Contact: Dr. Bill Braden, (979) 845-7808
COLLEGE STATION---The Texas Agricultural Extension Service has named Dr. Richard Cummins to head its leadership programs. Cummins will coordinate the TALL (Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership) program and the Leadership Extension program and give overall direction to the organization's initiative in leadership development.
"We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Cummins join our faculty," said Dr. Zerle L. Carpenter, Extension Service director. "Leadership development is so crucial within our Extension professional ranks and within the state's agricultural and agribusiness industries and in rural communities. We must continue to focus on training individuals to be the leaders of tomorrow if Texas is to prosper."
Dr. Chester Fehlis, executive associate director of the Extension Service, called Cummins a "leadership scholar" with the knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm to move Extension leadership programs forward.
"Dr. Cummins has devoted several years of his life to research and studies about leadership, and we are confident that he will direct our leadership training programs to the highest level," Fehlis said. "We are especially fortunate to have him direct our TALL program because we believe it is critical to the future agricultural leadership in Texas."
Cummins holds a bachelor's degree from West Texas A&M University at Canyon and has master's and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M. Most recently he has been a lecturer in leadership studies in Texas A&M's Department of Agricultural Education and has been co-director of the Eisenhower Leadership Development Program.
"We are in a rapidly changing world," Cummins said, "and being able to lead change is difficult. It requires not only skill, intellect and means, but also vision, desire and practice. The TALL program provides a real-life laboratory to foster development opportunities for agricultural leaders, and I look forward to the opportunity to assist with their development."
TALL, a two-year program which the Extension Service launched in 1987, has a solid track record in providing high quality leadership training for young men and women who aspire leadership positions in Texas' agricultural industry, Fehlis said.
The TALL Foundation Board is chaired by former Gov. Dolph Briscoe of Uvalde. "It is essential to have a leadership program such as TALL for the future of Texas agriculture," Briscoe said. "To date, TALL has graduated four classes of outstanding young men and women who will lead Texas and the nation in our agricultural industry in the years ahead. I am extremely proud of what TALL has accomplished so far, and I know it will continue to produce topnotch leaders who will impact state, national and international issues related to agriculture."
Another staunch advocate of TALL is Jimmy Powell, a rancher at Fort McKavett and vice chair of the TALL Foundation Board. "TALL is a necessary activity for the betterment of the future of agriculture," Powell said. "It is necessary that young business people in agriculture understand the need for becoming active and vitally interested in the ancillary industries that support agriculture as well as the political entities that support and regulate the industry. I commend these young people who have the energy and interest to undertake this vital leadership program."
Brian Gilbert of Houston is a graduate of TALL and is president of the 103-member TALL Alumni Association. He also is executive vice president of the Houston Milk Producers Federal Credit Union. "TALL is the epitome of leadership programs in agriculture. I thank the Texas Agricultural Extension Service for starting this program about nine years ago," Gilbert said. "Because of TALL, we should be blessed with great agricultural leadership for the future of this state and nation."
Another TALL graduate is Brenda Kellermeier of San Angelo where she is vice president at Boatmen's Bank. "TALL has provided a wealth of knowledge about agriculture and its relationship to a variety of industries and governmental issues," Kellermeier said. "It is an excellent network of educated agricultural leaders who will be responsible for carrying agriculture into the next century."
A new TALL class has just been named after an extensive statewide application and interview process. The 30 members of this class will begin their TALL experience on July 16.
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