Planning Committee

Chester P. Fehlis
Associate Vice Chancellor
Texas Cooperative Extension
The Texas A&M University System

EDUCATION:
& Awarded Rank of AProfessor@ with the Texas Agricultural Extension
Service, The Texas A&M University System, 1991

• Ph.D., Agricultural Education, Texas A&M University, May 1987
  
• M.S., Agricultural Education, Texas A&M University, August 1977
  
• B.S., Animal Science, Texas A&M University, May 1969
  

WORK EXPERIENCE:

• Special Assistant to the Dean, College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, Prairie View A&M University, January 2006 B present
  
• Associate Vice Chancellor, The Agriculture Program, September, 2004 B present
  
• Texas Cooperative Extension (formerly Texas Agricultural Extension Service), 1969 - 2004
  

• 1998 - 2004 Associate Vice Chancellor for Agriculture and Director
  
• 1992 - 1998 Executive Associate Director
  
• 1988 - 1992 Assistant Director for County Programs
  
• 1982 - 1987 District Extension Director - District 10 (South Central District)
  
• 1969 - 1982 County Extension Agent - Agriculture in Victoria County (1975-82) and Willacy County (1973-75); Assistant Agriculture Agent in Jackson County (1969-73)
  

Maurice W. Dorsey, Ph.D.

Maurice W. Dorsey, Ph.D. is National Program Leader for Public Policy at the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA.

He provides policy analysis, advice, and counsel in the areas of agriculture policy, urban extension programs, diversity, and community development. Maurice is responsible for oversight of approximately $10.7 million dollars in special and federal administration grants. He is chair of the CSREES Social Science Working Group; chair of the CSREES Diversity Advisory Council; co-chair of the ECOP National Committee for Urban Issues, co-chair of the ECOP Committee on Extension Diversity. He is federal liaison to the Change Agent States for Diversity Project; National Association of Conservation Districts Urban, Community, and Coastal Resources Committee. Maurice is a member of the NASULGC Commission on the Urban Agenda and the Commission on Access, Diversity, and Excellence. He is one of two CSREES liaisons to Washington State University and the University of Idaho. Maurice is currently enrolled in the National Training Laboratory: Diversity Practitioners Certification Training. During 2006 Maurice completed 30 years of federal service; and received the Inaugural A.J. Dye Award for Diversity. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park; MLA, The Johns Hopkins University; and M.Ed., Loyola College of Maryland.

NANCY L. ZIMPHER

Nancy L. Zimpher is the twenty-fifth president of the University of Cincinnati and its first woman president. Before her arrival at UC in October 2003, she served as the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for five years. A teacher and an educator, she also served as Dean of the College of Education and executive dean of the Professional Colleges at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. A native of southeastern Ohio, she received her bachelor's, master's and PhD from Ohio State. Dr. Zimpher has become a national leader in higher education administration, teacher education, urban school renewal and K-12/higher education partnerships. She has published numerous books and articles on educational reform, both in higher education and in elementary and secondary education.

Dr. Zimpher currently serves as chair of the board of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. She leads a national consortium of comprehensive research campuses, called the Urban Serving Universities, with member institutions that are committed to enhancing the quality of life within their respective cities. She also serves on the boards of the American Council on Education and the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges. At the state level, Dr. Zimpher co-chairs the Ohio Board of Regents Articulation and Transfer Advisory Council, which focuses on Ohio's education pipeline from early education through postsecondary education and employment. In Cincinnati, she serves on the boards of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and she is a member of the Cincinnati Business Committee. She currently co-chairs a Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky partnership called Strive, an effort to enhance college access and educational success for all students in the region.

Dr. Zimpher is the recipient of numerous national, state and local awards including the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education's Chief Executive Leadership Award. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1998 and has been recognized with the YWCA's Women of Achievement Award in Columbus, Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

Dr. James Zuiches
Dr. James Zuiches is the Vice Chancellor for Extension, Engagement, and Economic Development at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, effective March, 2006. In this role, he leads and coordinates all extension, engagement and economic development programs of the university, including the Cooperative Extension Service, Industrial Extension Service, Small Business and Technology Development Center, non-credit programs of the Jane S. McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education, the Economic Development Partnership, and the General H. Hugh Shelton Initiative for Leadership Development. Prior to joining NC State, Zuiches served as dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at Washington State University, 1995-2003, and concurrently as director of Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Research Center for four years and professor in the Department of Community and Rural Sociology. He had previously served as director of the Agricultural Research Center (the State Agricultural Experiment Station), 1986-1994, and associate dean of the college.

