About

Tiffany Drape is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. Her research is focused on program evaluation and evaluation capacity building, AI in biometrics, community viability, agriculture, and education. She has extensive project management and program evaluation experience with federally funded projects including NSF, USDA, NIH, ARC, and other state and regional agencies. Dr. Drape is invested in mentoring undergraduate researchers, encouraging their interests, and guiding them through the research process, with undergraduate investigations spanning topics in community viability and agriculture. She is developing her extension and outreach plan within the contexts of agriculture, leadership, and community education. Her international engagement includes participation in the 2022 Fulbright Program at the Namangan Institute of Engineering and Technology in Uzbekistan, as well as collaborations with institutions in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Guinea on curriculum development and youth empowerment through agriculture-based entrepreneurship. Dr. Drape teaches courses such as Mixed Methods for Agriculture and the Life Sciences, Community-based Qualitative Inquiry, and Foundations of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. Her scholarly contributions include numerous publications on topics related to graduate education, environmental civic engagement, food safety education, and workforce development.

Research topics

• Business
• Marketing
• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Political Science
• Knowledge management
• Advertising
• Biology
• Mathematics
• Food science
• Economic growth
• Mathematics education
• Economics
• Public relations
• Geography

Selected publications

• List of contributors

  Elsevier eBooks · 2026-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Investigating pathways to environmental civic engagement for diverse communities

  Environmental Management · 2026-01-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Environmental civic engagement provides an essential avenue to combat global environmental crises. However, opportunity and ability to participate in such civic action are not equal for everyone. Concerningly, the conservation movement in the U.S. has historically marginalized Black, Asian, and Latine voices from policy and decision-making processes. While previous research has focused on predictors of civic engagement in general and what barriers reduce participation, using an asset-based framing to consider what supports environmental civic engagement is less common. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the role of community cultural wealth (CCW) in Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals' participation in environmental civic engagement. CCW is an asset-based model, which has been used to understand persistence of marginalized groups in historically exclusionary spaces. We used CCW to identify factors that support Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals' environmental civic engagement as these behaviors have been affected by structural racism. Results showed that understanding systems of oppression and being motivated to change such systems were important predictors of environmental civic engagement for Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals. Furthermore, our results suggest that organizations, social connections, and family connections are important sources of civic knowledge and opportunity. These findings suggest that taking an asset-based approach can be a promising way to support environmental civic engagement among Black, Asian, and Latine/Hispanic individuals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Advancing higher education: strategies for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

  Elsevier eBooks · 2026-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Bridging the nature gap: Supporting ethno-racial diversity in outdoor spaces

  Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism · 2026-01-21

  articleOpen access

  Interaction with natural environments grants a myriad of health and wellbeing benefits to people and can result in an increase in conservation behaviors. Given these benefits, it is concerning that in the United States, Black, Asian, and Latine people have lower rates of participation in nature-based activities and lower access to nature compared to White people. While previous research on this topic focused on the barriers preventing participation, it is less clear what supports Black, Asian, and Latine engagement with nature. We examined the role of community cultural wealth (CCW), environmental education (EE), and the intersection of racial and gender identities in Black, Asian, and Latine people's participation in nature-based activities. Community cultural wealth is an asset-based model used to understand the persistence of marginalized individuals in institutions created without them in mind. We proposed that this novel use of the framework can help to better understand sources of support for Black, Asian, and Latine people's interactions with nature because these activities have been historically impacted by structural racism. We assessed the linkages between EE, CCW, intersectionality, and participation in nature-based activities using qualitative and quantitative social-science methods. Results from semi-structured interviews (n = 36) and a nationwide survey (n = 1387) showed that social connections, family, community, EE experiences, and relevant skills and information were important drivers of participation in nature-based activities for Black, Asian, and Latine individuals. Our findings suggest that fostering social connections, increasing equity in EE, and providing outdoor engagement opportunities are integral to supporting nature engagement for these individuals.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessment of Training Barriers Among Underserved Virginia Value-added Food Producers: A Proposed Structure for Improving Parity in Food Safety Educational Interventions

