Jim Gray, Extension West District Director, traveled to Fargo on Monday, December 23, 2024, to present Cass County Extension Agent Rita Ussatis with the NDSU Core Values Award.

The Core Values Award is a peer-to-peer traveling award, allowing NDSU Agriculture faculty and staff from across the state to recognize each other for efforts that reflect our core values – Community Driven, Student Focused, Stakeholder Driven, Integrity, Impact and Innovation.

Jim nominated Rita by saying, “Rita Ussatis embodies our core values and what it means to be an Extension professional. She develops and delivers innovative and impactful Extension programs across a variety of Family, Consumer and Wellness, and 4-H topics that have improved the lives of people in Cass County. Rita serves as an example of how we can have a positive impact on the communities that we serve. I also appreciate her mentorship of new FCW agents, her support of our Extension internship program, and her willingness to support the organization, such as serving on the 2024 fall conference planning committee.