As a W. K. Kellogg Foundation program officer in 1994-95, Zuiches funded many community and rural development projects. The Kellogg Foundation and other foundations are funding his current project to create the National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship and increase support for job creation and economic growth in rural areas. Prior to his appointment at Washington State, Zuiches served at Cornell University (1982-86), the National Science Foundation (1979-82), and Michigan State University (1971-79). His research specializations include demography, rural sociology and research administration. He has more than 70 publications, including edited books, professional journal articles, book chapters, bulletins and editorials. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his B.A. in philosophy and sociology from the University of Portland, Portland, OR.

Kay Gasen
Urban Program Leader / Director of the Community Partnership Project, University of Missouri Extension

Kay Gasen serves as an Urban Program Leader with University of Missouri Extension, and holds a joint appointment as Director of the Community Partnership Project at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Gasen has been employed by the University of Missouri since 1986 and previously served as Extension Community Development Specialist, Regional Director, and Public Policy Research Center Director of Community and Neighborhood Development. She has also been Project Director for two HUD Community Outreach Partnership Center grants, serving Old North St. Louis and Affton.

Gasen is a UMSL graduate with a Masters degree in Public Policy Administration. She was the 2003 recipient of the C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship Award, in recognition of outstanding commitment, dedication and effectiveness in advancing the land-grant mission of the University of Missouri.

Carl F. Calkins
Director, UMKC Institute for Human Development

Dr. Carl F. Calkins has been the Director of the UMKC Institute for Human Development, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, for 29 years. He is the Acting Director of the UMKC Center for the City, a tenured Professor of Psychology at UMKC, a past President of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and a Fellow at the Center for Family Policy and Research. In 1990, Dr. Calkins and Dr. Walker's book on Social Competence received the book of the year award from the Presidents Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities. His primary interests relate to Person Centered Planning, Self Advocacy for people with disabilities, facilitating organizational development, partnering with community organizations and agencies, and evaluation and systems change.

Presentation:
Community Partnerships: Developing and Sustaining Successful Partnerships

How can Extension faculty build partnerships with urban universities and access non-traditional faculty resources to address urban issues? What strategies are successful in linking Extension and urban campus faculty and developing initiatives that expand the base of faculty resources?

The presenters will share strategies that have been successful in Missouri in linking University of Missouri Extension faculty with academic resources on the St. Louis and Kansas City campuses. Through joint participation in grant and planning projects and the use of innovative incentive funds, Extension and urban campus faculty are developing joint projects that address urban concerns, engage students in community problem-solving, and expand the support for future Extension initiatives.

James D. Oliver, Ph.D.
Associate Chancellor & Assistant Dean / Regional Director for the University of Illinois.

As associate chancellor, Jim Oliver provides leadership in assisting the chancellor in building relationships and strengthening communications with local officials and community leaders in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. This includes coordination of identified activities and programs; development of targeted outreach projects; as well as assisting in the enhancement of campus / college / department research and outreach efforts. The position will also assist with development and implementation of the Chicago strategy portion of the Campus strategic plan.

Since November 1987, Jim Oliver has been the statewide Extension administrator of urban and nontraditional outreach programs. In addition, he manages Extension activities in Cook and seven outlying metropolitan counties in northeastern Illinois, with more than 225 staff and a twenty million dollar operating budget.

His primary program areas include land-use and environmental education, youth and community leadership, public policy, economic development, science & technology, college / career readiness, university / college and community partnerships, and family and consumer issues. In addition, he has responsibility for maintaining relations with key corporate, elected and community leaders in the metro area counties.

Recently, Dr. Oliver spearheaded the “Cook County Extension Expanded Outreach and Programs: A Plan for the 21st Century”. Dr. Oliver was the visionary for this important Cook County initiative. The program's purpose is to provide equal access to University research, information, programs and opportunities for the diverse and growing Cook County population. He was instrumental in obtaining five million dollars from the Illinois State Legislature for the program and implementing nontraditional programs to address the needs of the community.

From 1981 to 1987, he was regional director in southwestern Illinois. Before coming to Illinois, he was state youth specialist and assistant professor of Extension education with University of Missouri Cooperative Extension. Prior to that, he was the coordinator for urban programs in Denver, Colorado.
He has taught courses including Leadership in a Competitive Environment and The Art of Being a Manager, and workshops on performance appraisal, creative thinking, futuring, and negotiations.
He received his Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Missouri, his M.Ed. in adult and continuing education from Colorado State University, and his B.S. in sociology from Colorado State University. He received the first National Extension System Diversity Award.
He has written numerous publications and papers on urban issues, trend watching, and outreach strategies for the new millennium.

