Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 5/3/15

Dr. Travis Burke has been named as interim associate dean of NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service beginning July 1. Burke will serve until a new director, replacing retiring Director Dr. Joseph Zublena, is in place.

Burke is a 32-year Extension veteran, having joined the organization as a 4-H and livestock agent in Pasquotank County and working his way up to county Extension director in 1998 and then to his current position, Northeast District Extension director, in 2010. Growing up, he was involved in Extension’s 4-H program.

In announcing Burke’s appointment, CALS Dean Richard Linton said that Burke’s background “provided him with a thorough understanding of the complexities of Extension.”

Burke was featured in the summer 2014 edition of CALS Perspectives magazine, which noted his “tremendous energy and dedication to his work.”

Upon his appointment as incoming interim Extension director said he’s “grateful to have the opportunity to bridge the organization during this shift in leadership,” stating that Zublena “has set the path, and now we will continue to follow that course.”

According to Linton, a search committee is expected to advertise the position by late spring or early summer in hopes of announcing a successor by late 2015 or early 2016.