Prairie View A&M Extension officials visit Kleberg County Commissioners Court in October to formally introduce the Cooperative Extension Program’s community and economic development unit. Courtesy Photo
By Claudia Perez Rivas | Kingsville Independent News
When Emily-Rubene “Emily” De Leon stepped into her new role as Kleberg County’s Extension agent last year, she wasn’t discovering Kingsville for the first time. De Leon was already living in the community while pursuing her master’s degree at Texas A&M University–Kingsville,
Many residents, however, were unfamiliar with Prairie View A&M University’s Cooperative Extension Program, or that the university had recently assigned a community and economic development agent to Kleberg County.
That lack of awareness is part of what brought her here. Prairie View A&M’s Cooperative Extension Program is expanding into new regions to help small communities strengthen their economic and community development capacity through workshops, training and partnerships.
De Leon serves as the Kleberg County Extension Agent for Community & Economic Development. The role focuses on helping residents and small businesses access resources, training and technical assistance that have traditionally been harder to reach outside major metropolitan areas.
“We’re still fairly new here. I started in August, and the county economic development office is also new,” De Leon said. “A lot has been happening at once for Kleberg County.”
A statewide expansion
Prairie View A&M’s Cooperative Extension Program is part of the national land-grant university system created in the early 20th century to bring research-based knowledge into communities. While many Texans are familiar with the separate Texas A&M AgriLife Extension system, Prairie View A&M’s program has operated since 1914 and continues to grow.
In recent years, Prairie View A&M has increased its staffing and geographic reach.
“Because of increased funding, Prairie View has been able to add more agents and expand into new counties,” De Leon said. “We’ve added about eight agents in the last year.”
Counties are selected based on certain criteria. De Leon said considerations may include small business density, income levels, housing characteristics and gaps in economic education or training. Once a county meets the criteria, Prairie View A&M works with the county to justify the position and establish an office.
Kleberg County now joins roughly 70 counties with community and economic development agents working on the ground across the state.
Programs for small businesses and residents
Prairie View A&M’s Extension focuses on capacity-building, offering programs that help residents and small businesses gain tools to participate more fully in the local economy.
“Our unit focuses on small business, entrepreneurship, disaster preparedness and financial literacy,” De Leon said. “Those are our core areas for community and economic development.”
One of the program’s flagship offerings is the BID Academy, a multi-week course that helps small businesses prepare for government contracting opportunities.
“It’s been very successful in other counties,” De Leon said. “It walks businesses through the process of getting on contracting lists and understanding what criteria are required.”
Other programs include financial literacy and homeownership workshops delivered in partnership with organizations such as Freddie Mac and Furniture Bank, as well as youth entrepreneurship programs that use augmented reality technology to explore careers.
Because the Kleberg County office is new, not all programs are active locally yet. Some require prerequisites, pilot outcomes or additional staffing before being introduced in smaller markets.
Building connections takes time
De Leon said the early months have focused on meeting residents, attending local events and making the Extension office visible in a community where new organizations are emerging at the same time.
“There’s a trust factor in small communities,” she said. “People have to learn who we are and what we offer. Many people in Kingsville haven’t heard of Prairie View or that we have an Extension service.”
She describes the period as a “getting to know each other” phase, not just for her office, but for the county’s broader civic landscape. In recent years Kleberg County has added a county economic development office, seen renewed activity at the Chamber of Commerce and increased the number of small businesses and vendors participating in local events.
Looking ahead to the first full year
With her first full year underway, De Leon hopes to tailor programs to Kleberg County’s specific needs.
“My goal is to create something unique to the county,” she said. “That means talking to partners and residents to find out what they need and designing programs specifically for this area.”
Becoming more widely recognized is another priority.
“I’d love to see us become more of a household name,” she said. “Our workshops are free. We really work with people one-on-one.”
Workshops are expected to be offered monthly, beginning with a financial workshop for small businesses in partnership with First Financial Bank. Details will be announced once finalized.
How residents can connect
The Prairie View A&M Cooperative Extension office is located at 729 E. Yoakum Ave. in Kingsville. Residents can contact the office for information about upcoming workshops, business resources, youth entrepreneurship programs and community partnerships.
Phone: (361) 246-2018
Email: erdeleon@pvamu.edu
Website: pvamu.edu/cafnr/extension/community-and-economic-development/
Programs are offered at no cost unless noted. The Extension office does not charge for workshops, and only government filing fees apply when applicable.