A 12-member search committee has been named for the new NDSU Extension Service director. Ken Grafton, NDSU interim vice president for agriculture and university Extension made the announcement Sept. 14. Long-serving director Duane Hauck announced plans to retire Dec. 31.

Hauck is responsible for dynamic statewide and national leadership to foster a high-quality and effective Extension Service program for North Dakota.

Grafton, selected Marcia McMullen, plant pathology professor and Extension specialist, to serve as chair of the search committee. Committee members include Jodi Bruns, Extension agent, Dickey County; Julie Garden-Robinson, associate professor and  Extension food and nutrition specialist; Deb Gebeke, Extension assistant director, family and consumer sciences; Mike Hanson, Extension district director, Bismarck, N.D.; Rodney Howe, chair, State Board of Agricultural Research and Education; Jerry Iverson, chair, North Dakota 4-H Foundation; Greg Lardy, professor and department head, animal sciences; Lori Lymburner, assistant to the Extension director; Frayne Olson, assistant professor, Extension crop economist; Rick Schmidt, Extension agent, Oliver County; and Ron Wiederholt, Extension area specialist, livestock nutrient management, Carrington, N.D. 

Advertising for the position began Sept. 21. The search committee will meet Nov. 3 to begin screening applications. “We will continue the recruitment and selection process to find an innovative leader to begin in the new year,” McMullen said. “The committee invites the university community to engage with the process by encouraging qualified individuals to apply.”

For more information on the position, visit http://jobs.ndsu.edu/postings/1180.