For Immediate Release

DATE: 10/26/09

Contact:

Christina Reed

614-255-2527

State Executive Director for the Ohio Farm Service Agency (FSA), Steve Maurer, would like to announce the addition of Sara Kucenski to the Ohio FSA State office staff as a Program Technician in the Conservation Section for Ohio. Sara will begin her new duties on October 26, 2009.

Sara earned a Bachelor's degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences in 2004 and a Master's degree in Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences in 2006, both from West Virginia University (WVU). While attending graduate school, Sara served as a Graduate Research Assistant for WVU's Agriculture and Natural Resources Department from May 2005 to August 2005. She was responsible for organizing aquaculture data, researching and interpreting previous experiments and documents. At the same time, Sara also worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Animal Sciences Department and in the Plant and Soil Sciences Department. While working in the Animal Sciences Department, Sara fed, weighed and vaccinated steers at the WVU research facilities and performed nutrition and physiology analysis on feed and grass samples. While working in the Plant and Soil Sciences Department, she gathered and analyzed forage samples to ensure maximum organic crops were produced.

From August 2005 through December 2005, she worked as a Biology Teaching Assistant for WVU's Biology Department. Sara setup biology experiments, reviewed laboratory assignments and proctored exams. In January 2007 to May 2007, Sara worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. She studied proteins, amino acid sequencing and molecular data sequencing.

In 2009, Sara began to work for Progressive Medical Inc. in Westerville, Ohio as a Client Service Specialist. She applied program policies to ensure insurance claims were managed appropriately and customer service satisfaction was provided.

Sara moved to Ohio in September of 2007 and enjoys working with her community. She is a Sunday school teacher and is an active member of the Korean Church of Columbus. Sara currently resides in Upper Arlington and hopes to make Columbus her home.