Rhonda Shipp
Rhonda Shipp thinks, and she thinks beautifully. Her knack for articulation threads through all of her ventures, lending a sense of calm and precision to her style and her work. The people she’s touched through her role as an Extension educator have strengthened and built communities that are a framework in the state.
She’s known for her long and fulfilling commitment to the Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service where she worked for 30 years. With all that CES does, Shipp was able to employ her many talents and a personal approach to evaluate and help discover new ways forward, ways that apply measurable, assessment-based programming that made education and community-building a part of the same process.
Another move ahead, she took a fairly out of the blue invitation to facilitate what could have been a contentious meeting. "I found myself fascinated with the idea of helping groups work together in productive ways, capitalizing on the knowledge, skills and talents of all group members and moving towards decision-making at the same time. Good facilitation involves creating space that is emotionally, physiologically and intellectually safe. I am fascinated by the notion of designing group processes that capture the best experience and knowledge of group members, processes that are inclusive and honor each person attending while also helping the group move forward [with] meaning and understanding."
Shipp collaborated in putting together a method to make on-line courses for University of Wyoming for which she was honored with the Pearson Excellence in Online teaching. For Shipp, the most important part is collaboration and working across systems (as opposed to within them).
Shipp says she could write a novel about all the people who she admires, who make up the networks of the kind of women she sees wherever she goes in Wyoming. And she knows that every network is unique. By "involving women in conversations about public issues, they bring more civility to the table,” she says, knowing the benefits of focus, the steps it takes to build quality relationships. "I constantly remind myself and others that “conversation is an action step”. I remind myself and others often that “conversation is an action step”!" On some issues, she knows when to repeat.
These days, living in a cabin in Crandall is a dream come true for Shipp and her husband. She reads, a lot, and ponders things with thread. It feels idyllic just to write about her. They have no phone service, maintain their own fresh water spring, and take to hiking for the joy and wonders of the trail. Harvesting 15.5 pounds of potatoes or foraging wood for the stove keeps them complete.
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