MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University Extension Service Family and Community Development program has recently hired two positions that will focus on areas of entrepreneurial leadership and safety for campus facilities management.
The hires reflect the program’s overall aim to improving life in the state by growing economic and community independence and focusing on the health and safety of all West Virginians.
“Essential elements of our mission include promoting community development and family well-being, so the opportunity to hire two positions essential to new community programming and workplace safety is key to evolving our Extension programming. Lauren and Amanda are both uniquely qualified to address their specific assignments and will play key roles in moving our programs forward. We are excited to have them on board,” said Tony Michael, director of WVU Extension’s Family and Community Development program.
Amanda Mason will serve as the Safety and Health Extension specialist for clinical safety and health. She will work as a bridge to bring that unit’s knowledge on workforce safety to WVU’s Environmental Safety and Health and Facilities Management departments with a more robust training program and continued OSHA compliance.
Mason reported she’s excited to get started, and with a history in working with health and safety training across various industries, she’s excited to collaborate to help the University’s employees maintain a high safety standard.
“Every year, the University’s facilities and maintenance employees have topics they recertify on and get up-to-date training on,” she said. “I’m passionate about safety, and the opportunity to help other University employees stay safe, and collaborating with other departments is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Mason received her master’s in safety management and bachelor’s in exercise physiology both from WVU.
The other hire, Lauren Prinzo, formerly a WVU Extension agent in Marion County, will be joining the Family and Community Development program to focus on a new aspect of leadership training that will improve upon the entrepreneurial spirit that is prevalent in the state. She’ll use that knowledge and her experience in working at the community level to increase engagement with Extension programs, which help drive communities forward.
“We have a lot of great programs and knowledge that people may not know about but can take advantage of to fuel this overarching entrepreneurial spirit,” Prinzo said. “It’s especially encouraging to see younger people and students engaged and invested in their communities through entrepreneurial leadership. That’s part of what I’ll be focusing on, and it’s inspiring to see so much passion for a dream coming to life.”
Prinzo received her master’s in public administration from WVU and her bachelor’s in health service administration from the University of Central Florida.
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