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NC State CALS announces new Extension director
Story Date: 11/18/2015
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Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 11/17/15
Dear Partners of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences:
I am pleased to announce that Dr. A. Richard Bonanno of Methuen, Mass., has been appointed director of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and the associate dean of NC State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He will join us Feb. 1, 2016.
To the position, Dr. Bonanno brings strong experience in and commitment to agriculture, extension education, and leadership. In addition to owning a successful vegetable and flower operation just north of Boston, Dr. Bonanno has been an adjunct professor and extension educator with the University of Massachusetts since 1989. His focus has been vegetable and small fruit weed management for the six New England states. He has also provided leadership for New England in training efforts related to fresh produce food safety.
Dr. Bonanno also has significant administrative and leadership experience, having served for the past six years as president of the 6,000-member Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation. In that volunteer position, his work has focused on local, state and national regulatory and legislative issues affecting agriculture. He has also served on the American Farm Bureau Federation board of directors.
While Dr. Bonanno has spent much of his life in Massachusetts, he is not a stranger to North Carolina. In fact, after earning his Ph.D. in plant physiology and horticultural crops from Oregon State University in 1982, he joined the faculty at NC State, serving as a Cooperative Extension weed specialist and CALS researcher for vegetable crops from 1983 to 1989.
Dr. Bonanno will succeed Dr. Travis Burke, who has done an outstanding job leading extension as interim associate dean and extension director over the past 5 months. I would like to personally thank Dr. Burke for guiding NC State’s largest outreach program through crucial phases of its strategic plan and helping position the organization for continued success.
I also would like to extend my appreciation to Dr. John Dole, chair, and the rest of the search committee for their efforts in attracting such a strong and talented pool of candidates for this important position.
I hope you will join me in welcoming Richard to the NC State University leadership team.
Go Pack!
Sincerely,
Rich
Richard H. Linton
Dean
NC State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
112 Patterson Hall
Raleigh, NC 27695
rhlinton@ncsu.edu
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