Alayne Torretta, 4-H agent and department head, RCE of Warren County, at right, is presented with the 25 Years of Service Award by Alyssa Walden, president of the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals.
Five Extension professionals with the 4-H Department of Youth Development, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, were recognized with national awards for their work supporting 4-H Youth Development in New Jersey by the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals this fall. The annual conference, which was held in Atlanta, GA, this year, recognized “those individuals who have excelled in their professional responsibilities, created outstanding programming, and have reached milestones in their careers.”
L-R: Alyssa Walden, president of the National Association of 4-H Youth Development Professionals; Kiersten Keywood, daughter of Jeanette Rea Keywood; and Jill Brambe, president and CEO of National 4-H Council, at the National 4-H Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
In addition, Jeannette Rea-Keywood, state 4-H agent who passed away in 2021, was posthumously inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame during a separate ceremony preceding the conference. A faculty member of Rutgers Cooperative Extension in the Department of 4-H Youth Development for more than 30 years at both the county (22 years) and state (9 years) levels, Jeanette was an active member of the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals and Epsilon Sigma Phi. She held numerous offices at the state and national levels in both professional organizations and chaired the National ESP conference in 2016 when it was hosted in New Jersey.
Matthew Newman, Chair of the Department of 4-H Youth Development, praised the recipients.
“It is altogether appropriate that our dedicated Rutgers 4-H faculty and staff are so recognized for their commitment to excellence, both in service and programming. The awards highlight not only individual achievement but also the collective excellence and commitment to high standards that define our 4-H team,” said Newman.
Kelly Dziak, 4-H agent, at right, and Alyssa Walden, president of NAE4-HYDP.
Kelly Dziak, 4-H agent, RCE of Morris County – Distinguished Service Award
Kelly Dziak, a NJ 4-H alumna, has served the New Jersey and Morris County 4-H Youth Development Program since 2010, with a focus on building a welcoming community and fostering a sense of belonging for both youth participants and adult volunteers. In addition to overseeing the county 4-H program, Kelly provides guidance and oversight to several state-level program such as serving as faculty advisor to the NJ 4-H Dog Project, state leader for the 4-H Leadership Academy program, and co-host of the 4-H Volunteer Ventures podcast. The 2025 Distinguished Service Award recognizes her outstanding program leadership and professional contributions to the 4-H Youth Development program. This honor reflects her dedication to the 4-H program, her commitment to high-quality educational programs, and her passion to build a supportive community for youth and adults to learn and grow.
Melissa Bright, 4-H agent, (who was unable to attend the awards banquet) is pictured with her “Achievement in Service Award.”
Melissa Bright, 4-H agent, RCE of Somerset County – Achievement in Service Award
Melissa Bright has served as an agent for the past 3.5 years, focusing on 4-H agri-science education, with an emphasis on dairy and beef cattle, livestock management, public speaking, and career readiness. She oversees all aspects of the county’s 4-H program, including club operations, volunteer recruitment, and leadership development, fostering youth engagement in agriculture and lifelong learning. This 2025 Achievement in Service Award recognizes her outstanding leadership and professional contributions to the 4-H Youth Development Program and the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals. This honor reflects Melissa’s excellence in professional attitude, continuous improvement, notable accomplishments, community involvement, and special achievements throughout her career.
Alayne Torretta, 4-H agent and department head, RCE of Warren County – 25 Years of Service Award
Alayne Torretta has served NJ 4-H since 2000. Under her direction, Warren County 4-H maintains 18 4-H clubs that all together serve 170 youth. Among the primary responsibilities, she supports volunteer development and state and federal reporting. A NJ State 4-H Positive Youth Development Champion, she has served on the NJ 4-H State Steering Committee and the NJ State 4-H Global and Cultural Engagement Task Force, among other roles. She was celebrated with the 25 Years of Service Award for a quarter century of dedicated service to the ideals of 4-H youth development as well as to the national association.
Laura Bovitz, 4-H agent, and Shannon Glynn, 4-H program assistant, RCE of Middlesex County were awarded the National Award for Excellence in Healthy Living Programming for their work in the Teen Mental Health Fair in partnership with county 4-H Teen Ambassadors. In response to the growing mental health issues in youth, the fair was established with 4-H teens taking the lead in identifying issues, developing interactive activities and resources and working with 4-H staff to contact outside agencies and professionals who addressed these issues. Topics such as stress management, social media, body image issues, dating violence, depression and anxiety and more were included in the event. 4-H teen Ambassadors continued outreach after the event through the development of a teen-led Instagram page, “Teen Balance,” that provides additional resources and uses a “teens teaching teens” approach to discuss issues of interest to teens in the area of mental wellness.
Shannon Glynn, 4-H program assistant, and Laura Bovitz, 4-H agent, presenting a poster at the national conference. The poster depicts the Teen Mental Health Fair, which earned them the “Excellence in Programming Award.”
