President’s Message

July 2022

IFHE-US Newsletter

Happy Summer!

In eight weeks, we will be at the IFHE World Congress in Atlanta! It is really going to happen. Thank you, Bev Card and Janine Duncan, IFHE/IFHE-US Congress Co-Chairs. They have done a tremendous job in meeting all the challenges this Congress has presented during a pandemic. We cannot appreciate them enough for all their time and effort to make this event possible. We are looking forward to a wonderful educational experience and the time to network with international colleagues. We hope to see many of you there. More information about the Congress is in this newsletter. Final registration (both in person and virtual) and hotel reservation deadlines are August 10. Bev and Janine are looking for volunteers to help at the Congress, September 6 – 10. Be looking for their communication about signing up to help.

If you were not able to participate in this year’s IFHE-US Sharon McManus Cultural Event, you missed a great evening. Mary Kaye Merwin, Director of the IFHE Development Fund, organized an excellent program on the Disaster Assistance Partnership (DAP) Guyana Project with contributions by Audrey

Jones-Drayton, Member Representative of the Region of Americas, and Juanita Mendenhall, IFHE DAP Chair. Audrey prepared a PowerPoint presentation about the Aishalton Secondary School in Aishalton, Guyana which is the current focus of the DAP efforts. She also shared videos of the region and the country so that we had a good overview of the conditions in which the school is preparing students for

good life skills and careers. Juanita shared the purpose and work of DAP. Thank you to Mary Kaye, Audrey and Juanita for their time and effort to make the successful evening happen.

IFHE-US held its Annual Business Meeting on June 25 at the AAFCS Annual Conference. At the meeting, we approved the 2023 Budget and the list of official voting delegates to the 2022 IFHE Council Meeting. If you would like more information about the meeting, the meeting minutes will be available soon after the reviewers approve them.

After the Congress, the new IFHE-US Board will begin its work. Many thanks to Roxie Godfrey, President and Past President, for all her contributions during her term of office. We thank Rachel Schichtl for serving as our Director of Communications. She has done a great job with our newsletters and social media efforts. She will be transitioning to her new role as President-Elect. We welcome Lori Myers as the new Director of Communications. We look forward to working both in these positions. The rest of the officers will remain in their roles for the 2022-2024 term. I know they will continue their excellent work in serving our organization. 

We have a few exciting months ahead. We hope you will join us in person in Atlanta or virtually as we celebrate the important work of family and consumer sciences/home economics around the world in September!

Sue Buck

President, IFHE-US

Professional Development Programs

Thanks to everyone who took time the time to attend the Professional Development sessions in 2021-2022. Look forward to more opportunities in the Fall and the Spring. The presentations will be made via Zoom with information sent to all who register. Feel free to share the program information with anyone who might be interested in attending.

Civic Engagement Program

Carol Anderson did an excellent job helping the participants think about civic engagement in a practical way.

Emergencies Program

The three speakers, Audrey Jones-Drayton, Rachel Schichtl and Judy Warren, provided insight on how to prepare for a variety of situations. Although the situations were very different, the presentations brought home the idea that preparation is the key.

Next year’s Programs

October/November program. Details will follow.

World Home Economics Day, will be celebrated by IFHE-US on March 18, 2023. The topic will be waste literacy. Consider sharing a picture of a recycled item for a slide show of ideas.

Register now for the International

Federation for Home Economics

(IFHE) World Congress 2022

in Atlanta, Georgia,

September 6-10, 2022.

This Congress only occurs every four years, and has not been in the United States since 1988. The final registration date for both in-person and virtual participation is August 10.

The Congress theme is Soaring Toward Sustainable Development. Consider all the ways you foster a global perspective as you prepare children, youth, families and communities for sustainable futures. Gather on an international stage to share expertise, explore ideas and network with colleagues from around the globe.



The in-person experience will include opening and closing cultural evenings, plenary sessions, workshops and symposiums, the EXPO (posters, textiles & design and exhibitors), Learning Day on the Move (educational tours), and nine concurrent sessions. There will be a Congress APP which will include the Congress schedule, 48 of the concurrent sessions and prerecorded presentations from authors unable to attend.

For working educators, there is a Virtual Educator’s Pre Congress – Globalizing the FCS Classroom and Integrating Sustainability Perspectives – Saturday, August 27, featuring Donna Pendergast, Griffith University, Australia. This workshop is designed to inspire educators to incorporate globalization and sustainability in their courses and develop strategies to use as a platform for strengthening their programs and the profession.

If you cannot attend in-person, you can participate in most activities through the Congress APP. All registered attendees will have access to the APP until December 10, 2022. To learn more about the World Congress 2022, IFHE WORLD CONGRESS REGISTRATION HERE or contact the Congress Co-Chairs Bev Card (bmwcard@gmail.com) or Janine Duncan (duncanjm@ksu.edu). Discounted registration is available for members and students; find IFHE-US Membership information at www.ifheus.org