Jakyn Tyson asks young people to find their “thing,” work at it, fail sometimes, and keep getting better. For 18 years, she has built her Extension career around that same idea. Now, the peers who understand that work best are recognizing the body of work behind it.
Tyson, Emanuel County’s 4-H & Youth Development Agent with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, is the 2026 state recipient of the William H. Booth Award, a peer-driven honor recognizing outstanding Georgia Extension professionals working in 4-H. She received the award during the 83rd Annual Georgia 4-H State Congress in Atlanta in July.
The award begins before a candidate ever writes a full application. Fellow 4-H professionals first choose who will represent their district. In Tyson’s Southeast District, which spans 39 counties, that meant her own professional peers placed her in contention for the statewide honor.
“What made this recognition particularly meaningful to me was that it came from people who understand the work from the inside,” Tyson said. “They understand the camps, contests, volunteers, paperwork, travel, long days, unexpected problems, and the countless things that never make it onto an award application.”
She said that distinction is important because many professional awards require applicants to advocate for themselves and document why their own work deserves recognition. The Booth process, however, did not.
“I didn’t ask for this recognition. I didn’t nominate myself for it,” Tyson said. “Someone else looked at that body of work and decided it was worthy of being recognized. That is incredibly humbling to me.”
After the district finalists were announced April 17, each submitted a full William H. Booth Award packet by April 27 and completed a 30-minute in-person interview April 29 at the Georgia EMC Training Center in Smarr (a small, unincorporated part of Monroe County just south of Forsyth). Six people evaluated each finalist: five interview panelists and one Georgia 4-H Advisory Committee member who evaluated the application packet. The application and interview were each scored on a 100-point scale and combined for the final result.
As for the honor itself, the William H. Booth Award is presented by Georgia EMC and the Georgia Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals. It celebrates both peer recognition and career achievement and is named for William H. Booth, a rural electric pioneer and longtime Jackson EMC leader who encouraged Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives to support statewide 4-H and youth activities. The association’s state-recipient list dates to 1979, and a state winner may not receive the award again.
Tyson had reached the statewide stage once before. Her peers selected her as the Southeast District Booth nominee in 2023, but another finalist received the state award. Three years later, Tyson returned to the process and heard her own name called.
Ke’Marcis Howard, State 4-H Programs & Events Coordinator and chair of the Georgia Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (GAE4-HYDP) Membership Recognition Committee, coordinates the Booth Award process in partnership with Georgia EMC and served on Tyson’s interview panel.
Howard said Tyson’s philosophy of youth development and the professional growth reflected in it immediately stood out.
“I believe my role is not to define success for young people, but to help them define it for themselves and develop the confidence to pursue it,” Tyson wrote in her application.
Howard said that philosophy precisely gets to the heart of 4-H.
“In 4-H, it can be easy to define success through accomplishments, competition results, or traditional measures of achievement,” Howard said. “Jakyn’s philosophy reflects a deeper understanding that success can look different for every young person.”
Howard said the honor also looks forward. As the 2026 state recipient, Tyson will serve during the coming year as an advocate and representative for Georgia 4-H, a recognition for what she has already built and a responsibility to represent the profession statewide.
That perspective comes from a pattern of achievement. Tyson’s Booth packet documents a career packed with it: more than $350,000 in grants, gifts, and donations for 4-H programming; 28,941 volunteer hours leveraged to expand the program’s reach; more than $23,000 in camp scholarships; 76 professional presentations at the university, state and national levels; and dozens of state, regional, and national professional recognitions.
Her youth-development record is equally substantial. At the time she submitted the application in April, Tyson had helped 41 young people achieve Master 4-H’er status and 56 advance to State Congress. After State Congress this summer, the Master 4-H’er count grew to 42.
Of all the numbers attached to her career, Tyson said those 42 mean the most.
“Their projects may have been Target Sports, History, Scholarship, or any number of other things, but to me, that kid was my project,” Tyson said. “I know the work that went into getting them there. I know the goal they set, the work they put in, the times they probably wanted to quit, and the moment when it all came together.”
The connection is personal. Tyson competed at State Congress three times as a 4-H’er and came close to becoming a Master 4-H’er herself, but she never earned the title she once viewed as the defining goal of her own 4-H career.
“I didn’t master it myself,” she admitted, “but I get to watch young people master something they once thought might be out of reach and knowing that I had a small part in helping them get there means far more to me than having accomplished it for myself ever could.”
That evolution, from measuring success largely by winning to helping young people define success for themselves, runs throughout Tyson’s Booth application. She writes that 4-H should give young people room to try, fail, and try again; that some of the most important lessons come without a blue ribbon; and that a strong program gives every young person a way to belong, even when their 4-H experience looks different from someone else’s.
