Danae Hicks shares goals as the new family and community health agent

Not many people get the chance to have a career doing what they love and what they’re passionate about, but Danae Hicks says that’s what she gets with her new position as the Family and Community Health Agent in Ellis County. The position is with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Hicks began her position with Ellis County on Aug. 29 and has been hard at work, meeting people and developing programs for the community.

Her main goal is to reach the community’s needs found through research and fill in the gaps wherever she can.

She is currently focusing on programs for senior citizens. Hicks said she is working with retirement communities and senior centers to give them free programing that helps with memory, balance, diabetes and managing hypertension.

She hopes to begin programs for general health and building relationships within families soon through partnerships with libraries and other businesses. Some possible programs include instant pot classes, air fryer classes, health talks and more.

Hicks encourages people and businesses to look for programs they like on the A&M Extension website and reach out to her about setting up the program with their community groups, friends or employees.

Hicks is no stranger to 4-H, a youth development program, and she says this passion and experience led to her position.

Growing up in Illinois, she participated in 4-H for 12 years.

“I grew up in 4-H and absolutely love the leadership and being able to build upon it,” she said. “I was the kid that anytime they needed a volunteer, anytime they needed someone to lead at a younger event, anything like that, they would come to me.”

Hicks attended multiple 4-H leadership camps and later attended the National 4-H Congress in Georgia.

Eventually, she became a superintendent at the county, serving as a project leader. After high school, she followed her sister to West Texas A&M University, where she went through its Bachelor of Science in agriculture program.

She met her husband Sawyer at college, and they got married in 2020. Later that year, they had their daughter Charlotte, who is now 2 years old.

While at college, she interned with AgriLife and continued volunteering for one of the agents. She was able to start a dog program in the Panhandle while she was there.

She earned her teaching degree and taught family and consumer sciences in Tyler, saying it was “challenging” and forced her to be “innovative” because she had to teach six culinary classes without a kitchen.

“Ellis County is one of the best counties in Texas,” Hicks said. “Everybody’s very welcoming and very open to ideas of program and very helpful. I’m from Illinois, where everybody’s kind of rude … it’s not the same as down here. My personality fits in way better down here than it did up there.”

In her free time, Hicks enjoys gardening, spending time with her family on her in-law’s 40-acre farm in Frankston, Texas, photography and playing with her dog Oliver.

Those interested in learning more about the programs can contact Hicks at danae.hicks@ag.tamu.edu or visit https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/programs-services/.

Originally published September 16, 2022 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/news/local/danae-hicks-shares-goals-as-the-new-family-and-community-health-agent/article_dd67e07a-3581-11ed-9988-ebc784b14687.html