Jackson began his extension career in 1985 with Mississippi State University, serving as a 4-H youth agent in Hancock County, Miss. From 1987 to 1991, he was an agriculture and natural resources extension agent in Lauderdale County, MS.

After a year as a graduate associate at Ohio State University Extension’s Ohio Center for Action on Coalition Development, Jackson returned to Mississippi Cooperative Extension, serving Lauderdale and Kemper Counties as an area extension agent for forestry and horticulture from 1992 to 1994.

Jackson joined Ohio State University Extension as director of the 16-county South District in 1995. After being named statewide personnel leader in 2000, he directed the organization’s human resources functions, including needs assessment, job analysis, job design, performance management, recruitment, hiring, compensation, and benefits.

Jackson is a member of several professional organizations, including the national extension honorary society Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, and the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, which recognized him with its 1993 Achievement in Service Award.

Jackson received dual bachelor’s degrees (forestry, banking and finance) and a master’s degree (extension education) from Mississippi State University in 1984 and 1990, respectively. He earned his doctorate in agricultural education from The Ohio State University in 1994.

Penn State Agriculture recently spoke with Jackson about his new position.

Why were you interested in this position at Penn State?

Penn State and Penn State Cooperative Extension are nationally recognized as one of the top land grant universities and extension systems. I believe the associate director position here provides a wonderful opportunity to continue my professional growth. I am excited about the direction of outreach programs at Penn State, and I believe Penn State’s philosophy of what a land-grant university should be is consistent with my personal philosophy.

What role can and should cooperative extension play in today’s society?

Cooperative extension has evolved greatly over the past 90 years. Its core mission has not changed, and that is to serve as a link between the people of the state and the land-grant institution. The need for that role has only increased over time. I believe cooperative extension must continue to evolve in ways that support our traditional audiences and seek partnerships and resources to reach new audiences to solve the new problems faced by Pennsylvania.

What are extension’s great-est opportunities and challenges?

I believe we are faced with the greatest opportunities of my career. The whole landscape of higher education has shifted and continues to shift toward a more extension-friendly view of scholarship. Our challenge is how we respond to these shifts and how we capitalize on our 90 years of experience. Our greatest challenges and opportunities are the same. We must continue to transform into a more flexible and agile organization. We must respond to issues quickly. We must make a positive impact on agriculture, the economy, the environment, and the lives of individuals, families, and communities in Pennsylvania. We have to do a better job of securing resources and partnerships.

Penn State Cooperative Extension, like other state systems throughout the country, is dealing with shrinking resources and the loss of positions. How do you think extension can best respond to this?

I am very optimistic about our future. I’ve seen several budget cycles in my career and I’ve come to realize that the programs we provide are valuable to the people we serve. As long as we make a real and positive difference in people’s lives there will be continued public support for what we do. The layoffs experienced recently in Pennsylvania are unfortunate. Their impact on a people-centered organization like extension is always difficult. We have to realize we cannot maintain continuing personnel costs at such a high percentage of our budget. We must create more flexibility through permanent reduction of positions and budget growth. This increased flexibility will allow us to invest more in our current staff and will provide the agility needed to respond quickly to complex issues.

What are your first priorities in your new position?

My first priority is to get to know the people, systems, processes, and history of Penn State Cooperative Extension. I expect that to be a full-time job for a while, and it should give me a good idea of the current condition of the organization as a whole. After that, I want to identify areas of excellence and areas for improvement. I want to make sure our staff is recognized for their teaching, applied research, and scholarship. I want to find ways to support and encourage identifying local issues, gathering information, building partnerships, and facilitating decision making that addresses those issues.

Where are you from?

I grew up on a small farm in Webster County, Mississippi, which is in north-central Mississippi. Both parents were employed full-time off the farm. The area was very rural. We were three miles from the nearest paved road and my high school graduating class had 30 members. 4-H was not very active in our county, but I was active in FFA. I have one brother, who lives about an hour from our parents who are now retired on the family farm.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment at Ohio State?

I believe my greatest contribution at OSU was leading two different units through some difficult circumstances and having both recognized as providing excellence in programs and support. I think my longest-term contribution to OSU Extension was in the development of leaders through my work on our administrative team and with agents and county chairs, which are called county extension directors in Pennsylvania. I was fortunate to be involved in the hiring process over the past three years. We hired many outstanding new agents. I believe they will bring new program ideas and a continuing renewal to the organization. I left OSU very excited about the future of extension and the young leadership that was developing in the organization. I hope I contributed to that in some way.

What attracted you to extension as a career?

I really got into extension by accident. I was recruited after being laid off from a consulting forestry company. After learning about extension, I realized it was a perfect fit for my values and beliefs. That feeling has been tested over the years, but primarily it has gotten stronger. Where else but extension can you help people to improve their lives, their community, and the natural resources we all depend upon? Where else can you enjoy the diversity of people and ideas, the academic debate, and the open sharing of opinions than at a university? Where else can you combine the two but in a land-grant university and in extension?

Tell us about your family.

My wife, Kim, and I have three girls. Carrie is 22 and a student at Ohio State. Ashley is 16, in high school, and already knows more than her parents. Morgan is 9 and is active on a club soccer team and in gymnastics. Kim recently worked as a preschool teacher but is currently spending her time managing our transition from Ohio to Pennsylvania. She loves art, particularly ceramics, and is excited about getting involved in activities in Happy Valley.

Will you have any trouble rooting for the Nittany Lions when they face the Buckeyes in Big Ten wars?

I do know that my paycheck now comes in blue and white. I’ll be an avid Nittany Lion fan. Being an alumnus and having many connections to OSU, I won’t be disappointed if the Buckeyes win all their Big Ten games but one. It’s also going to provide opportunities to maintain our Ohio friendships. I’m already looking for tickets for the many friends who plan to travel over from Columbus.

I may have difficulty if Penn State’s Women’s Basketball team faces Mississippi State in the NCAA tournament. And I would really like to see Penn State’s Baseball team go to a regional tournament at Mississippi State. I would have to take a few vacation days for that!

—Chuck Gill