Tyson said the stories she carries after 18 years often matter more than the statistics. One of the first 4-H’ers she ever took to camp is now an Extension agent. Another responded when she challenged him to do more than he thought he could, and for years, she carried the story of a young person she believed she had failed because she could not change the outcome she wanted for him.
Then, she says, someone asked her a simple question: “How do you know you didn’t?”
That question changed how she measures the work.
“We don’t always get to see the full impact of a relationship, a conversation, a challenge, or simply being the adult who believed in a young person at a particular point in their life,” she said. “My job is to help them make their best better.”
Connie Page understands the award from both sides. Page spent her Extension career as a 4-H agent in Emanuel County before retiring in 2010, and she received the state William H. Booth Award in 1999. She likens the honor to being named State Teacher of the Year in public education.
Page also remembers the years after her retirement when a hiring freeze and later staff turnover made continuity difficult for Emanuel County 4-H. Tyson arrived in Emanuel County in 2016 and stayed.
“A strong county 4-H program is built with steady, capable, caring leadership and longevity,” Page said. She pointed to Tyson’s integration into the community, her ability to recruit and train volunteers, and her use of technology to keep families informed and programs visible.
Tyson’s programming has also reached well beyond competitions. Her financial-literacy program, “Your Future: Make It Make Cents,” has reached more than 500 participants over six years in Emanuel County and two years in neighboring Jenkins County. “Setting Your Sights on Medical School,” a partnership between Georgia 4-H and Mercer University School of Medicine, has reached 159 rural students since 2016; 97 percent more students reported considering medical school after participating. Additionally, in the immediate wake of Hurricane Helene, Tyson coordinated a disaster-relief effort that generated more than $200,000 in donations and served more than 1,000 people.
Her application shows the same emphasis on sustainability behind the scenes. Since her arrival 10 years ago, Tyson has served as executive director of the Emanuel County 4-H Club Foundation, overseeing an investment account of more than $400,000. She has helped build a volunteer network of 35 people and says her goal is not simply to fill volunteer slots but to build roles around people’s strengths so they develop ownership and stay engaged.
Lee Anna Deal, Southeast District 4-H Program Development Coordinator, has known Tyson for most of her professional career. Deal became especially familiar with her work when Tyson moved to Bacon County in 2012 and later helped hire her into Emanuel County in 2016.
“The statistics tell part of the story, but they don’t show the countless hours spent recruiting volunteers, mentoring youth, developing partnerships, securing grants, managing a foundation, and creating systems that sustain programs long after an event is over,” Deal said. “The result is not just a strong 4-H program today, but one that will continue serving young people for years to come.”
Deal said Tyson also distinguishes herself through service to the profession. Tyson completed a four-year leadership progression with GAE4-HYDP, serving as vice president, president-elect, president, and past president. She has helped develop statewide workforce-preparation curriculum, coordinated state contests, evaluated professional awards and proposals, and co-chaired planning for the national 4-H youth-development professionals conference held in Atlanta in 2025.
For several years, Tyson carried another layer of responsibility at home in Emanuel County. She has always served as a 4-H agent, but after former County Extension Coordinator Mark Crosby retired, Tyson also took on the coordinator role. That made her both a youth-development professional and the administrative lead for a cooperative office that operates through UGA Extension and county-government support.
Tyson said the combined role meant navigating two sets of policies and procedures, supervising staff, managing budgets and county-level responsibilities, and handling the administrative demands of a department head while continuing to run a demanding 4-H program.
Eventually, she decided something had to give.
“There is a point where being responsible for everything means you don’t have the time or mental space to do any one thing as well as you want to,” Tyson said. “I made the decision to prioritize 4-H, and I think that was one of the best professional decisions I could have made.”
She said stepping away from the coordinator responsibilities gave her more room to return to the part of Extension that first drew her in: thinking deeply about what young people need, developing experiences that challenge them, mentoring them through opportunities and working with volunteers to make those experiences more meaningful.
“There is a difference between managing a program and actually having the time and energy to develop young people through it,” Tyson said. “Being able to focus more directly on youth development has allowed me to get back to the part of the job I enjoy most.”
Savannah Tanner stepped into the coordinator role, working closely with Tyson, providing an up-close look at what she brings to the table.
“[Jakyn] works hard to provide opportunities for her 4-H’ers, support her volunteers, and has represented Emanuel County well at the state and national level,” Tanner said. “Her coaching record, the amount of funds she has secured for our program, and the way she has developed new opportunities for our youth shows the lasting impact of her work. While Jakyn may not seek attention for what she does, her commitment to 4-H and the young people she serves makes her a deserving recipient of the William H. Booth Award.”
