1. Barbara Murphy 113 Tuelltown Road, West Paris, ME 04289 207.890.1626
barbaramurphy113@outlook.com| linkedin.com/in/barbarasmurphy | gardeningforothers.wordpress.com
PROFILE I am a highly trained professional with substantial knowledge of food security issues in Maine. I
have a long track record of mobilizing communities to address social issues. I have extensive
leadership skills and am an accomplished speaker, teacher, volunteer manager and supervisor.
EXPERIENCE University of Maine Cooperative Extension South Paris, Maine
Associate Professor (1993 – 2015)
Leadership Skills
• Chair, Home Horticulture Program Team. Developed and delivered a wide array horticultural
programming for audiences across the state. Revised the Master Gardener curriculum to meet
federal reporting requirements. Successfully led my team through a federal review of the
program.
• Chair, Maine Harvest for Hunger Statewide Planning Team. Grew the program from 30
volunteers in 3 counties to hundreds of volunteers in 14 counties. Managed the donation of
over 1.8 million pounds of fresh produce (value over $3 million) to food pantries. Established
collaborations with corporations, farmers’ markets and commercial growers to expand the reach
and support of the program. Awarded grants in excess of $50,000 to support program.
http://umaine.edu/harvest-for-hunger/
• Chair and County Program Instructor for Master Gardener Volunteer Program. Developed,
adapted and taught 45-hour horticulture course to reflect ongoing changes in climate and public
attitude surrounding food and its production. Initiated a sliding-scale fee for the program to
attract a diversity of participants. Chair of the 2.5-day Northeast Master Gardener Conference
held in Portland, Maine. Organized over 40 workshops and tours for 400 attendees. Worked
with Cooperative Extension webmaster to update webpage and create videos detailing the
program and its impacts. http://umaine.edu/gardening/master-gardeners/
• Chair, Maine Hunger Dialogue 2014 - Led a nine-member committee that designed, funded and
hosted this first-in-Maine 1.5-day event created to inspire college students to implement a
project that actively addressed food insecurity. Seventeen teams attended and eight teams
received grants to implement their action plan. Managed $38,000 budget.
http://extension.umaine.edu/programs/hunger-dialogue/
• Chair, Maine Garden Day. For 20 years, the largest educational gardening event in Maine.
Featured 30+ workshops to 300+ participants. Responsible for recruiting speakers, registering
participants, organizing tradeshow and catered meals, program evaluation and budgeting.
• Eat Well Volunteers. Developed 7-week program that placed trained volunteers at Maine
Harvest for Hunger distribution sites. Volunteers provided cooking demonstrations, recipe
sampling and nutrition information. Grew the program from one site to three, serving over 250
families. Awarded $150,000 federal grant to expand the program.
• Extension Educator, Oxford County. Provided research-based information and assistance to
the state of Maine, but especially to commercial growers and backyard gardeners in Oxford
County. Technical expertise in fruit and vegetable production, low-input landscaping, backyard
gardening and pest management.

2. Volunteer Management Skills
• Annually recruited and guided 50+ Master Gardener and Eat Well Volunteers. Provided
university-based orientation, created job descriptions, actively engaged volunteers in
program strategies and developed an annual program evaluation. Encouraged social
activism through volunteer effort. High annual rate of return on volunteer hours with many
participants volunteering for 10+ years. My volunteer programs are known to be the best in
the state.
Teaching Skills
• Designed and conducted workshops, conferences and seminars on topics including: food
security, gardening for others, botany, soil science and garden planning. Highly skilled at
adapting content to audience. Known for inventive and engaging teaching style.
Grant Writing Skills
• Experienced writing federal and privately sourced grants in support of food security, nutrition
education and cut flower research. Over $300,000 awarded in total.
AWARDS
• Program Leadership Award, Maine Hunger Dialogue, University of Maine Cooperative
Extension
• Steve Gould Award, Plant A Row for the Hungry, University of Maine
• Northeast Cooperative Extension Director’s Award of Excellence Honorable Mention
“Maine Master Gardener Training Program”
• Distinguished Service Award, National Association of County Agricultural Agents
SCHOLARSHIP
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
• Murphy, B., K. Yerxa, K. Savoie. 2014. “ Maine Harvest for Hunger and Eat Well
Volunteers: Combining the Passions of Volunteers to Address Food Insecurity in Maine”.
http://smithlever.wvu.edu/
• Murphy, B., 2013. “From Garden to Recipient: A Direct Approach to Nutrition Education.”
Journal of Extension, October, 51 (5). http://www.joe.org/joe/2013october/iw4.php
• Peronto, M., Murphy, B., 2009. “How Master Gardeners View and Apply Their Training:
A Preliminary Study”. Journal of Extension 47 (3). http://www.joe.org/joe/2009june/rb2php
Professional Presentations
• How to Host a Hunger Dialogue: February 2015. Universities Fighting World Hunger,
Guelph, Ontario.
• Maine Harvest for Hunger and Eat Well Volunteers: Combining the Passions of Volunteers
to Address Food Insecurity in Maine. September 2014. Century Beyond the Campus:
Past, Present and Future of Extension, A Research Symposium Marking the 100
th
Anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act. Morgantown, West Virginia.
• “Serving It Up – The Challenges of Live Cooking Demonstrations” May 2014. The Joint
National Value Added Agricultural Conference – What Works Conference Series, Northeast
Regional Center for Rural Development, Baltimore, Maryland.
• Maine Harvest for Hunger – Local Solutions to a State Wide Problem” February 2013.
Universities Fighting World Hunger, Manhattan, Kansas.
• Poster. “Garden Harvests: An Educational Bonanza” National Association of County
Agricultural Agents National Conference, Charlotte, South Carolina. July 2012.
EDUCATION University of Maine Orono, Maine
Masters of Science – Plant, Soils and Environmental Sciences
University of Maine Orono, Maine
Bachelors of Science – Natural Resource Management
Sterling Institute Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Two-year, skills-based program focused on agriculture
INTERESTS Bird watching, hiking, disc golf, gardening, reading.