WAT! People

 

Carol A. Rice, Ph.D., R.N.
Walk Across Texas! Project Director
Extension Program Leader for Family Development and Resource Management
Professor and Extension Health Specialist

Carol Rice is a Professor and Extension Health Specialist. Her specialty is community health and wellness education. Working with a team of Extension educators, she developed a physical activity program, Walk Across Texas. This eight-week program, now implemented yearly in over 100 Texas counties with leadership from county Extension educators, helps Texans significantly increase their level of physical activity. She has also worked with Mary Bielamowicz, Ph.D., a registered dietitian, to develop a diabetes education program, Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes. This 9-topic, 5-session program is now being implemented in over 70Texas counties. County Extension educators team with local health care providers to deliver the 5 sessions aimed at helping people with type 2 diabetes learn the necessary skills to manage their disease. Both programs include an extensive training program for Extension educators and on-line data collection to assess outcomes.

 

Dr. Rice’s past experience includes a variety of clinical positions with a community focus and 21 years teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing at several schools within the University of Texas System.

 

Since coming to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in 1995, she has worked to support and extend health education conducted by county Extension agents. She serves as project director for Early Detection and Cancer Awareness for Rural Texans and Reducing Tobacco Use by Youth in Rural Communities.

 

Dr. Rice received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of California at San Francisco and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. All of her degrees are in nursing.

 

Alice Kirk, MPH
Walk Across Texas! Project Manager
Extension Program Specialist, Child Health and Wellness

Alice Kirk joined the Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Family Development and Resource Management (FDRM) unit in September 2005. Alice, a former 4-H’er, began her professional career with Texas Extension in 1998 as a Better Living for Texans (BLT) Assistant in Brazos County where she did outstanding work with the Puente de Salud/Bridge to Health program. Prior to joining FDRM, Alice served five years in the Food and Nutrition unit as the state program coordinator for the BLT, Food Stamp Nutrition Education program.

 

Alice’s educational background includes a B.S. degree in Health from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree, with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Health, from the School of Rural Public Health, The Texas A&M University System.

 

As the new Child Health and Wellness Specialist, Alice focuses much of her effort in the areas of childhood overweight and increasing physical activity among children and their families. She is also one of the primary contacts and supporters of the Walk Across Texas program. Alice has a strong community education background and is collaborating with other specialists, agents, schools, and state agencies to support the Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s strategic plan to address childhood overweight and increase physical activity among youth.

 

Alice is a member of the Society for Nutrition Education (SNE); American Public Health Association (APHA); and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).