Stacie Matchan, program specialist with the Iowa Pork Industry Center, is the recipient of the 2022 Professional and Scientific Early Achievement in Extension and Outreach Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. She manages pork industry conferences for the IPIC. One of her first actions after joining the center in June 2020 was to transition Iowa Swine Day to a virtual event due to the pandemic. After working with sponsors, speakers and potential attendees, she took a conference that was traditionally a Midwest event and turned it into a conference with more than 700 registrants from 32 states and 21 countries. In 2021, she oversaw the planning and execution of Iowa Swine Day, the International Conference on Swine Nutrition, the International Conference on Pig Livability and the upcoming IPIC Sow Summit.
The Iowa Pork Industry Center is the hub of a five-year, $2 million research and extension grant funded by the National Pork Board and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture. Matchan is the project coordinator for the grant, where she facilitates meetings, fosters teamwork and accountability, and provides administrative and financial support. A colleague states, “Through Stacie’s efforts, the IPIC has dramatically improved reach and impact through initiative, development of close working relationships with industry stakeholders, and the creation of an environment that fosters teamwork and personal accountability.”