  Journal of Food Protection · 2025-05-03

  articleOpen access

  • Participants (27%) reported multiple barriers to attending food safety training. • Training location and frequency could affect participants’ attendance. • Factsheets were the preferred learning tool for food safety. • Participants (22%) reported not knowing who to ask about food safety concerns. • Most producers (90%) understood the importance of food safety in their business. Food manufacturing businesses, regardless of size, must comply with appropriate food safety education requirements, but guidance on effectively training small, minority-owned producers is lacking in key areas, such as preferred formats and knowledge of current perceived barriers to compliance. This study aimed to understand the greatest barriers to knowledge gain and behavior change for underserved value-added food producers in Virginia. An anonymous 10-question survey was administered to Virginia food producers through various channels, including email links, flyers, electronic tablets, or physical copies provided in person. The survey queried demographic information about the producer, factors that inhibited their learning, and suggestions for improved education and outreach. Responses (n=124) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression in RStudio version 4.2.3. The results indicated that many producers identify location as the primary barrier to attending and learning about food safety, followed by the frequency of available training events. Additionally, the three preferred learning tools for producers were factsheets, interactive sessions with trainers and/or materials, and prerecorded videos. While there is no single method to meet all the needs related to food safety training for small producers, it is crucial for Cooperative Extension to consider these factors when planning food safety training and workshops to ensure broader outreach to more producers to achieve parity in food safety education.

  PublisherDOI

• The Relationship Between Employee Motivation and Evaluation Capacity in a Community-Based Education Organization

  Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation · 2023-09-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Evaluation capacity building (ECB) has gained popularity among organizations due to the increased importance of accountability and organizational effectiveness. While the ECB literature has occasionally addressed the notion of motivation, it has usually been in terms of motivation to do or use evaluation (Clinton, 2014; Taylor-Ritzler et al., 2013); this study sought to ascertain whether general overall employee motivation in an organization is itself related to evaluation capacity. By better understanding this relationship, those who are involved in administering, implementing, evaluating, or researching ECB can be better equipped to understand one of the ‘mediating conditions’ or ‘antecedent conditions’ (Cousins et al., 2014) affecting an organization’s ability to do and use evaluation, and, in turn, can more efficiently and effectively craft their ECB work. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between: (a) employee motivation and individual evaluation capacity; (b) employee motivation and evaluative thinking, and (c) evaluation capacity and evaluative thinking. Setting: The study focused on the Cooperative Extension System, a non-formal community-based education organization linked to public land-grant universities throughout the United States. Specifically, this study drew participants from two state Extension systems, Virginia and Maryland. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: This quantitative study used a descriptive correlational design (Creswell, 2003) to uncover the relationship between the variables: motivation and evaluation capacity, motivation and evaluative thinking, and evaluation capacity and evaluative thinking. Data Collection and Analysis: To investigate the relationship between the factors of interest (motivation, evaluation capacity, and evaluative thinking), three instruments were used: the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS), the Evaluation Capacity Assessment Instrument (ECAI), and the Evaluative Thinking Inventory (ETI). STATA MP 13.1 quantitative software was used to analyze the collected data. Findings: Employees with lower overall motivation in doing their work have lower evaluation capacity, and employees with higher motivation which is triggered by no external means but driven by internal factors have higher evaluation capacity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An Interdisciplinary Approach to Experiential Learning in Cyberbiosecurity and Agriculture Through Workforce Development

