Joyce Cavanagh, Ph.D., will retire from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Jan. 31 after a career with the agency that spanned almost three decades.
Cavanagh initially worked for the agency from 1991-1999 as an assistant professor and AgriLife Extension family economics specialist. From 2003-2019, she served as a family and community health specialist in family economics, and from 2019 to the present served as a liaison to the agency’s Disaster Assessment and Recovery Unit.
“Dr. Cavanagh has provided outstanding leadership for educational programs that impacted the lives of countless individuals, families and communities in Texas and beyond,” said Stephen Green, Ph.D., Regents Fellow and program director for the Family and Community Health Unit, Bryan-College Station
Green said in the nearly 28 years with the Family and Community Health Unit of AgriLife Extension, Cavanagh has developed, implemented and evaluated programs that led to significant improvements in the way households managed their finances. Her efforts also helped numerous individuals and families recover from economic hardships following natural disasters in Texas.
“I was fortunate to work with administrative leaders who valued and supported my work, which led to increasing financial capabilities of the Texans I reached,” Cavanagh said. “They offered me opportunities to stretch myself professionally in ways I might not have chosen on my own.”
Education and professional experience
Cavanagh earned her doctorate in human environmental sciences with an emphasis on consumer and family economics from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She earned a master’s in family and consumer economics from the University of Missouri, and a bachelor’s in home economics education from the State University of New York College of Arts and Sciences, Plattsburgh, New York.
Her previous experience at the University of Missouri includes serving as an assistant professor and state specialist in consumer and family economics at the Human Environmental Sciences Extension, and as a graduate research and teaching assistant in the Department of Consumer and Family Economics.
Earlier in her career, Cavanagh was a family resource management specialist at the New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Service and an instructor in the Department of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of New Hampshire.
Certifications and awards
Cavanagh’s professional certifications include personal and family finance educator from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. She is also an IRS-certified instructor, counselor and training coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons Tax-Aide Program and a certified counselor for the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
Cavanagh has also gained certifications through the National Incident Management System, NIMS, Training Program, which identifies those courses critical to train personnel capable of implementing all functions of emergency management. Additionally, she has been trained on various levels of the Incident Command System.
During her career, Cavanagh received a variety of honors and awards, including:
— AgriLife Extension’s Superior Service Award, Emerging Issues – Team Award, COVID-19 Work Group.
— Specialist of the Year, Texas Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
— American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Leader Award.
— Texas Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Professional of the Year.
— Specialist of the Year, Texas Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
“I’m thankful to many people in my unit for their support and friendship,” Cavanagh said. “I’m also grateful for the Texas Extension Specialists Association, because membership and board service with this organization gave me an opportunity to meet specialists from other departments and districts across the state. It has also been rewarding to have been an advisor to the Texas Extension Education Association for the past 10 years, working with them in their mission to support AgriLife Extension and provide education to their members and communities.”
Cavanagh has also received awards from the Girl Scouts of Central Texas, including their Council Outstanding Volunteer Award, Council Star Award, Service Unit Key Person Award and Service Unit Star Award.
Other professional affiliations include the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education; Texas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York affiliates of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences; International Federation of Home Economics; American Council on Consumer Interests.
Cavanagh has served on a number of graduate student committees and has contributed to or been cited in various proceedings, presentations and peer-reviewed publications, including in the journals Financial Counseling and Planning and The Gerontologist.
“In her time with the agency, Dr. Cavanagh has secured millions of dollars in grants and contracts,” Green said. “She effectively supervised dozens of staff members and played a vital role in advancing the health and well-being of Texans of all ages.”
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