Community Connectors: Nicole Debose

October 2025

Community Connectors is a monthly series highlighting Ohio State staff members who have shown leadership in partnering with our communities to make an impact.

Nicole Debose
Extension Area Leader, Cuyahoga County
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences/OSU Extension

I believe the three primary responsibilities of my work are to listen, leverage and foster trust. OSU Extension and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences engage with partners in each county to improve social, economic and environmental conditions. I support this mission by listening to community members first. They know what needs to change. Using my knowledge of quality-of-life trends in urban areas I leverage and connect research, funding, Extension colleagues and community members to help make change.

I believe effective community impacts require the involvement of those representing various perspectives and areas of specialization. Building and maintaining trust amongst varying interests is key to having a long-lasting positive impact in any community engaged work. An example of this is in the work of my team to address healthy eating habits in teens. A local chef was asked to conduct cooking classes - one of our educators taught nutrition while another educator taught about where food comes from. Classes were held at a local education institution for free, if their youth could participate. This highly successful program was subsequently offered to parents and caregivers of participants who were given a starter vegetable plant from an Ohio State Grow Kindness campaign. It's a win-win for all!

Why is engaging the community important to you and your work?

Empowering people to have a say in the way their communities look and feel is important to me. I can sit in my office and come up with a great plan to address a perceived need that fails miserably. This would be a waste of my time, resources and most of all be a disservice to the communities I serve. Alternatively, I can spend time asking questions, listening and working with other organizations to make informed decisions that positively reflect myself and Ohio State.

What lessons have you learned from the community that have helped you as a university staff member?

Lesson #1: Trust that change decisions are made with the goal of positive impact. Impact requires change in thoughts, habits, structures, processes and the list goes on. While adjusting to any change, patience and grace are required. We must give ourselves grace, be patient with ourselves and give that gift to others - especially during times of change.

Lesson #2: Don't be afraid to try something new. The most successful innovative community projects I've participated on were met with some resistance because the methodology was new or different. The community trusts me to be alongside them to try new things. This encourages me to try new projects or implement new processes as a staff member.

What has been your favorite moment from your community-engagement work?

My favorite moments are when I see happiness and growth in communities and individuals. This could be 4-H participants graduating from high school, a newer farmer having their first profitable year or knowing an initiative I helped start received another grant. Knowing I'm doing work for the greater good makes me happy.

What advice do you have for other staff members who are interested in getting involved in community engagement?

One can be involved in community engagement in a supportive or direct service role. My advice would be to try both to determine which role excites you and allows you to utilize your strengths. Some people are great at coming up with ideas and others are skilled at making those ideas come to life. Have fun while figuring it out and commit to making lasting change along the way.