Janet Ayres Receives National Friend of Conservation Award

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Indianapolis - Janet Ayres, one of Indiana’s experts in leadership development, received the prestigious Friend of Conservation Award last week in a ceremony in Reno, Nevada. The honor was presented by the National Association of Conservation Districts' (NACD) Acting President Steve Robinson at their annual conference attended by over 1,000 conservationists from around the country.

The Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization, agency, etc. outside NACD for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation's natural resources. Ayres was nominated by the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts for her work with the Indiana Conservation Partnership (ICP). Ayres has worked with the ICP in developing a statewide leadership development program series specifically designed to enhance the skills of Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors.  

A professor and Extension specialist in leadership development at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Ayres has dedicated herself professionally and personally to helping Indiana develop conservation leadership. She has played an integral part in the creation, development and implementation of the Natural Resource Leadership Development Institute. Throughout much of her work in Indiana, she has served as a representative from the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

As part of her work with the Indiana Conservation Partnership, Ayres has committed two years to launch the curriculum of the newly-formed SWCD Leadership Institute. She was instrumental in developing the core content for the institute which consists of a series of leadership training opportunities for District board members and key support staff.

Ayres has been fascinated with changes in rural communities since she was a teenager on a dairy farm in Carroll County. The controversial public issues she witnessed in her community inspired her to devote her career at Purdue to developing educational programs that build the capacity of citizens to affect the future of their communities. Her Extension and teaching activities focus on the areas of leadership and community development. She was a leader and collaborator in developing several other statewide programs including the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program and Take Charge, a strategic planning program which has been adopted in several other states. Ayres has worked in over 200 rural communities in Indiana and has published over 90 publications, manuals and curricula on leadership and rural development.

From 1996 to 2002, Ayres served as assistant Extension director and program leader for the Leadership & Community Development program area. During this time she initiated and provided leadership to the Purdue Extension Land Use Team.

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