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Gary
Sands,
Interim Program Director, is an Associate Professor and
Extension Engineer in the Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
Department at the University of Minnesota. His interests
are in land and water resources including: environmental
impacts and sustainability of agricultural systems; measuring
and modeling the impacts of water management systems;
nutrient losses from artificially drained lands; water
resource utilization; GIS applications in water resources;
water quality. |
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Deen
Swart joined
the MN AgrAbility Program team in December 2004. She has
a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is a licensed
social worker. She has worked in rural MN most of her
career, primarily serving families and children. Deen
grew up on a three generational farm in South Central
MN where she spent a great deal of her youth and college
summers working in the fields and on the farm.
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Al
Rasmussen
comes with a background of working with extension and
4-H. Raised on a dairy farm in Colorado, he has continued
his interests in agriculture. He lost his right hand
in an accident and now stresses safety on the job and
coordinates a farm safety camp in his county. He is
looking forward to working with the MN AgrAbility Project
and using his skills in making this program accessible
to those in need of support to continue farming.
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Michele
Schermann
doesn't have a traditional, mainstream farm background,
but she does have a degree in horticulture and worked
in cotton fields in Texas, pollinated squash in Arkansas,
and sold tropical plants to businesses and homeowners.
Eventually she decided to return to Minnesota and get
a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree in nursing. When
she's not busy working with AgrAbility staff, Hmong farmers,
mainstream farmers, and students, Michele enjoys kayaking
the Great Lakes, fly-fishing, gardening, and baking. |
Sorry, Picture not Available.
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Maureen
Gaedy of
Goodwill Easter Seals has served persons with disabilities
for over 25 years. She serves as the non-profit director
for the project. Her network of disability and mental
health contacts brings those resources to the project
staff. Maureen has personal experiences with the challenges
a disability can bring to a family. Her father was injured
and paralyzed in his early thirties. |
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