Heather A. Triezenberg

County: Lapeer
Class Years: 2016
Title:
“My time in 4-H really helped develop my leadership and civic engagement skills, as well as understanding the range of career possibilities that I could attain and wanted to pursue. My exposure to MSU as a young person helped me value higher education and understand the potential impact of it on my life and society.”

Since 2014, Triezenberg has been the program coordinator and leader for the Michigan Sea Grant Program. In this position, she started a student engagement program to connect graduate students interested in outreach and engagement careers with training certification and extension programs. In 2015, she co-organized a symposium on communication and engagement for the American Fisheries Society to highlight communication and extension activities occurring around the country. Triezenberg received her bachelors and master’s degrees in fisheries and wildlife management from Michigan State University. After graduating, she was education director for the Clinton River Watershed Council and volunteered for both 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp and 4-H Exploration Days. She then obtained her Ph.D. from Cornell, after which she worked for the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program as a social scientist and federal program officer.

Triezenberg helped create and launch the MSU Michigan Conservation Stewards Program and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals related to wildlife management, citizen science, conservation education, water quality and education innovation. She currently volunteers for Community Work Days at the Educational Childcare Center. She has served her church as a Sunday School Teacher, VBS assistant and most recently as a member of the Adult Education Committee. Triezenberg has been an instructor for the Cranbrook Peach Foundation: Youth Leadership Project and instructed eight years for Michigan Hunter’s Education. She has achieved numerous awards including the Marine Environmental Education Foundation Outstanding Marine Educator in 2005, the 2004 Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education Volunteer Service Award, and the Great Lakes Climate Communication Education Fellowship award in 2012.

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Because of 4-H I can be who I want to be. I am grateful for having the opportunities to do what I love.

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he Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes 4-H volunteers who exhibit excellence in 4-H youth education and leadership in agriculture-related areas. 2024 4-H Salute to Excellence Award winners pictured include Robert Richards (left) and Jennifer Specht (right). Click on the button below to view all of the 2024 4-H Legacy Award winners!