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5 New Regional Extension Directors Begin
Iowa Ag Connection - 06/02/2020

Beth Frankenstein, Anne Tedore, Julie Hering Kent, Justin Akers and Craig Leager have been hired to fill new regional director positions with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. They began June 1.

Frankenstein will serve as director for Region 2, covering Dickinson, Emmet, Clay and Palo Alto counties. Since 2011, Frankenstein has been director of student development, secondary programs and transitions at Northwest Iowa Community College, Sheldon. Previously she served at Northwest Iowa Community College as a counselor and academic adviser. Earlier she had been a business office associate and payroll coordinator at Morningside College in Sioux City.

Tedore will serve as director for Region 9, covering Hardin, Grundy, Marshall and Tama counties. Since 2019, Tedore has been a field specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach 4-H Youth Development. Previously she served as the lead child, youth and school-aged services coordinator with the Indiana National Guard. In addition, she served as the interim child, youth and school-aged services coordinator with the Minnesota National Guard. She also has experience as program director and service coordinator with the Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program in Iowa City.

Kent will serve as director for Region 22, covering Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page counties. Since 2008, Kent has been executive director of the Cherokee, Iowa, Chamber of Commerce. Previously she served as Cass County youth program coordinator and interim county extension education director with ISU Extension and Outreach Cass County. She also has teaching experience in the Atlantic Public School System.

Akers will serve as director for Region 23, covering Adams, Union, Taylor and Ringgold counties. Since 2010 he has been employed by Graceland University, Lamoni, currently as assistant professor of business administration and previously as adjunct professor of ag business, and as director of the Sandage Center for the Study of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. In addition, he is a co-owner and co-manager of a distributorship for FodderWorks sprouting equipment and is a self-employed crop and livestock farmer in Kellerton.

Leager will serve as director for Region 26, covering Wapello, Jefferson, Davis and Van Buren counties. Since 2018 Leager has been national manager of advanced certifications with National Institute for STEM Education, Houston, Texas. Previously he served as a K-12 science consultant with Great Prairie Area Education Agency, Ottumwa. He also has 17 years of experience with the Des Moines Public Schools, in roles ranging from teacher to content specialist to principal.

The new regional director positions were created as part of a restructuring in ISU Extension and Outreach to better serve Iowa's 99 counties, according to Andrea Nelson, assistant vice president for county services. Since 2009, ISU Extension and Outreach has operated with 20 regions, varying in size from three to eight counties, each served by a regional director.

"With the new structure that takes effect statewide July 1, ISU Extension will have 27 regions, each served by a regional director. Three regions are one-county regions -- Polk, Story and Dallas. The remaining 24 regions each include three to five counties," Nelson explained.

Regional directors from the previous configuration have been assigned to the new regions and will shift into their new positions on July 1. Searches have been conducted or are in progress to fill the remaining vacancies, Nelson said.


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