The Texas A&M AgriLife Strategic Plan outlines a path to drive innovation and science-based solutions to enrich all of Texas through agriculture and life sciences. The Strategic Plan was premiered as part of the State of AgriLife address January 14.
Mission: Enrich Texas with comprehensive agricultural and life sciences knowledge and services to restore connections among people, agriculture, food, science, and the economy.
Vision: Lead by providing influential, innovative, and science-based solutions that position Texas as a national model in connecting agriculture and healthy lives.
“One of my biggest takeaways from being part of the strategic planning process is that there’s not an end to this. Strategic planning is complex and intricate. It’s ongoing and continues to adapt as the landscape, our people and their needs change.”
Linda Moon
Texas A&M Forest Service
Working group: Communicating the Strategic Plan
“If we have a plan, and we know how we’re interlinked with one another, I think we can make huge advances in agriculture that this world, that this nation desperately needs.”
Jim Cathey, Ph.D.
Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Working group: Leadership and professional development
“I look forward to the changes that the strategic plan can bring to AgriLife to allow more communication and resources to be shared between the AgriLife agencies. I think that will help all of us feel more part of a family than we already do, and allow us to achieve our goals.”
Julie Piccone, DVM
Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Working group: Leadership and professional development
Take the AgriLife Employee Survey
To continue to ensure your voice is heard within this process, our working group champions ask that you complete a short survey at tx.ag/StrategicPlanSurvey to help our groups better gauge the status and needs of Texas A&M AgriLife employees regarding the current organizational culture, perceived needs regarding leadership and development, as well as solicit feedback on the strategies used to communicate the plan.
Implementation Objectives
- Form AgriLife Strategic Planning Committee
- Initiate the Matrix Management Structure
- Develop AgriLife Ambassadors
- Reinvigorate Leadership and Professional Development
- Engage and Support Evolving Stakeholders
Adaptive Strategic Plan Steering Committee Members
- Chair: Susan Ballabina, Ph.D., deputy vice chancellor, AgriLife, and associate deputy dean for administration, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Jordan Brod, operations manager, TVMDL
- Courtney Dodd, Ph.D., associate director, AgriLife Extension
- Jared Karns, planning and preparedness department head, Forest Service
- Philip Kaufman, Ph.D., professor and head of the Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Elizabeth Parker, Ph.D., associate director, operations and strategic initiatives, AgriLife Research
- Reid Redden, Ph.D., center director, AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo
- Gretchen Riley, state program manager for forest conservation and community forestry, Forest Service
- Ruben Saldana, Ed.D., district extension administrator, AgriLife Extension
- Vic Seidel, assistant agency director, CFO, TVMDL
- Luis Tedeschi, Ph.D., professor, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Working Groups and Champions
- Communicating the strategic plan. Champion: Holly Shive, assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communications
- Matrix management structure. Champion: John Tracy, Ph.D., director of the Texas Water Resources Institute and interim head for the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Leadership and professional development. Champion: Caitlyn Calvert, assistant vice chancellor for digital learning
- AgriLife ambassadorship. Champion: Rebecca O’Neil, events manager
- Responding to an evolving Texas. Co-champions: Caitlyn Calvert and Holly Shive
