Three Cooperative Extension Leaders Selected As New Technologies for Ag Extension Catalysts

The Extension Foundation welcomes three new Catalyst team members:

• Dr. Barbara Board, District Extension Director Emeritus, Virginia Tech; Retired Eastern Region Extension Director and Interim Associate Administrator, North Carolina A&T State University.
• Dr. Dyremple Marsh, Retired College Dean, Research Director, and Extension Administrator, Delaware State University
• Dr. Dawn Mellion, Retired Vice-Chancellor for Southern University Cooperative Extension.

The New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) cooperative agreement (grant no. 2020-41595-30123) with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through a partnership with Oklahoma State University will enter its third year on September 1, 2021.

A key program in the cooperative agreement is the Program Accelerator. The Program Accelerator is a unique partnership between a project/program team and the resources of the Extension Foundation for a year of rapid growth and progress resulting in expanding the team’s local impact and national potential. The Extension Foundation’s methods and team of catalysts and key informants work uniquely with each team to produce scalable, better resourced, and more effective programs and community-based initiatives through a one-year boost of additional support.

Catalysts mentor, advise, support, and assist with networking and access to resources to assist in the acceleration of the project. Dr. Board, Dr. Marsh, and Dr. Mellion join an existing team of retired Cooperative Extension leaders serving as catalysts including:

• Scott Reed, Emeritus Vice Provost for University Outreach and Engagement, Oregon State University
• Fred Schlutt, Retired Vice Provost for Extension and Outreach at University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Rick Klemme, Former Executive Director, ECOP
• Jimmy Henning, Extension Professor, Former Director of Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky
• Chuck Hibberd, Retired Dean of Cooperative Extension, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Chuck Ross, Retired Director of Extension, University of Vermont

The addition of three new catalysts will help support the increase of programs served by the NTAE Program Accelerator for 2021-2022. Year 3 projects will be announced in August, 2021. For more information on the NTAE Program Accelerator, please visit extension.org/ntae.