Jim Meek, MEd
Professional
Affiliations
Jim Meek and his wife Pat make their home in Ames Iowa where
continues contract work with Iowa State University after retiring from a
thirty year career with ISU Extension. In addition to the contract work
related to substance abuse prevention research with rural youth and
their families, Jim holds the position of training and research
coordinator for AgriWellness, Inc. in Harlan, Iowa. AgriWellness, among
other projects, manages the Sowing the Seeds of Hope program that
provides behavioral health supports for the agricultural population
through state partners in seven upper Midwestern states including Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Jim and Pat have one son, Craig who lives in Western Colorado. Jim and
Pat enjoy trips to see Craig and other travel that provides a reprieve
from the Iowa winter whenever possible.
NARMH Positions
Jim has been a NARMH member most years since presenting at the
Lincoln, NE conference. Was that 1993? In addition to involvement in
numerous (about ten) presentations at subsequent annual conferences, Jim
has served as a member of the Planning committee for the Des Moines, IA
conference and more recently, has been involved in discussions in a
NARMH discussion about resurrecting the family farm coalition that was
extremely effective in generating legislative action to assist recovery
efforts for farm families subsequent to the crisis in the mid 1980s.
Rural Mental Health Involvement and Contributions
Jim has a fifteen year history of involvement through Iowa State
University extension in contract, grant and program management of work
related to highly stressed farm and rural families. Some readers may
identify with these efforts including: The Iowa Rural Family Empowerment
Program (1440), The FEMA/CMHS crisis counseling program offered
subsequent to floods in 1993 and again in 2004, The Iowa Rural Families
Program offered through mental health block grant funds, 1995-1997, and
the Iowa Rural