COLLEGE STATION – Two candidates will be interviewed for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service director position, according to Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences for the Texas A&M University System at College Station.
Dr. Pete Gibbs of College Station and Dr. Doug Steele of Bozeman, Mont., will be interviewed by agency leaders , statewide leaders and AgriLife Extension employees through early June. Additional information on the candidates and search is available at http://agrilife.org/agency-search/.
The replacement will fill the role of Dr. Ed Smith, who has been director of AgriLife Extension since 2005 and who is retiring at the end of August.
The director serves as the chief executive officer and reports to the vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences of The Texas A&M University System. The director leads a network of 250 county offices and some 830 statewide professional educators who are “dedicated to improving the lives of people, businesses and communities across Texas and beyond through high-quality, relevant education,” according to the agency’s website.
Gibbs is currently the AgriLife Extension associate director of state programs. He has worked for Extension throughout his career, which began in 1974 as a program assistant in Texas. Gibbs became horse specialist for Kansas Cooperative Extension in 1982 and returned to Texas as horse specialist in 1988. He was named associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader in animal science at Texas A&M University in 2006 and promoted to his current position in 2008.
His administrative duties have expanded from agriculture, natural resources and community economic development to include the areas of family development and resource management, human nutrition and food science, and 4-H/youth development.
Gibbs earned his bachelor’s degree in 1977, a master’s in 1979 and a doctorate in 1982, all in animal science from Texas A&M.
Steele’s career with Extension has spanned four states. He currently serves as vice president for external relations and director of Extension at Montana State University. Previously he was assistant director and state 4-H program leader at Colorado State University from1997-2004; Extension 4-H youth development specialist and assistant professor at Purdue University from1993-1997; and AgriLife Extension 4-H youth development specialist and assistant professor at Texas A&M University from 1990-93.
He began his AgriLife Extension career in Texas as Potter County assistant agent in 1981. He also was Hutchinson County Extension director-agriculture program leader from 1985-88.
Steele earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science/agri-business in 1981 from Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla., a master’s in agronomy/horticulture from West Texas A&M University in 1985, and a doctorate in educational human resource development from Texas A&M in 1992.
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