Sutter hired as new distance education specialist

Friday, October 5, 2018

McKinzie Sutter joined the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture Aug. 13 as a distance education specialist. She works to create and improve educational materials for students pursuing a degree or professional development online.

Sutter’s position combines online teaching with instructional design support for faculty and staff in the department and is part of the distance education team led by coordinator Leah Sandall.

Originally from Omaha, Sutter began her teaching career in agronomy and horticulture as a teaching assistant while yet an undergraduate in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She continued in the department as a distance education intern after she received a Bachelor of Science degree in fisheries and wildlife, specializing in ecology.

She then decided to pursue a Master of Science degree in natural resources and a minor in college STEM education, hoping for an opportunity to return someday in an educational capacity.

After earning a master’s degree in May 2017, she took a field and lab technician position in agroecosystem management research with the USDA-ARS. She spent the summer of 2018 working as an instructor for Agronomy 215 Genetics which helped solidify her aspirations to work in plant science education.

“I’m excited to be back in the department, and I look forward to working with many content experts and teaching-minded people,” Sutter said. “I enjoy learning about improved instructional practices and applying them to online environments.”

Sutter lives in Lincoln and enjoys hiking with her husband, Trevor, and their dog, Oakley. She planted her first urban garden last spring, and she looks forward to enlarging it.

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McKinzie Sutter
McKinzie Sutter