  Journal of Cybersecurity Education Research and Practice · 2023-10-16

  articleOpen access

  Cyberbiosecurity and workforce development in agriculture and the life sciences (ALS) is a growing area of need in the curriculum in higher education. Students that pursue majors related to ALS often do not include training in cyber-related concepts or expose the ‘hidden curriculum’ of seeking internships and jobs. Exposing students through workforce development training and hands-on engagement with industry professionals can provide learning opportunities to bridge the two and is an area of growth and demand as the workforce evolves. The objectives of this work were 1) to learn key concepts in cybersecurity, including data security, visualization, and analysis, to name a few, through class activities and engagement with professional partners and 2) to understand what knowledge students gained from participating in the course could transfer over for when they enter the workforce. Three themes emerged from the study where students, through direct engagement with industry partners, gained more insight about the industry applicable to their studies; they established work environment expectations for entering internships and official job placements and established ways in which the workforce development training informed their future careers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cooperative Extension’s Capacity to Address Food Insecurity by Supporting Food Recovery Organizations

  Journal of Extension · 2022-09-21

  articleOpen access

  Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) educators are uniquely positioned to support the food recovery organizations (FROs) which address hunger-related needs resulting from food insecurity. Based on an online survey to measure how VCE educators have engaged with FROs and their experiences, respondents who previously supported FROs did so across multiple programming areas, and those who had not indicated an interest while also experiencing barriers. Respondents also reported the need for context- and audience-specific resources particular to the spectrum of food recovery. Addressing barriers and resource needs through a transdisciplinary eXtension Food Recovery Community of Practice may support educators in doing this work.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ten Best Practices for Taking Experiential Learning Online

  The FASEB Journal · 2022-05-01 · 4 citations

  article

  Like many institutions around the world, the COVID‐19 pandemic prompted us to shift our summer 2020 in‐person undergraduate experiential learning program to a remote, virtual format. Here, we present our observations, summarized in ten best practices, for moving a STEM‐focused research experience for undergraduates, experiential learning program or research‐based course to an online format. We will also discuss how our program was originally designed and implemented, and how we adapted our activities to deliver an at‐home research experience that maintained student engagement, mentorship, and a shared sense of community.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing Consumer Preferences and Intentions to Buy Edamame Produced in the U.S.

  Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · 2022-01-18 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Due to the growing consumer demand for edamame (vegetable soybean) in the U.S., the domestic production of this specialty crop has been promoted in several Mid-Atlantic and Southeast states as an economically attractive alternative to replace the decreasing tobacco production. For the edamame agrobusiness to be successful in the U.S., consumer studies are as needed as new commercial cultivars that are developed for the U.S. environment. Thus, in this exploratory study, we investigated consumers' preferences and intentions to buy edamame products in the U.S., especially domestic products. Data was collected through a web-based survey distributed through Qualtrics XM and a convenience sampling method was chosen. Volunteers who completed the survey ( N = 309) were 82% female, 57% residents of the South Atlantic area, and 79% daily consumers of vegetables. Survey respondents had a positive attitude toward domestically produced vegetables and valued supporting U.S. producers. Overall, domestically grown, in-shell edamame products were preferred compared to shelled edamame or imported products. Regarding future purchasing, respondents exhibited higher intention to buy fresh edamame relative to frozen edamame. Additionally, respondents considered price, availability, and familiarity with the vegetable brand, respectively, as the most important factors in their decision-making process to buy edamame products. Our study confirmed there is a market potential for domestically produced edamame and it also provides valuable information to support future studies, production decisions, and the growth of the edamame agrobusiness in the U.S.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Donna Westfall-Rudd

  10 shared

• Renee Raiden Boyer

  Virginia Tech

  7 shared

• Michael A. Evans

  6 shared

• Thomas Archibald

  Virginia Tech

  5 shared

• Rick D. Rudd

  Virginia Tech

  4 shared

• Samantha G.L. Won

  Virginia Tech

  4 shared

• Caitlin Cridland

  Virginia Tech

  3 shared

• Glenda E. Gillaspy

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  3 shared

Labs

• Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community EducationPI

Awards & honors

• 2023 Educator Award, North American Colleges and Teachers of…
• 2021 College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Diversity & Incl…
• 2015 Teacher of the Week, CIDER, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,…
• 2014 Outstanding Article, Journal of Agriculture Education,…
• 2012 Outreach and Service Award, Giles County Public School…