LOCAL UNIVERSITY EXTENSION FACULTY MEMBER HONORED

The University of Missouri Extension Service honored Susan Mills as the professional communicator of the year during their recent annual professional development conference. This award recognizes excellence in employing journalistic expertise in a total information effort.

Mills serves as an off-campus faculty member in food and nutrition and is headquartered in Cape Girardeau County.

She placed first in three categories of the extension's public information contest -- media broker, television; feature/news and news or feature photo.

Mills was also recognized as the recipient of the Human Environmental Sciences Meritorious Service Award. Among her accomplishments in her present assignment: she serves as consultant to 27 family and community education clubs, has developed an extensive network with other agencies for joint programming, and developed educational efforts on food and water safety during the flood.

She writes a weekly news column for the Southeast Missourian newspaper, focusing on health and nutrition topics.