Thoughts from the Director

The Administrative Cabinet – which includes me as Extension interim director and Operations director, Greg Davis (department chair and associate director), Jeff McCutcheon (Operations assistant director), Julie Fox (Strategic Initiatives and Urban Engagement director), the four assistant directors/state program leaders (Pat Bebo, Kirk Bloir, David Civittolo, Andy Londo), and our new Learning and Organizational Development director (Teresa McCoy) – will hold a retreat in mid-January. We will do some team building, discuss how to work more efficiently and effectively, review the road show feedback, and set some strategic and realistic goals for the next year. 

As I announced recently, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Teresa McCoy to Ohio as the next director of the Learning and Organizational Development (LOD) unit – effective Jan. 2. Teresa comes to us from the University of Maryland Extension, where she has been the assistant director for evaluation and assessment since August 2008. Prior to her work in Maryland, Teresa was executive director of the Public Services Institute at Lorain County Community College in Ohio. Teresa’s expertise in developing and evaluating programs, building the capacity of faculty and staff, and demonstrating the significant impact of Extension work will be vital to our entire team of OSU Extension professionals. 

Positive preparation: If you are interested in being considered to participate in Extension’s diversity task force, which is scheduled to start functioning in January, please contact me. 

Upcoming communication: Look for the next News and Notes in early January, followed by videos from yours truly starting in early 2020. 

I hope you are all able to take some much-deserved time off to enjoy fellowship with family and friends during this winter holiday season. Be sure to make time for yourself – to get refreshed, rejuvenated, and re-motivated to be truly Land-Grant Fierce! in the months ahead.