March 15, 2005

COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Carol Rice, Texas Cooperative Extension health specialist, has been named the new program leader for Family Development and Resource Management. She began her new duties on March 1.

Dr. Judy Warren, associate director of human sciences and Rice's predecessor as program leader, made the announcement.

"Since she joined Extension in June 1995, Dr. Rice has demonstrated strong leadership in building outcome programs in health, specifically in work site wellness and cancer prevention education," Warren said. "She initiated Walk Across Texas in collaboration with District 5 agents in 1996. She collaborated with Dr. (Mickey) Bielamowicz and Courtney Schoessow on diabetes prevention and management, developing the outcome program Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes."

Recently Rice has worked with Dean McCorkle, Extension economic accountability program specialist, to determine the economic impact of the two programs.

She also co-produces, with Janet Pollard, the Health Hints online newsletter, which has thousands of downloads each month, Rice said.

Whether working with Extension agents or other specialists, she said, "We're always a team."

Rice earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and a master's degree from the University of California at San Francisco. Her doctorate is from the University of Texas at Austin. Rice is a registered nurse.

Rice began her nursing career in 1967 at Seton Hospital in Austin. In 1974, she was named assistant professor with the University of Texas Health Science Center's School of Nursing in Houston. In 1985, she became an assistant professor with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

From 1985 to 1995, she was a specialist with the University of Texas School of Nursing in Arlington. Since 1995, she has been a professor and health specialist with Extension, serving at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Rice is a member of several organizations and committees, including the American Diabetes Association, Epsilon Sigma Phi, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, Texas Cancer Data Center advisory committee of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Comprehensive Cancer Control Council, and the Texas Department of State Health Services Promotora / Community Health Worker advisory committee.

She has received many honors and awards, including Extension's 2001 Director's Award for Innovative Application of Information Technology in Extension Education for Health Tech Camp's "It's Cool in the Shade." She was also given Extension's 2001 Superior Service Award, and Texas Extension Association's 2000 Family and Consumer Science Distinguished Achievement Award.