July 2024 Issue

President’s Message 

Happy Summer!

We have just returned from a very successful 2024 IFHE Congress in Galway, Ireland. About 150 IFHE-US members were in attendance to see Juanita Mendenhall receive the IFHE Distinguished Service Award and to congratulate Gwendolyn Hustvedt, IFHE-US member, on her completion of six years as

President of IFHE. There were 560 participants representing 35 countries. The keynote speakers, the presentations and the hospitality were outstanding. It is always a great experience to learn from international colleagues. We all have the foundation of Home Economics/Family and Consumer Sciences, but how we practice the profession in various countries and settings helps us to creatively grow in our own practice settings. Thank you to Irene Leech who served as the IFHE-US photographer for the Congress. She was able to capture the highlights of this wonderful event. We look forward to the next IFHE World Congress in 2028 in Wellington, New Zealand.

We also had a great Pre-Congress tour of Ireland with 35 colleagues. We started in Dublin with a food tour of the city, visited sheep farms, Blarney Castle, woolen mills, and lacemakers. We enjoyed the beauty of the country traveling the Ring of Kerry and the Aran Islands ending in Galway. We enjoyed our time with friends and made new friends during the tour. Many thanks to Joyce Cavanagh, Tour Co-Host, for her work in making this tour a success.

Prior to traveling to Ireland, we held the IFHE-US Sharon McManus Cultural Event in Minneapolis the evening of June 6. The focus of the program was on Native American culture. Approximately 60 people participated in a great meal of local foods and an excellent program coordinated by Kim Kamin, Director

of Professional Development and Programs. The main speaker was Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head who shared her experience marrying into a Native American family.

We also held the IFHE-US Annual Business meeting on June 6. It was a hybrid meeting with about 40 members participating on site or by Zoom. The 2025 Budget was approved, and annual program reports were shared.

There are still IFHE-US History Books available. If you would like one, the cost would be $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers which includes shipping. Please let me know if you would like a copy and I will send you information about securing a book. My email address is sue.buck@wisc.edu.

This will be my last article for the IFHE-US Newsletter. My four-year term of office ended at the end of the 2024 IFHE World Congress. Thank you to all the members of the Board of Directors I have worked with in the last eight years – four years as Recorder and four years as President. They have all been

dedicated volunteers who have worked hard to improve the services to the members of IFHE-US. I also thank all of you, the members of IFHE-US, for your support as well. We have been able to grow as an organization and expand opportunities to support our international connections with colleagues from around the world, particularly hosting the 2022 IFHE World Congress and including international speakers in our Zoom professional development opportunities.

I congratulate our retiring officers – Sandra Poirier, Recorder, and Anita Ferron, UN Liaison – and thank them for their efforts. With the passing of Mary Kaye Merwin, many thanks to Kim Kamin for stepping into the Director of the IFHE Development Fund role this past year. We welcome our new officers –

Karen Bergh, Recorder, Mia Russell, Director of the IFHE Development Fund, and Susan Shockey, UN Liaison. The officers continuing in their roles are Luann Boyer, Director of Finance, Kim Kamin, Director of Professional Development and Program, Lori Myers, Director of Communication, and Kathryn Carroll, Director of Young Professionals Network US. Cheryl Empey has served as our Nominating Committee Chair, an appointed position.

Rachel Schichtl is now IFHE-US President. I know she will do an excellent job in the position. I look forward to supporting her and the rest of the Board in my role as Past President.

All best wishes for continued success in your personal and professional roles!

Sue Buck

Past President, IFHE-US

SHARON MCMANUS CULTURAL EVENT – 2024

Theme: Native American Culture

Thanks to Dr. Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head and everyone who attended the Sharon McManus Cultural Event in Minneapolis. A good time was spent during the program to learn more about Native American culture.

Fall Webinar - Save the Date!

Saturday, October 19 at noon Central Time

The program will be "Voices from Kenya" presented by Dr. Jane Opiri, Assistant Professor Merchandising Textiles and Design, Department of Human Sciences, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Dr. Opiri will share her

research on student’s experiences in the US and her personal experiences moving to the United States.

Spring Webinar - Save the Date!

Saturday, March 22, 2025 at noon Central Time

The program will focus on World Home Economics Day with the theme of "Tackling Overconsumption."

SAVE THE DATE!!

The Caribbean Association of Home Economists Inc. (CAHE) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. The organisation remains vibrant at the core and will host its 25th conference April 13-16, 2025 in Trinidad and Tobago under the theme ”Home Economics, AI, Values and Attitudes: Interrogating the Nexus."

The conference usually attracts home economists, associates and family members from the region and around the world. This is a prime opportunity for professional development and to maintain visibility and communicate with our members. We expect that conference 2025 will deliver in all the areas of traditional excellence for which the Association is known; rich culture, vibrant networking opportunities, hospitality and a professional platform that offers rich and relevant experiences. 

Call for Abstracts CAHE Conference 2025

1st Announcement CAHE Conference

On behalf of the entire research team, I write to express our heartfelt appreciation to you and other members of the development Fund for funding our study (Capacity Gap and Intervention Impact Assessments on the Design and Administration of Electronic Questionnaire for Use in Data Collection among Home Economics Researchers in Nigeria). Your belief in our study and your willingness to contribute to its success has served as a source of motivation and encouragement to our team. Thank you again as we look forward to receiving the funds for the commencement of the project. We promise to utilize the fund appropriately and strive for excellence in our research endeavors. We are incredibly grateful for your support and look forward to sharing our progress and findings with you in the near future.



Warm regards

Dr. Isoken Ihensekhien (Team Leader)

Dr. Ozioma Cecila Azubike

Dr . Charles Chiaka Nkwoala

Adaku Chimezie Okonkwo

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