LaFAYETTE — Rachel Snoddy may be the new Chambers County Extension Office Coordinator, but she’s already a familiar face to the county.

Snoddy has been with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for the past nine years and has spent the past five years in Chambers County as the local 4-H Agent in the extension office.

Former director Ken McMillian retired in May, leaving the door open for Snoddy to take the reins.

“I am looking forward to the new challenges and the new partnerships I’ll be making in this different role,” she said Wednesday.

The 4-H program will still be a big part of her connection to the extension program since it’s part of her background. Since she’s now the coordinator, she feels she’ll be able to help the program grow.

“4-H is our biggest extension program in Chambers County and people want it and want more,” Snoddy said. “I want to be able to give that to them.”

As the 4-H agent, she spent most of her time in the schools, but she knows the importance of getting out in the community and meeting as many people as she can.

“When you make a good impression on people, they want to help you more,” Snoddy said. “So, I want to get out in the community and be part of different committees and groups, and get people familiar with me. “

She hopes the community will be reciprocal to her willingness to be engaged in the community by joining committees through the extension office when it’s time to implement new programs or initiatives throughout the county.

Through advisory committee meetings, Snoddy has learned the needs in Chambers County are for workforce development and career preparedness.

“Even money management skills, from teenagers to adults to seniors, everybody needs that financial literacy and education, so that they can manage their finances,” she said.

Part of those skills are also being better prepared for the workforce. She said the extension office is interested in hosting seminars to help residents get employed, get a better job or earn a promotion.

“Whether it is soft skills, hard skills or life skills, we want to help them become a desirable employee,” Snoddy said.

She said part of those skills are also helping a potential employee look good on paper through a resume, teaching about proper clothing for interviews and what is expected of them as an employee of a company.

For the younger generation, Snoddy said the extension office hosts programs to help students look into careers and teach them what it takes to achieve those careers.

The program goes further by informing students what actual job duties are and what the expected pay is for those careers.

Because Snoddy has been with the Chambers County office for five years, she feels she has hit the ground running.

“I feel like I will be able to get things done faster. I feel like I am jumping right in because of that experience,” she said. “If I didn’t have that experience, I feel it might take me a while to learn the ropes and understand the programs before I could inform the public about what we can offer.”