Gail Carpenter Email & Phone Number

Positivity | Developer | Self-Assurance | Harmony | MaximizerIn her 2016 book "Grit," Angela Duckworth urges readers to identify their top-level purposeful goal for their lives and careers. Mine is "to leverage the land-grant university model to drive a more just and sustainable dairy industry." I am an extension specialist, researcher, and coach. I delight in creating professional opportunities at the intersection of local agricultural communities, research, and teaching. I serve the dairy producers of Iowa through my statewide role in dairy extension while researching ways to use dairy nutrition and management to develop strategies for an environmentally and socially sustainable dairy industry. Some of my current work focuses on beef-on-dairy, optimizing heifer development, and enhancing forage feeding and management strategies. Through all of this, I am always seeking to plug my undergraduate and graduate students into experiential learning opportunities within my research and extension program. My roles as the Dairy Challenge coach and faculty advisor for the Dairy Science Club at ISU provide me with unique ways to connect undergraduates to the industry. My involvement with the Dairy Challenge organization continues beyond my own students, too. I serve as a member of the national Dairy Challenge board and as a member of the Midwest regional planning committee.I am a mentor, colleague, and friend. Quantitative accomplishments are wonderful, but you should know that I equally value the qualitative ones. These include being a committed mentor to my students and a collaborative colleague to those with whom I work closely. Personally and professionally, I am proud to be an ally and advocate for traditionally underserved student, faculty, and other constituent populations. I enjoy learning and experiencing ways to better serve and connect with stakeholders who often have a different set of life circumstances from my own. I embrace the philosophy of "infinite diversity in infinite combinations" (and if you also appreciate a good Star Trek reference, we should be friends).On a personal note, podcasts, books, and exploring the great outdoors are a few of my favorite things. Fun fact: I have set a goal to finish reading 100 books in 2024 (a goal that I surpassed in 2023!), and a personal highlight of the last year was also the opportunity to serve as a host of The Dairy Podcast Show. Ask me for a podcast or book recommendation!