Jack Kerrigan
County Extension Director, Cuyahoga County
Ohio State University Extension

Patterns of Success for Urban County Offices
The Cooperative Extension Service's urban programs are becoming increasingly important because the United States of America is becoming an increasingly urban nation. A Modified Delphi technique and case study were used to identify factors for success.. A sample of Extension professionals and experts across the United States was identified as the panel of experts to participate in three rounds of the Modified Delphi. An urban county Extension program noted for progressive practices was selected to represent current patterns of success. The study resulted in 80 patterns of success for urban county Extension programs. Items identified achieved both a consensus rating in the Modified Delphi and group consensus agreement of the case study participants. A summary of the findings will be presented.


Deno De Ciantis, M.Ed.
County Extension Director
Allegheny County - Pittsburgh, PA
The Pennsylvania State University

A Study of Diversity in Urban Extension Offices
The land grant system is one that had primary responsibility to the agricultural community and rural America. Further, most land grant campuses are located in primarily rural areas. As such, the demographic nature of most rural areas and in traditional agriculture, have little overall representation of minority or diverse people (McCray, 1994). In general, the 1864 land grant institutions tend to be located in predominantly white, rural areas where, arguably, there are significant pockets of racism and where diverse faculty and staff have difficulty with cultural acceptance. This makes it difficult for some institutions to be successful in attracting and retaining diverse staff. There is still significant, natural dominant pressure to hire white staff. The dominant culture overwhelms diversity. In some sense, non-purposeful oppression and institutionalized discrimination continues. As such, staffing patterns may not reflect the composition of the population they serve.

I believe that metro and urban Extension programs are among the most diverse in the system. Often, they provide a balance for the entire state Extension program with regard to workforce diversity and clientele demographics. Fortunately, the systemic trend in the lack of diversity may be starting to fracture. As metro Extension gains stature, diversity as a real and valuable trait is being recognized in these offices. This study attempts to gather some very superficial data related to the composition of a number of these offices. This is not a quantitative research study, but rather, a compilation of data that may provide insight into a likely trend. It is an area that should be pursued with a more rigorous and structured investigation.

Willene Buffett
Cook County Director
University of Illinois Extension, Cook County

Willene Buffett is the Director of Cook County Extension. She has been with U of I Extension since 1992, most recently as the Unit Leader of Chicago. In her current role, she is responsible for managing an almost eight million dollar budget, and overseeing program development and evaluation, cost recovery efforts, and marketing for nearly 100 staff. She works in collaboration with local, county, and state officials to bring programming to the people of Cook County that will help to preserve the county's place in a global economy.

Ms. Buffett has been a recipient of the Outstanding/Innovative Team Award and the Early Career Award from ESP/Alpha Nu Chapter, and has been a recipient of an Extension Unit Award. She has received the Community Empowerment Award from Catholic Charities - Archdiocese of Chicago and has been recognized by Chicago Metropolitan National Council of Negro Women. In addition, Ms. Buffett has received recognition and letters of support from the Cook County Board President and other local and county elected officials.

She earned her bachelor's degree in Dietetics Administration and her master's degree in Education in curriculum administration.

Jennifer Skuza
Jennifer Skuza is an Extension Professor at the University of Minnesota and is the Director of the Minnesota Urban 4-H Youth Development program. Dr. Skuza holds a PhD in education from the University of Minnesota and studied public policy at the International Study Institute, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Dr. Skuza also holds a master's degree in intercultural communication. Her research is focused on immigrant youth, social and cultural foundations of education, and advancing the use of qualitative research methodologies in social science fields. Since 1992, Jennifer has been working with and on behalf of immigrant, migrant, refugee, and urban youth in multiple roles as an educator, researcher, and advocate.

Jack M. Payne
Jack Payne is the Vice President for Extension and Outreach at Iowa State University. He recently was the Vice President and Dean for University Extension at Utah State University. Dr. Payne also has experience at two other of our nation's finest and largest land-grant institutions: Pennsylvania State University, where he served on the faculty of the School of Forest Resources and as the state's Extension wildlife specialist, and, later, at Texas A&M University, where he served as a faculty member in the Fisheries and Wildlife Department, and was the Extension wildlife specialist for South Texas.

After leaving Texas A&M University, Payne had a long career with Ducks Unlimited (DU), serving as their National Director of Conservation. While at Ducks Unlimited, some of his successes included the development of DU's Private Lands Program with agriculture; the development of a national conservation easement program and the expansion of their Mexican program to Central and South America.

Payne received his M.S. in Aquatic Ecology and his Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from Utah State University. He also is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. He is a tenured professor in the Department of Natural Resources Ecology and Management at Iowa State University. He is a member of the Board of Directors for The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and for Trees Forever, Inc. He previously has served as Chair of the Western Extension Directors Association, Chair of ECOP Budget and Legislative Committee and was a member of the Budget and Advocacy Committee and the Think Tank Committee, which later became CREATE-21. He is a member of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors of the National Council for Science and the Environment. Jack recently was elected to a four year term as Chair of the Policy Board of NASULGC's Board on Agriculture Assembly.