Statewide 4-H Conference Held in Jametown

Jamestown, New York (October 3, 2025) - More than 80 4-H Educators from across New York State swarmed the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel on October 1, 2025, for a statewide education conference. The group, called NYSACCE-4HE (New York State Association of Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educators), met to discover new research into informal education, learn about leadership, volunteer roles, new marketing techniques and more.

Educators came from as close as Chautauqua County 4-H and as far away as the areas around New York City. They toured the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Grape Discovery Center, and Audubon Community Nature Center, as well as sampling other local restaurants and tourist attractions, including the National Comedy Center, Panama Rocks and more.

Authentic leadership was the topic of the keynote address, with Ash Watson, founder of #REALTALKBRIDGES, talking about how honesty, empathy and love help to create a culture of change and growth in an organization. Watson quoted Suzy Kaseem to say, “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.”

The conference ended with a Cap Note address on Servant Leadership by Dr. Jim Lemoine, an associate professor of organization and human resources at the University at Buffalo. Lemoine stated “No one works hard because they are forced to” he gave three examples from history about amazing leaders and how they inspired, and were inspired by, those that were under them.

This yearly convention may not return to Chautauqua County for years, but educators were impressed with the facilities at Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, the tourist opportunities in the county, and the opportunity to relax and learn with other educators from across the region.

The motto of 4-H is “Make the Best Better”, and this conference is one way the state works to do that by bringing educators together, sharing knowledge and learning new ways to make programs more successful. The 4-H Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. 

Last updated October 3, 2025