We’re honored to have been recognized in 2018 with awards from the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences for the work we do in supporting our communities. Congratulations to our former and current Team Members: Susan Ballabina, Chelsea Stevens, Michelle Allen, Julie Gardner, Joel Redus, Elaine Montemayor-Gonzalez, Danielle Hammond – Kreuger, Rusty Hohlt, Hannah Krebs, Kelli Brown, and Odessa Keenan!
Odessa E. Keenan
Elaine Montemayor-Gonzalez
Elaine Montemayor-Gonzalez, Extension Program Specialist for the Healthy South Texas Program with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is a wife, mom, and a native of South Texas. When not running after her three little ones, Elaine loves to develop recipes and cook for family and friends. After several rewarding years of working in nutrition and diabetes education, Elaine joined AgriLife as a Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent in Jim Wells County and was able to begin a successful Farmers Market with a monthly healthy food demonstration for the public.
Kelli Brown
Kelli Brown, Hood County Family and Community Health County Extension Agent, loves having the opportunity to educate others through her role as an Extension Agent. Kelli enjoys providing healthy cooking tips, following fitness bloggers, and spending time with family and friends around the dinner table! She likes helping others connect health to exercise, food and happiness. Her goal is to encourage families to prepare and eat healthy meals together.
Amy Valdez
Amy Valdez is an Extension Program Specialist with the Healthy South Texas Initiative. She loves traveling, live music, spending time with her family, and rooting for the Texas A&M Aggies on game day! With a family and job that constantly have her on the go, making recipes that are flavorful but quick and easy to make is her go-to. She is also a Registered Dietitian and is passionate about educating the community about nutrition and how to make healthy and family-friendly meals.
Chelsey Rash
Chelsey enjoys small-town living in the rural panhandle of Texas, where her role as an AgriLife Extension Agent furthers her two passions; agriculture and providing for her family. Being a part of the Dinner Tonight team is an opportunity to showcase local Texas commodities with a creative flair worthy of any town gathering or family feast. Outside of work, Chelsey is always looking for a creative outlet like decorating and hosting family events or joining in on a fun adventure like playing paintball on the ranch. Her recipe box is usually full of quick fixes with a range of flavors that are sure to be crowd-pleasers.
Megan Glidden
Megan Glidden, the Aransas County Family and Community Health Agent, grew up spending time in the family kitchen, where she learned to love cooking and baking. She is a recent transplant to the Texas middle coast and has enjoyed creating new recipes with wonderful coastal commodities. Being a part of the Dinner Tonight team affords Megan time to experiment in the kitchen while creating wonderful recipes to share with Texans.
Wendy Hatfield-Hazzard
Wendy, County Extension Agent for Family and Community Health in Wheeler County with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, is a native of Arkansas. She transplanted to the Texas panhandle with her husband and now, with their two young boys, call the panhandle home. Wendy loves to cook for co-workers, family, and friends. She relaxes with her dirt therapy (gardening) in the spring all the way through to the fall. She loves to grow different herbs and vegetables that she tries in her various kitchen creations and food demonstrations. Her recipe box is full of quick, simple, and kid-friendly foods for her family’s busy lifestyle.
