News Releases

Iowa State University Extension and the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine are consolidating two administrative positions to better integrate extension programs in agriculture and natural resources.

Gerald Miller will become director of the ISU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources program as of July 1. Miller also will maintain his current responsibilities as the College of Agriculture's associate dean for extension programs and outreach.

Paul Brown will be named the assistant director for the Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources program. Brown has served as the area extension education director in northeast Iowa for six years. Prior to that he served as an extension field specialist in farm management.

"Consolidating the associate dean and program director positions along with the use of an assistant program director will help bring the ISU Extension field staff closer together with campus faculty and staff, and improve the efficiency and quality of both colleges and their extension programs," according to Catherine Woteki, dean of the College of Agriculture.

In the combined position, Miller will provide leadership and coordination for the Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources program, a partnership of ISU Extension, the College of Agriculture and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension programs are carried out by field staff throughout the state and faculty and staff in departments and centers on the ISU campus.

Miller has been an associate dean for the College of Agriculture for six years. During his career he has led interdisciplinary studies and on-farm demonstrations on increasing efficiency of agricultural management practices and evaluating agriculture's impact on water quality. He also serves as ISU Extension liaison to state and federal agencies and organizations responsible for soil and water conservation programs.

"Gerald Miller and Paul Brown bring a blend of experience from campus and the field that position us well to serve Iowa agriculture now and in the future," said Stanley Johnson, vice provost for ISU Extension. "Brown also provides an improved field perspective for the program."

Brown has led several new ISU Extension programs in northeast Iowa, including the Dairy Center in Calmar, a cooperative venture of ISU Extension, Northeast Iowa Community College and the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation; the New Farm Family project, which is working to relocate immigrant farmers in Iowa; and an employee-training program with John Deere. Brown also helped establish the ISU Extension partnership with the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque.

Donald Lewis, who has served as the interim program director for the ISU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources program since January 2003, will return to his faculty position in the department of entomology and provide leadership for the Master Gardener and Urban Entomology programs.