State Winner – Lou Mueller
State Winner – Joanne Roueche
State Winner – Sara Oldroyd
Award Description: Vote for co-workers who have had an outstanding year, and who you feel qualify for this award.
About the Recipients:
Mary "Lou" Mueller holds a B.S. in Psychology with a Sociology Minor, and a M.F.H.D. in Family and Human Development, both from Utah State University. Her interests include healthy relationships, marriage and the family, youth development, nutrition and home energy savings. Before joining Extension, she created the San Juan Victim Advocacy Program and served as director and victim advocate coordinator for seven years. During that time she raised over $600,000 through grants and contributions which helped realize her dream to build the first battered women's shelter in San Juan County. She continues working for victim rights through the San Juan Domestic Violence Coalition, which she helped organize and currently chairs. She has served on the Utah Domestic Violence Council for moire than ten years. She is married to Phil Mueller and they are the parents of eight children and 23 grandchildren. Mueller loves spending time with her family, reading, gardening, and sewing. Although, since joining Extension, she hardly ever has time to sew or garden!
Joanne Roueche holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in family and consumer sciences education, and master’s degree from the University of Idaho with emphasis in child and family studies. Her career has covered many aspects of family and consumer sciences. Her early career started in Idaho with the University of Idaho Extension and teaching secondary home economics education at Caldwell High School. She married and moved to Utah where she worked with Utah State University Extension, taught at Weber State College (now University) and Utah Power and Light. She has had the opportunity to do free-lance with many major companies including: Whirlpool, Kitchen Aid, Maytag, Quaker Oats, California Almond Board, Del Monte, Ragu, Fleishman’s Yeast, Kraft General Foods, to name a few. She is currently an associate professor for Utah State University in Davis County, working with the family and consumer sciences program.
Sara Oldroyd has been working with Salt Lake County Extension since November 2006. She is a registered dietitian and has the opportunity to work specifically in the area of nutrition: food stamp nutrition education, food safety, food preservation, and medical nutrition therapy. Some of her favorite classes to teach include Understanding Dietary Supplements, Managing Diabetes Through Diet, Heart-Healthy Eating, Health Benefits of Chocolate, and Incredible Edible Science. She is currently working on two research projects, the first with African refugees who have resettled in the Salt Lake valley, and the second with international Thai students and obesity prevalence in Utah vs Thailand. Sara grew up in Glenwood, Utah and has lived in Salt Lake since 2004. She enjoys reading, refinishing furniture, running (her first half marathon is coming up), and playing outdoor sports.