Ballabina named AgriLife Extension’s executive associate director

• Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
• Contact: Susan Ballabina, 979-862-3932, sg-ballabina@tamu.edu

       COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Susan Ballabina was named executive associate director for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service during this week’s Texas A&M University System Board of Regents meeting in College Station.

“Dr. Ballabina’s devotion to the AgriLife Extension mission of improving the lives of people in our state makes her a natural for this new role of helping guide the overall course of the agency,” said Dr. Doug Steele, AgriLife Extension director. “She has demonstrated excellence in every effort from the regional level to the state program level, and I look forward to her leadership at this level.”

      Ballabina served as interim executive associate director since the beginning of the year to provide “leadership for the vision and goals of the agency,” Steele said. She had been associate director for program development since December 2013 and was the agency’s East Region program director in Dallas from 2005-13.

Under Steele’s directorship, Ballabina will provide leadership to support the facilitation and management of the agency budget, strategic initiatives and impact programming.

As the associate director for program development, Ballabina supervised 12 regional program leaders responsible for regional program development, agent professional development and strategic partnerships in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, family studies, nutrition, health and youth development. She also provided leadership for the Healthy South Texas Initiative.

       Ballabina joined AgriLife Extension in 1994 and served as an agent in Dallas, Williamson, Cherokee and Upshur counties prior to becoming regional program director.

    Among the program teams Ballabina is credited with initiating or enhancing statewide are Master Wellness Volunteer, Dinner Tonight, Weight Management Issue, Sports Nutrition and Fuel Up to Play 60.

    These programs help various audiences learn ways to make healthy, affordable choices in food consumption and exercise. She has encouraged not only local educational programs but the adoption of new technology to reach larger audiences, Steele noted.

       Ballabina earned her bachelor’s in home economics education in 1994 from Tarleton State University, her master’s in communications from Stephen F. Austin in 1998 and her doctorate in public affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2007.

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