Washington County 4-H/Youth Coordinator Amy Green presents 4-H Hall of Fame honor to Nancy Schmidt. Photo by Sam McIntosh.

A former Washington County Extension Director received the honor of being this year’s inductee in the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame.

Nancy Schmidt received the award at the Washington County Fair Friday. Her involvement with 4-H began as a member of the Cinderellas 4-H Club in Washington County. She then had a 24-year career at Washington County Extension where she served as the 4-H Youth Coordinator, Extension Director, and as an Extension Youth Development Specialist serving five counties including Washington.

Schmidt describes how 4-H has impacted her, “I think when I was growing up it was a big part of my life as far as the activities that we did were 4-H involved and that’s where I developed my interests for my career and so it’s just carried me all the way through.”

Schmidt initiated Clover Kids for the county, which has grown to eight clubs and 156 members. She also re-introduced the babysitting course which still trains nearly 40 new babysitters each year. Schmidt will also be recognized as a 4-H Hall of Fame inductee at the Iowa State Fair.