First, a hearty thank you to Charles Shapiro, Larry Van Tassell and the search committee for their good work in recruiting new leadership for our Northeast, Southeast and Metro Extension Districts.
Archie and I are very pleased to announce two outstanding new Associate Research & Extension Directors for the Southeast and Metro Extension Districts.
Dr. John Westra has accepted our offer to become the inaugural Associate RED for the new Southeast Extension District. As you know from his interview, Dr. Westra has built a strong reputation as an outstanding faculty member at LSU with research, extension and teaching roles. We are thrilled that he is bringing his knowledge and expertise to Nebraska. Dr. Westra begins his new role on January 1, 2017 and will be officed at the ARDC.
For the Metro Extension District, we decided that an interim would be the best path forward. We are very pleased that Mr. Dave Ulferts has accepted our offer to become the inaugural Associate RED for the new Metro Extension District. Most of you know Mr. Ulferts already in his role as Director of Programmatic Partnerships for Nebraska Extension. With his extensive knowledge of the metro areas of Nebraska and his six years of experience in Extension, we are confident that he will bring the level of leadership we expect for our new Metro Extension District. Also exciting is that he will be officed in the Community Engagement Center at UNO, a unique location to help us continue to build on our strong Extension presence in our metro communities. Mr. Ulferts begins his duties on December 1, 2016 and will continue for up to two years or until we are successful in hiring a regularly appointed Associate RED. Thanks Dave for stepping into this important role!!!
Please join us in welcoming these two new leaders to IANR!!!
Chuck and Archie