Snyder County commissioner reflects on Penn State Extension 4-H roots

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Snyder County Commissioner Joe Kantz says he’s a “product of 4-H,” he means it in more ways than one.

“My mom and dad were both 4-H members from different counties and met at a 4-H event,” Kantz said. “Without 4-H, I would not be here, literally.”

Today, Kantz is serving his fifth term and has been chair of the Board of Snyder County Commissioners since 2008. He also serves as business and development manager for the North Shore Railroad.

Through it all, he said, he continues to draw on skills and values he first developed in Penn State Extension’s 4-H youth development program.

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens.

A hands-on experience

Kantz was raised in Snyder County, graduated from Selinsgrove High School and later earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Susquehanna University. Long before that, though, he was tagging along to 4‑H club meetings with his parents, who served as leaders.

By his early teens, he said, he had moved from watching meetings to running them.

“By the time I was 12 or 13, I was leading the club and serving as an officer,” Kantz said. “Learning how to run a meeting, at such a young age, is something I continue to use regularly.”

As a commissioner, he said, he now chairs county meetings each week and works with colleagues and community members on a wide range of issues.

“Parliamentary procedure has become second nature to me because I’ve been doing it all my life,” he said.

In Penn State Extension's 4-H program, Kantz said he explored a variety of hands-on activities.

“I was blessed to take pretty much anything and everything,” he said. “I went to state achievement days for projects ranging from riflery to sewing and even participated in the state fashion revue.”

He also took part in woodworking, ceramics, gardening, fishing and shooting sports.

“I learned a lot of different facets of life,” Kantz said. “If I rip my pants, I can fix them. I can catch a fish and have my own dinner if I need to. I took on things you might not expect, but it made me well-rounded.”

He said those practical, everyday skills continue to serve him.

“Between 4-H and scouting, I probably learned more of the everyday, common‑sense skills that I use now than I ever learned in school,” he said.

Just as important, Kantz said, were the people who helped teach those lessons. He points to influential 4-H volunteers in Snyder County — leaders such as Charlie Bowersox and Don Keller — as shaping forces in his life.

“They were a fixture in Snyder County,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have folks that are willing to volunteer their time to be mentors.”

That example of service has carried into his adult life. He now serves on the boards of several regional organizations working to advance economic development.

Kantz also serves as president of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Over the years, he has served on the resolutions, election reform and county governance committees. In 2020, he was appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate to serve on the Election Law Advisory Board.

Kantz said the 4‑H pledge continues to guide him as an elected official.

“I’m thankful I’ve been able to live the 4-H pledge,” he said. “I pledge my hands to helping those around me, and I’ve tried to lead by that example.”

A sense of stewardship

When he first took office, Snyder County had neither a maintenance staff nor a budget, so he stepped in to help fill the gap.

“I was on the roof fixing problems,” he said. “I was cutting trees down. I was putting my hands and heart where they needed to be.”

Today, that same sense of stewardship carries into his personal life. Kantz and his wife, Amber, live with their daughter, Nia, on a farm that has been in his family for nearly 100 years. He said maintaining the farm for the next generation reflects the values he learned in 4-H.

Those same values also shape how he works with others. Along with public speaking and meeting management, Kantz said 4-H taught him how to work with people who see issues differently.

“In this day and age, the art of working with people you disagree with becomes more and more important,” he said.

He contrasted that with a culture where it can be easy to cut off relationships over disagreements, especially on social media.

“You can’t operate that way, number one as an elected official, and number two as an individual, because pretty soon, you’re going to be out of friends,” he said.

For that reason, he said, 4‑H’s focus on teamwork and leadership remains highly relevant.

Those lessons helped guide a goal he set at a young age. Kantz decided at 12 that he wanted to be a county commissioner. Years later, he still describes himself as “living his dream.”

A great place to start

He hopes more young people can discover their interests and build skills through 4-H.

“If you have children, grandchildren or young people in your life who aren’t involved in something, 4-H is a great place to start,” Kantz said. “With the variety of skills they can learn and utilize throughout their lifetime, it’s a missed opportunity not to introduce them to 4-H.”

In the 2025 program year, 4-H engaged more than 150,000 youth across the commonwealth, supported by 3,754 volunteers who contributed more than 450,000 hours. The program helps develop leadership skills, with more than 2,700 youth enrolled in leadership and personal development projects.

To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h.