Ripley to retire after 34-plus years with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Long and distinguished career has included supervisory, administrative and leadership roles
Jeff Ripley, Ph.D., associate director for county operations with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will retire Aug. 31 after more than 34 years of service with the agency.
In his latest agency position, which he has held since 2014, Ripley provided leadership for the 12 AgriLife Extension district administrators who supervise all county agents across the state. His primary responsibilities included directing the recruitment, hiring and supervision of county staff and serving as the administrative liaison for various county commissioners courts.
“We want to share our heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Ripley for his steady leadership and impact on the agency throughout his professional career,” said Rick Avery, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension director. “Through his consistent guidance and encouragement, our agents have been empowered to touch the lives of countless Texans and skillfully share our story across all 254 counties.”
Avery said Texas has the strongest county network in the U.S. land-grant Extension system, and the consistent direction Ripley has provided to its county operations has been a driving influence on the agency’s reputation and achievements.
“His work has created a lasting contribution to AgriLife Extension and our employees, plus helped us build a foundation toward the agency’s future success,” Avery said. “We are grateful to Jeff for sharing his remarkable talents with us and, on behalf of our entire agency, we wish him the very best in his next chapter of life.”
About Ripley
Ripley holds a bachelor’s in agribusiness from Tarleton State University, a master’s in agricultural education from Texas State University and a doctorate in agricultural education from Texas A&M University.
Before becoming associate director for county operations, he served as associate professor and AgriLife Extension specialist for program development.
Ripley’s other agency appointments include serving as the district administrator in Corpus Christi, where he was responsible for coordinating AgriLife Extension programs in 18 Coastal Bend counties and supervising a staff of approximately 60 county agents. He also served as a county director and county agent for a total of 18 years, serving in Guadalupe, Williamson, Palo Pinto, Tom Green and Travis counties.
Ripley said he is proud of the advancements in the agency, including improving career ladders for agents and mid-managers and developing a new salary structure. But what Ripley said he enjoyed the most during his career was the time he spent around coworkers, clientele, partners and friends.
“Having had the opportunity to work in locations across the state has been tremendous,” Ripley said. “Working in rural and urban settings has allowed me to see a different side of AgriLife Extension with a variety of clientele. It gave me a new perspective on the agency and all it had to offer the people of Texas.”
Ripley credited Kyle Smith, retired AgriLife Extension executive associate director, with being one of the people who significantly influenced him throughout his career.
“Kyle served the longest in the position I am in today,” he said. “He has been a mentor and friend and a person I can call with any questions and crazy ideas. I also want to mention all of my supervisors and the team of district administrators and county directors in place right now who have made this job enjoyable.”
Ripley said he considers AgriLife Extension as a family and feels the connections and friends he has made in the organization will last a lifetime.
“That’s the part I’ll miss the most,” he said.
