DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Debbie Bagwell
A lot has changed in the MSU Extension Service since Debbie Bagwell worked in Word Processing years ago. Back then, she typeset publications manually.
“When you work on campus, say in agronomy or entomology, that’s all you do,” Bagwell said. “I’d heard there was more variety in the county office, but you don’t truly experience it until you work here.”
After various jobs with MSU and the local school district, Bagwell now spends her days as an office associate in Webster County, looking for answers to all kinds of questions -- and that is one thing about the Extension Service that has not changed.
“It’s our job to help people, and we get everything from ‘What’s this on my crape myrtle?’ to questions about growing pumpkins and canning tomatoes,” she said. “It’s a joy coming to work each day to work with the great staff in Webster County and seeing what questions will be asked.”
Bagwell has noticed an increase in client traffic since the county courthouse burned down and county personnel began working out of the Extension Office.
“We’ve had people come in looking for courthouse employees but ended up getting help from Extension too,” Bagwell said. “They never realized what we do, but once we help them they come back.”
Bagwell and her husband of 35 years have a camping trailer and want to travel across the United States. They have one son and two daughters. She is learning to quilt and enjoys spending time with her two grandsons, 2-year-old Barrett and 6-week-old Blaine.
Editor's note: The Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Spotlight Employee profiles are provided by the Office of Agricultural Communications at Mississippi State. For more information, please click here.
