Feb. 28, 2023
Experiment Station, Bumpers faculty selected for LEAD21 leadership program
By Robby Edwards, director of communications
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Fast facts
- Mary Savin, Amanda Terrell selected to participate in LEAD21
- Program aims to develop leadership for research, academics, extension
(615 words)
PHOTO: Mary Savin, https://flic.kr/p/2nR84H8
Amanda Terrell, https://flic.kr/p/2ojp1Tr
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Two faculty members with the University of Arkansas’ Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station have been selected to participate in this year's Class 19 LEAD21 program.
Mary Savin and Amanda Terrell are two of 90 from across the nation selected for the 2023-24 class.
LEAD21 is a leadership program aimed at developing leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics and extension for leadership roles at colleges and universities across the nation.
"This is a tremendous honor and opportunity for both Mary and Amanda to be chosen for LEAD21," said Jean-Francois Meullenet, interim dean and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station for the UA System Division of Agriculture. "They are both excellent faculty members, and this experience will allow them to further expand their skills through this leadership development program and network with other rising leaders across the country. The focus on the land-grant system clearly aligns with our mission and purpose of meeting needs in areas of teaching and education, research, and service and outreach."
Savin is a professor of microbial ecology and soil biology in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences. She is also assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, where she works to expand collaborative efforts in advancing food and agriculture research initiatives across the state and nationally. A Qualified Environmental Professional certified through the Institute of Professional Environmental Practice, she researches the microbial ecology of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Terrell is associate professor of human development and family sciences in the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Her scholarly focus is interdisciplinary, mixed-method research on adolescent and emerging adult health and development in diverse contexts, with emphasis on families, communities and digital landscapes.
LEAD21 was established in 2004 to address the needs of future leaders in the 21st Century within the land-grant system. Working in regular small group meetings combined with three week-long immersive sessions, participants learn effective leadership skills for increasingly complex higher education environments as well as strategies for influencing institutional transformation in their current and future leadership positions.
The program is targeted at faculty specialists, program and team leaders, research station and center directors, district and regional directors, department heads and chairs, and others in land-grant university colleges of agricultural, environmental and human sciences, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The 90 participating faculty and administrators selected for Class 19 are here.
"LEAD21 is a long-standing leadership development program that has supported faculty and administrators across our land-grant system for nearly 20 years," said Cynda Clary, LEAD21 Board of Directors chair and associate dean for the Ferguson College of Agriculture at Oklahoma State University. "Our land-grant systems continue to evolve to better address society's needs. With each challenge and opportunity, prepared leaders are needed to step up and move us forward. LEAD21 helps build this leadership capacity within and across institutions."
Savin and Terrell join recent selections from Bumpers College and the Division of Agriculture:
LEAD21 2022
- Chris Estepp, associate professor of agricultural education, department of agricultural education, communications and technology
- Jeremy Ross, professor and extension agronomist, department of crop, soil and environmental sciences
- Ioannis Tzanetakis, professor of plant virology, department of entomology and plant pathology
LEAD21 2021
- Jacquelyn Wiersma-Mosley, professor of human development and family sciences, School of Human Environmental Sciences, and Bumpers College assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion
LEAD21 2020
- Jill Rucker, associate professor of agricultural leadership and communications, department of agricultural education, communications and technology
- Bob Scott, senior association vice president for agriculture-extension and director of the Cooperative Extension Service
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and on Instagram at @ArkAgResearch.
To learn about Extension Programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit https://uaex.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AR_Extension and Instagram at @AR_Extension.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.