (2021). What Does It Take to Lead Extension Master Gardener Volunteers?. The Journal of Extension, 59(3), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.59.03.12
• Silliman, B., Edwards, H. C., & Johnson, J. C. (2020). Long-term effects of youth work internship: The Project Youth Extension Service approach. Children and Youth Services Review, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105436
• Silliman, B., Edwards, H. C., & Johnson, J. C. (2020). Preparing Capable Youth Workers: The Project Youth Extension Service Approach. Journal of Youth Development, 15(1), 122–149. https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2020.824
• Culp, K., Edwards, H. C., & Jordan, J. W. (2014). Creating the Southern Region 4-H Volunteer Advisory Group. The Journal of Extension, 52(6), Article 31. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol52/iss6/31
• Edwards, H.C. (2012). Orientation: Welcoming new volunteers into the organization. In T.D. Connors (Ed.), The volunteer management handbook (2nd ed., pp. 31–53). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Edwards, H.C., Safrit, R.D. & Allen, K. (2012). Volunteer demographics. In T.D. Connors (Ed.), The volunteer management handbook (2nd., pp. 227-236). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Area(s) of Expertise

• Volunteer Engagement
• Boards and Councils
• Extension Military Programs
• Adult Education