Lauren Burdine Hood ’12, M ’21

Lauren Burdine Hood, York County 4-H youth development agent with the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service, graduated from Clemson in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental and natural resources and a minor in biological sciences. In 2021, she earned a Clemson master’s degree in agriculture with an emphasis in agricultural education, becoming the first graduate of that newly developed thesis-based program.

Before joining the South Carolina 4-H team in York County in 2017, Lauren worked in Extension-related roles in Georgia for four years. She began master’s degree work in agricultural and environmental education at the University of Georgia, then transferred to Clemson.

Under Lauren’s leadership, the York County 4-H Club has won numerous state honors, including 2020 awards for excellence in teamwork, agricultural literacy programming and animal science programming. She is president of the S.C. chapter of the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals.  She and her regional team received the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ 2020 Learning Module Communication National Award.

Her many community activities include serving on the York County Fall Livestock Show Committee and the York County Agribusiness Council. She also is a member of the York County Cattlemen’s Association and the S.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

For Clemson, Lauren is the Upstate District representative on the Clemson Extensive Senate and a board member of the Women’s Alumni Council. Her work with council includes helping to plan and produce its annual Bring Your Daughter to Clemson event, which has a focus on agriculture and the STEM areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Lauren is a first-generation Clemson graduate, who was greatly supported by her parents Jimmy and Andrea Burdine. She and her husband, Tyler, began their relationship while students at Clemson, even getting engaged in the Carillon Bells of Tillman Hall.