AFCPE Honors Industry Pioneers

Written By: Jill Anne Ladouceur

Outstanding Consumer Information Award

Dr. Rita Green is the Family Financial Management State Specialist for Mississippi State University Extension Service where she provides leadership in personal financial education under the broad categories of basic money management, credit control, fraud and identity theft, estate planning, housing, youth
financial literacy and homebuyer education. She holds a Doctor of Education degree and MBA from the University of Memphis as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin. She is a Certified Personal and Family Financial Educator as well as a NeighborWorks Certified Housing Counselor. In 2014, Dr. Green was reappointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board to represent consumer interests.
Mary Ellen Edmondson Educator of the Year Alena C. Johnson is a lecturer at Utah State University where she teaches hundreds of students each semester how to better manage their money. She has taught over 19,000 students through USU alone. She also teaches webinars and review sessions for AFCPE^®, helping many individuals pass their certification exams. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC^®) and an active member in AFCPE. Alena is also the creator of the Step-Down Principle and author of the Financial Checkup, Financial Remedies and other publications.

Outstanding Educational Program

Michael Gutter, Ph.D. University of Florida, Molly Herndon, MS University of Florida and Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D. Rutgers University, are three of the roughly 300 members of the Financial Security for All Community of Practice. This is a virtual community led by Extension professionals from across the country. Promoting financial security and the ability to meet day-to-day expenses while saving and investing for tomorrow  is a main goal of the program. The Military Families Learning Network Personal Finance (MFLNPF) seeks to build the financial management capability and educational background of Personal Financial Management Program Managers. By offering quality educational programming online, MFLNPF accommodates the needs of Personal Financial Management Program Managers who may be located on military installations anywhere in the world.

Financial Counselor of the Year

Madeleine Greene is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC^®) and Certified in Family and Consumer Science. She holds a Master of Science in Consumer Studies. In 2007 she retired as a tenured member of the faculty of the University of Maryland-College Park. She is a national award-winning educator of the year, speaker, author, television and radio show host.

Outstanding Research Journal Article of the Year

“Credit Card Behavior as a Function of Impulsivity and Mother’s Socialization Factors”:

• Justin Henegark, Kansas State University
• Kristy Archuleta, Kansas State University
• John Grable, University of Georgia
• Sonya Britt, Kansas State University
• NaRita Anderson, University of Central Oklahoma
• Anita Dale, Kansas State University

Outstanding Conference Paper Award

“Retirement Saving and the Use of Financial Software”:

• Qianwen (Rachel) Bi, Texas Tech University
• Sandra Huston, Texas Tech University