Alger County 4-H member Kennedy DeFrancesco, of Munising, was elected to the Michigan 4-H Foundation board of trustees at its January board meeting.

Kennedy DeFrancesco

Michigan 4-H Foundation trustees are volunteers who serve as community advocates for 4-H and lead and manage the operation of the Michigan 4-H Foundation. DeFrancesco was elected to one of the three positions on the board reserved for trustees between the ages of 16 and 22. These trustees, all 4-H members, provide a youth voice to the board and help it to keep to the 4-H mission.

DeFrancesco has been a member of Alger County’s Munising 4-H Club since 2010. She initially became involved in the 4 H projects of crafts, sewing, scrapbooking and then community service. Through her experiences with 4-H she has grown comfortable in using her voice and providing insights and thoughts about many issues that are critical to 4-H and her own life.

She also worked to develop her leadership skills, through events such as 4-H Capitol Experience, the Michigan 4 H State Youth Leadership Council, the Michigan 4-H Youth Leadership and Global Citizen Spectacular, 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus and National 4-H Congress. She received the 4-H Teen of the Year Award and served as the U.P. 4-H travel coordinator as she and her peers from northern Michigan traveled to Atlanta, Georgia. Her 4-H experience has led her to study political science at Ferris State University where she is a member of the Speech and Debate Team and Model UN. She has a strong interest and focus on women’s advocacy.