Annual leadership meetings focus on NERCRD 2026 plan of work
November 10, 2025
Over the course of two recent meetings, members of the NERCRD’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Board of Directors (BOD), and staff gathered virtually to review the Center’s research and outreach accomplishments during the past year and to establish programming emphases for the coming year.
The TAC meeting, held virtually on September 18, 2025, was chaired by Dr. Heather Stephens (West Virginia University), who has served as the TAC Chair since 2019. The focus of this meeting was to review the Center’s work as it pertains to the broad priority areas set during last year’s meeting, and to make recommendations for the BOD’s consideration. The TAC recommended that the Center’s work in the coming year continue to address the broad topic areas of:
- Economic Development, Resilience, and Innovation
- Food Systems, Nutrition Security, and Agriculture
- Capacity Building and Facilitation
As TAC Chair, Stephens presented these recommendations during a subsequent meeting with the BOD on October 30. BOD members discussed and adopted the recommendations in a BOD-only session chaired by Dr. Richard C. Rhodes III (University of Rhode Island and agInnovation Northeast), who has served as BOD Chair since 2019.
This year’s meeting also marked several changes to the composition of the Board:
- Dr. Troy Ott, Dean of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and Director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, filled the position vacated by Dr. Blair Siegfried, who stepped down after taking a new position at Penn State.
- Dr. Jinhee Kim, Associate Dean and Associate Director of Extension at the University of Maryland, filled the position vacated by Dr. Lisa Townson, Associate Dean of Extension and Agricultural Programs at the University of Rhode Island, whose term ended this year.
- Dr. Edwin Lewis, who assumed the role of USDA NIFA Program Leader earlier this year after Dr. Sarah Rocker stepped down.
The NERCRD team extends its sincere gratitude to all members of its BOD and TAC for their generous contributions of time and expertise! Learn more about the people who serve on the BOD and TAC: