Dr. Laura Warner
Associate Professor
Department of Agricultural Education and Communication
PO Box 112060
Gainesville, FL 32611
Ph: (352) 273-0202
lsanagorski@ufl.edu
Dr. Warner is an associate professor and Extension specialist of Extension education, and specializes in translating behavioral theory into practical action. Her focus includes program evaluation, behavior change, and social marketing.
Dr. Warner's research focuses on understanding behavioral influences on best practice adoption (especially those related to water conservation/quality and pollinator conservation) and incorporates these findings into strategies to elicit behavior change.
Through her Extension programs, Dr. Warner supports Extension professionals in eliciting behavior change among their clientele and capturing resulting outcomes and impacts.
Dr. Warner has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida, and an Ed.D. in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications jointly from Texas A&M and Texas Tech Universities.
Research and Extension
- Human dimensions of natural resources conservation
- Identifying factors that influence residents’ use of water conservation and quality practices
- Evaluating the impact of messaging strategies on attitudes and landscape best practices
- Designing innovative behavior change strategies for extension professionals
- Measuring the impact of UF/IFAS urban water-focused extension programs
Certificate Program
Cultivating Community Change: Certificate Program in Social Marketing — Social marketing is a proven behavior-change strategy that applies traditional marketing principles to behavior change that benefits a community and its residents. Dr. Warner offers this online certificate program, designed to provide an overview of this strategy as applied to Extension and outreach programming.
Selected Publications
Warner, L. A., Cardenas-Lailhacar, B., Dukes, M. D., Taylor, N., Irwin, D., and Harmon, J. (2023). Insights from residents under year-round irrigation restrictions to improve water conservation impacts. AWWA Water Science, 5(4), e1348. https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1348
Warner, L. A., and Diaz, J. M. (2023). High impact water conservation: Factors explaining residents’ intent to reduce irrigation in the yard. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 39(3), 507–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2022.2093170
Warner, L. A., Rihn, A. L., Fulcher, A., Schexnayder, S., LeBude, A. V., and Joshi, A. (2022). A theory of planned behavior evaluation of growers’ intent to use automated nursery technologies. Horticulturae, 8(11), 1028. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8111028
Warner, L. A., Diaz, J. M., and Dukes, M. D. (2022). Selecting high-impact landscape irrigation conservation behaviors: Formative research to inform behavior-change efforts. Social Marketing Quarterly, 28(1), 28–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/15245004211071057
Warner, L. A., Lamm, A. J., & Silvert, C. (2020). Diffusion of water-saving irrigation innovations in Florida's urban residential landscapes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 47, 1265–1240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126540
Lamm, A. J., Warner, L. A., Tidwell, A. S. D., Lamm, K. W., Fisher, P. R., & White, S. A. (2019). Treating water for reuse: Testing an adoption decision-making model with nursery and greenhouse growers. Water, 11, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11122470.
Warner, L. A. (2019). Using homeowners' association membership to define audience segments for targeted local social marketing interventions: Implications from a statewide study. Social Marketing Quarterly, 25(4), 291–307. doi:10.1177/1524500419882978
Warner, L. A., Silvert, C. , & Benge, M. (2019). Using adoption and perceived characteristics of fertilizer innovations to identify Extension educational needs of Florida's residential audiences. Journal of Agricultural Education, 60(3), 155–172. doi:10.5032/jae.2019.03155
Warner, L. A., Lamm, A. J., & Kumar Chaudhary, A. (2018). Florida residents’ perceived role in protecting water quantity and quality through landscape practices. Landscape and Urban Planning, 171, 1–6. doi:10.1080/1533015X.2017.1388199
Warner, L. A, Diaz, J. M., & Kumar Chaudhary, A. (2018). Informing urban landscape water conservation extension programs using behavioral research. Journal of Agricultural Education, 59(2), 32–48. doi:10.5032/jae.2018.02032
Warner, L. A., Diaz, J., Kumar Chaudhary, A., Gusto, C., & Ali, A. D. (2018). Capturing outcomes often overlooked: A pilot evaluation of Florida individual contact teaching. Journal of Extension, 56(3). Retrieved from https://www.joe.org/joe/2018june/a2.php (8 pages)
Extension Publications
See Dr. Warner's EDIS publications
Current Funding
Title: " Rainfall signage to reduce residential irrigation."
Duration: 2021-2023
Funding Agency: Southwest Florida Water Management District
Award Amount: $107,474
Role: Principle Investigator
Title: "If you build it will they buzz?"
Duration: 2021-2024
Funding Agency: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Award Amount: $476,019
Role: co-Principle Investigator
Title: "Roadsides project to support biodiversity."
Duration: 2023-2024
Funding Agency: Disney Conservation Fund
Award Amount: $27,149
Role: co-Principle Investigator
Title: "Investigating urban residents’ willingness to navigate barriers preventing landscape maintenance activities that support wildlife"
Duration: 2023-2024
Funding Agency: University of Florida Center for Land Use Efficiency
Award Amount: $37,255
Role: Principle Investigator
Title: "Identifying opportunities to increase urban consumer demand for landscape maintenance activities that support wildlife corridors"
Duration: 2022-2023
Funding Agency: University of Florida Center for Land Use Efficiency
Award Amount: $36,075
Role: Principle Investigator
Title: "Informing septic to sewer conversion campaigns in Florida through community-based social marketing."
Duration: 2019-2021
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Award Amount: $40,344
Role: co-Principle Investigator