STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — A lifetime 4-H member and self-described “Extension enthusiast,” Debra Hansen has spent decades helping rural communities solve problems as director of Washington State University Stevens County Extension.
“I spent my Extension career listening to issues affecting Stevens County and figuring out ways to solve them,” said Hansen, who will retire in early July. “In Extension, we pay attention to the people we live with, shop with, and work with, and we try to make our communities better.”
Over more than two decades, she has helped secure millions of dollars in rural development funding, led statewide broadband expansion conversations, pioneered Ripple Effects Mapping (REM), and become a respected advocate for rural community and economic development.
Of her many achievements, Hansen said she’s most proud of creating REM, a storytelling-based evaluation tool that helps communities measure the long-term impact of their work.
REM starts with participants telling their story, Hansen said. Then facilitators visually map connections between actions and impacts. Like dropping a stone in water, the “ripple” concept shows how one community activity creates effects that lead to additional impacts across communities or systems over time.
“We have colleagues conducting REM across the world, helping people find value and meaning in the hard work they do,” Hansen said. “A colleague from Cornell University shared that REM has been effective at measuring deeper impacts and determining organizational purpose over time. That matters a lot in community work.”
Since rolling out in 2010, the tool has reshaped evaluation, research, and meeting facilitation to capture impact, engage stakeholders, and reflect on complex work.
The mapping process helps groups connect activities to broader outcomes, identify patterns and trends, and see relationships between impacts.
“I love leading REM sessions,” Hansen added. “The participatory approach helps people tell their stories and gives me chills when we all start to see the connections.”
Hansen also spearheaded many broadband expansion efforts in the late ’90s, in a time before widespread internet availability. She noticed that rural internet connectivity was being overstated. She brought together the county government, public agencies, tribes, telecommunications partners, and community organizations with a shared goal around expanding rural broadband access.
Though her broadband efforts began in 1999 after a summit meeting with Senator Patty Murray, the work accelerated in 2015 when a fire attack crew battling the Carpenter Road Fire lacked the necessary internet access to coordinate an emergency response.
“After that, we hosted Washington’s governor, two U.S. senators, three state legislators, and the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, all who were intent on solving this issue,” said Hansen.
The collaboration helped lay the groundwork for more than $12 million in broadband fiber investment in central Stevens County. The Spokane Tribe of Indians received more than $32 million, making them one of the most connected tribal nations in the state.
WSU Extension also received an $8 million contract to support additional broadband planning efforts across Washington, thanks in large part to Hansen’s initiative. The work strengthened partnerships with the Tri County Economic Development District, which now has $25 million worth of broadband infrastructure projects underway.
Hansen exemplifies the impact of Extension at the local and regional level, said Raj Khosla, Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.
“As a former Extension faculty myself, I know the grit and determination involved in getting solutions into the hands of community members,” Khosla said. “Hansen shows what’s possible when we fully commit to the land-grant mission of building thriving, healthy communities.”
Margaret Viebrock, fellow longtime Extension specialist and director of Chelan and Douglas Counties, said Hansen is well known in Stevens County.
“Debra brings a unique community development perspective,” Viebrock said. “She has the research background and the practical application knowledge of how to help communities do something better for themselves. She’s made a difference in community connections and people working together.”
Rather than prescribing solutions, Viebrock said that Hansen has focused on helping communities identify their own goals and pathways forward.
“She’s not someone who says, ‘Do it my way,’” Viebrock said. “She would say, ‘Here are some options, and I can help you with any one of them.’ I think that’s what people like about her.”
As colleagues, the two Extension directors often brainstormed solutions to county-specific issues.
“Her ideas were different from everyone else’s, and they worked,” Viebrock said. “Her approach is refreshing.”
For Hansen, the most meaningful moments of her Extension career have often come through small personal interactions rather than working on large grants or statewide initiatives.
“In a succession planning class for farmers, one participant left with tears in his eyes, saying that it was what he needed to hear at exactly the right time,” she said. “You don’t always count those stories, but you know you’re making a difference.”
Contact
Debra Hansen, WSU Stevens County Extension Director, email: debra.hansen@wsu.edu, phone: 509-684-2588