Texas A&M AgriLife announces leadership transitions in Lubbock, Weslaco
Dever, Jifon named to roles at Research and Extension Centers
Texas A&M AgriLife announced leadership transitions at two of its centers that are effective July 1.
Jane Dever, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research cotton breeder, has been named associate director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock. Dever will assist the center’s current director Jaroy Moore, Ph.D.
John Jifon, Ph.D., an AgriLife Research plant physiologist, has been named interim director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco.
Jifon steps into the role following Juan Landivar, Ph.D., who has served concurrently as director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Centers at Corpus Christi and Weslaco. Landivar will now exclusively helm the Texas A&M AgriLife center at Corpus Christi.
AgriLife Research Director Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., said the changes represent dynamic growth across the state agency.
“I am excited about these transitions and the advances they represent toward a shared vision of healthy lives and livelihoods improved through abundant, affordable, high-quality food and agricultural products for Texas and the world,” Lamb said.
“I’d like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Landivar for his years of service in Weslaco,” Lamb said. “They are appreciated, and we look forward to our continued work together in Corpus Christi.”
Jane Dever joins leadership team in Lubbock
Dever, a professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, will continue as the cotton breeding project leader while assuming the center’s associate director position.
Before joining AgriLife Research in 2008, Dever held positions as global cotton breeding manager for Bayer Crop Science, senior research scientist at BioTex Inc., engineer at Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and head of materials evaluation at Texas Tech University’s International Textile Center.
She has served on the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Advisory Council. She is also the recipient of two Texas A&M Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence, the Cotton Genetics Research Award and the Blue Legacy Award in Agriculture.
Dever is a Texas A&M Regents Service Fellow and Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in textile technology, a master’s degree in crop science and a doctorate in agronomy, all from Texas Tech.
“The Lubbock center has been a historical driver of Texas agriculture, and I’m excited for what’s in store as we continue to advance the state of science for Texans and the world,” Dever said.
John Jifon helps with leadership transitions in Weslaco
Jifon, a professor in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, will also continue his previous role in leading crop physiology research in addition to the interim director role.
Jifon’s work at the center has focused on increasing crop productivity, quality and sustainability through better environmental stress management and resource optimization. A particular focus of his research has been on crop adaptation to global atmospheric change and implications for productivity and food quality.
Before joining the center in 2002, Jifon was a postdoctoral fellow focusing on citrus stress physiology at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Citrus Research and Education Center.
Jifon holds a bachelor’s degree in ecological sciences from the University of Edinburgh, a master’s degree in physiological ecology from Mississippi State University and a doctorate in plant physiology from the Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science. He is also a graduate of the Texas A&M AgriLife Advanced Leadership Program.
“I am deeply honored to be nominated for this role as interim center director,” Jifon said. “I look forward to working with Dr. Lamb, our program leaders and ag industry stakeholders to prioritize and address several issues to ensure that our research and outreach activities continue to grow and benefit the people of Texas.”