Lauren Sapp is one of those 4-H’ers who benefitted from Tyson’s leadership. She looks back on their relationship with appreciation.
“Mrs. Jakyn has been my 4-H agent from the very beginning. She started in this role when I was first able to join. Since then, she has helped guide me through so many different experiences. From speeches and cooking to competitions and projects, she has always been there to encourage and support me,” Sapp said. “Cotton Boll is just one example; she helped me became a better and more knowledgeable consumer. But most importantly, she took a shy little girl and helped her step outside her comfort zone, discover her strengths, and find something she truly loves. I’m thankful for everything Mrs. Jakyn has taught me and the positive impact she’s had on my life.”
UGA Extension’s local work is a cooperative effort between the university and county government. Emanuel County supports the local Extension office while UGA supplies the professional network, research base, and statewide resources behind its programming. The relationship makes Extension a local public-service partner rather than a traditional county department.
For county leaders, the Booth Award recognizes Tyson’s professional achievement as well as the value of the local partnership that gives that work a home in Emanuel County.
“You don’t have to look very far in Emanuel County to find somebody Jakyn has helped through 4-H,” Commission Chairman Jim Sherrod said. “That kind of work doesn’t always make a lot of noise, but you see the results in young people who are more confident, more responsible, and more willing to step up and lead. As the chair of our commission who is always trying to think about the future of Emanuel County, that makes me very happy and excited. We’re proud to support the work UGA Extension is doing here, and we’re especially proud to see Jakyn’s own peers recognize what folks around here have been seeing for years.”
The work also follows Tyson home. Her husband, Chris Tyson, serves UGA Extension as Area Onion Agent and Coordinator of the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center. He said people outside Extension often underestimate how much of 4-H happens after the office closes.
“While the Emanuel County Extension Office is open from 8-5 Monday through Friday, most 4-H activities take place outside of those hours, and many on weekends,” Chris said. “With a job like that, you don’t get to just ‘clock out’ every day at 5.”
He said the mental load comes home, too: finishing preparations late at night, talking through plans with coworkers and volunteers, and making decisions so the next day runs smoothly.
Chris said the award meant seeing that work acknowledged.
“In a public service job like Extension, where you are serving your community, it can be easy to be overlooked sometimes, just because of the nature of the job,” he said. “I think this award is a testament to the fact that Georgia 4-H and her community really value the work that she does.”
The next chapter brings Tyson back to 4-H from yet another angle: parent.
She said the rule in the Tyson household is that every child has to have a “thing.” If they cannot find it, their parents will keep putting opportunities in front of them until something fits. Tyson hopes 4-H becomes one of those things for her own children because they choose it, not simply because their mother is the 4-H agent.
She could lead their experience herself. Instead, she wants the chance to sit in the audience, trust the volunteers and leaders around them, and be their mother whether they win or lose.
That idea brings Tyson’s career back to the motto that has followed her from 4-H member to teen leader, camp counselor, volunteer, intern, agent and now parent: To Make the Best Better.
“At this point in my career, I think ‘making the best better’ means expecting big things from young people while also making it okay to learn, fail, and try again,” Tyson said. “Ultimately, I want young people to find their ‘thing,’ challenge themselves, and become better because of the experience.”
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension brings the research and resources of UGA into communities across Georgia through practical, research-based education. Working through a cooperative partnership among the University of Georgia, county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Extension serves farmers, families, young people and communities through programs in agriculture and the environment, family well-being and 4-H youth development. For more than a century, Extension agents, specialists, staff and volunteers have helped Georgians learn, grow and address local needs by connecting university expertise with the communities it serves.
Jakyn Tyson serves as Emanuel County’s 4-H agent with UGA Cooperative Extension, where she has worked since 2016. A native of Rochelle, Georgia, Tyson grew up participating in 4-H and began her Extension career in 2008 in Terrell County before serving as a 4-H agent in Bacon County from 2012 to 2016. During her time in Emanuel County, she also served as County Extension Coordinator before choosing to focus more fully on 4-H youth development. Tyson earned an associate degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from Georgia Southern University, and a master’s degree in public administration from Georgia Southern. She and her husband, Chris, live in Swainsboro with their 2 children, Thomas and Blakely.
The Emanuel County Board of Commissioners governs Emanuel County, focusing on legislative and administrative responsibilities. Comprised of representatives from five districts, the board oversees policies and programs that impact local development, budgeting, and public services. Commissioners work collectively to ensure fiscal responsibility and address community needs, collaborating with other county departments and agencies. They are committed to supporting economic growth, public safety, and community well-being across Emanuel County.
For information about the commissioners and for the latest from the county government, visit 124 North Main Street in Swainsboro; call 478-237-3881; follow us on Facebook; or visit www.emanuelco-ga.gov.
