National 4-H Distinguished Service Award 2010

CONTACT:  Dohee Kim, MPP, (323) 260-3880, deekim@ucdavis.edu

4-H Advisor Keith Nathaniel is recipient of the National 4-H Distinguished Service Award for 2010

The National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) has named Keith Nathaniel, 4-H advisor for Los Angeles County, as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) for 2010.  The award recognizes the expertise and exceptional contribution recipients make to the youth and volunteers in 4-H programs nationally.  Nathaniel will be recognized at the NAE4-HA awards banquet during its national meeting on October 27, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The NAE4-HA is an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpartisan association of professional youth development educators.  It is one of the largest professional assciations for youth development workers with a diverse membership of nearly 3,600 youth development professionals.

"Dr. Nathaniel is an expert in after-school programming, adolescent development and youth life-skills development," said Rachel Surls, UC Cooperative Extension county director for Los Angeles County.  "We are really proud of all he has brought to 4-H in Los Angeles County and California, including a long-standing partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District that reaches several thousand children in underserved communities each year."

Nathaniel, who has been with the 4-H program in Los Angeles County since 1994, is considered to be an expert in all things 4-H.  He has co-authored two articles and written several popular articles on youth development.  Nathaniel holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from UC Davis, a master's degree in educational leadership from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from UCLA.

Nathaniel lives in Southern California with his wife, son and dog.  He loves reading, exercising and riding his Harley motorcycle along the beautiful Southern California coastline.

For more information on Cooperative Extension's 4-H offerings in Los Angeles County, please visit http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/4H_Youth_Development_Programs/.  As part of the University of California, Cooperative Extension was established in 1914 to connect local communities to their state's land grant university.  An office in each county in California responds to the changing needs of its local populations, designing and carrying out research-based programs in the areas of food, health, agriculture, horticulture and the environment.