October 1, 2020
On September 25th 2020, at the conclusion of the Association’s virtual Fall Business Meeting, Dr. Jim Hanson (Associate Director/Associate Dean University of Maryland Extension) stepped down as Chair and passed the gavel to Dr. Brian Schilling (Director, Rutgers Cooperative Extension; Senior Associate Director, NJ Agricultural Experiment Station). Dr. Shilling will serve as NEED’s Chair through September 2021. Congratulations Brian!
To learn more about Dr. Schilling and his vision for this year please visit the Letter from the Chair.
NEED sincerely thanks Dr. Hanson for his leadership over the past year which saw the organization embrace its ability to serve members with valuable professional development opportunities, launch a new website, and provide a venue for information sharing and support during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, among other successes.
We also offer our gratitude to Dr. Ken La Valley (Vice Provost of Outreach and Engagement/Director, UNH Extension) as he rotates off the NEED Executive Committee for his service as Chair and then Past Chair. Dr. La Valley’s laser focus on results oriented programming, meeting design, and conversation pushed NEED constantly toward organizational excellence.
Finally, we welcome Dr. Hannah Carter (Dean of Extension, University of Maine) to NEED’s leadership team! Dr. Carter’s energy, enthusiasm, and keen insight will be as asset to the Executive Committee.