Jon E. Irby, D. Ed.
National Program Leader:
Leadership and Volunteer Development, CSREES-USDA
Since February of 1996 Dr. Irby has served a the National Program Leader for the base program of Leadership and Volunteer Development. This base program serves multiple programs in the Extension Community, including agriculture, family, community development and youth development. He serves as co-chair the national support team for the strategic plan developed for this base program. During the previous year, he has worked in a liaison role to the National Association of Counties (NACo) from CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) of USDA, where co-authored a publication "Where the Rubber Meets the Road"--New Governance Issues in America's Rural Communities. He joined the Extension Service of USDA in 1981 as a National Program Leader with responsibilities for long-range planning, program planning, annual reports and youth issues. A key accomplishment was to complete the first two stages of the National Extension Initiative on Youth At Risk. Served as co-chair of the National Task Force and completed the Task Force Report and four implementation workshops across the United States. Youth at Risk is well accepted in the Extension Community. This initiative is serving to encourage land grant universities to expand their outreach to youth and families in new approaches. New collaboration efforts have resulted in Memorandums of Understanding with other U.S. Government departments including Department of Justice and Department of Transportation. Prior to his current assignment with Leadership and Volunteer Development, Dr. Irby served as the Interim Assistant Deputy Administrator for Families, 4-H, and Nutrition with responsibility for program and staff coordination in support of the Deputy Administrator, Families, 4-H and Nutrition Managing the Unit Budget, travel allocations, monitoring of staff projects and insuring timely completion, guiding the transition of the Youth at Risk and Plight of Young Children Initiative team process, and monitoring the National 4-H Strategic Planning process, and the merger of the ES and CSRS agencies into the new unit of CSREES were the major assignments in this position. >From 1977 to 1981, Dr. Irby served as Regional Director for Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Illinois. He was the administrator in northeast Illinois Extension region, supervising 60 to 65 professional staff in the areas of Agriculture, Home Economics, 4-H, and Community Resource Development. Position involved personnel and program leadership. This region ranged from metropolitan Chicago to highly productive rural agriculture enterprises. Also served in various committee assignments and the Associate Vice President's Administrative Council. SUMMARY OF EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
B.S. 1963 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
M.S .1967 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
D.Ed. 1973 The Pennsylvania State University,
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