A national search is underway for the critical position of Director for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is a unique education agency with a statewide network of professional educators, trained volunteers, and county offices. It reaches into every Texas county to address local priority needs. Major efforts include mitigating drought impacts; conserving water use in homes, landscapes, and production agriculture; improving emergency management; enhancing food security; and protecting human health through education about diet, exercise, and disease prevention and management.
The Texas A&M System is being assisted in this recruitment by the executive search firm Spencer Stuart. Nominations, indications of your own interest in the role, and other input are encouraged. Please submit via the confidential email address TAMUExtensionDirector@SpencerStuart.com. For full consideration, please communicate using this link by February 15, 2019.
Candidate Information
As part of the final selection process, open seminars will be held in both College Station and Amarillo where candidates will briefly address their background and vision for the future of AgriLife Extension. The seminars will include a 30-minute discussion followed by a portion reserved for questions.
Candidate Open Seminars will be held at:
- College Station
- The AgriLife Center, 556 John Kimbrough Boulevard, College Station, TX 77843
- Amarillo
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center at Amarillo – Auditorium, 6500 Amarillo Blvd. West, Amarillo, TX 79106
There will also be a livestream/video link for each candidate seminar at the respective link below.
Candidate 1: Dr. Thomas Dobbins
Dr. Thomas Dobbins
Dr. Thomas Dobbins currently serves as professor and associate dean of outreach and engagement at Clemson College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and Director of Clemson Cooperative Extension.
- Seminar Date:
- College Station: Monday, April 15, 10 a.m.
- Amarillo: NOTE: Due to unforeseen travel-related issues, Dr. Dobbins did not provide an open seminar at the AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Amarillo. The recording from his presentation in College Station is available below.
- Link to Curriculum Vitae – Dobbins (PDF)
- Post-Seminar Survey (survey now closed)
- Link to College Station Livestream (or watch below)
https://youtu.be/fKBkekMZOTM
Candidate 2 – Dr. Jeffrey Hyde
Dr. Jeffrey Hyde
Dr. Jeffrey Hyde currently serves as the acting director for Penn State Extension. He provides leadership for the development and delivery of high-quality, relevant and impactful extension educational programs, products and services through a variety of formats, with an eye toward expanding reach and access to science-based education across Pennsylvania and beyond.
- Seminar Date:
- College Station: Tuesday, April 23, 10 a.m.
- Amarillo: Wednesday, April 24, 10 a.m.
- Link to Curriculum Vitae – Hyde (PDF)
- Post-Seminar Survey (survey now closed)
- Link to Livestream/Video (or watch below)
https://youtu.be/cm3Lbtb1OfI
Candidate 3 – Dr. John Tracy
Dr. John Tracy
Dr. John Tracy currently serves as Director of the Texas Water Resources Institute with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension, and is a Professor of Water Resources in the Department of Civil Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.
- Seminar Date:
- College Station: Monday, April 29, 10 a.m.
- Amarillo: Tuesday, April 30, 10 a.m.
- Link to Curriculum Vitae – Tracy (PDF)
- Post-Seminar Survey (survey now closed)
- Link to Livestream/Video (or watch below)
https://youtu.be/cGSIrtHwwCI
Search Committee
Chair of the Search Advisory Committee
- Tom Boggus, Director, Texas A&M Forest Service
Search Advisory Committee
- Megan Clayton, Range Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Courtney Dodd, Assistant Director and Texas 4-H Youth Development Program Leader, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Gerard D’Souza, Dean and Director of Land-Grant Programs, Prairie View A&M University
- Rusty Hohlt, Healthy Texas Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Donald Kelm, District Administrator, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Cliff Lamb, Department Head for Animal Science, Texas A&M University
- Juan Landivar, Director, Corpus Christi Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
- Michael Lopez, Extension Program Specialist, Family & Community Health, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Jay Maddock, Dean, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University
- Bill McCutchen, Executive Associate Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
- Jon Mogford, Vice Chancellor for Research, Texas A&M University System
- Ryan Merrel, County Extension Agent – 4-H Youth Development, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Jeff Ripley, Associate Director for County Operations, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Rosemary Schoenfeld, Executive Assistant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Mandi Seaton, Regional Program Leader, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Larry Stein, Associate Department Head and Extension Horticulture Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Scott Strawn, County Extension Agent – Agriculture & Natural Resources, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Steve Verrett, Executive Vice President, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
- David Wright, Harris County Extension Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Denita Young, County Extension Agent – Family & Community Health, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
