Sea Grant names three finalists for Extension leader post

Oregon Sea Grant has named three finalists for the post of Sea Grant Extension program leader, being vacated by the retirement of Jay Ramussen. The candidates, who have been invited to the Oregon State University campus in May for interviews and public presentations, are:

  • Professor Conner Bailey,  Department of Agriculture and Rural Sociology,  Auburn University
  • Dr. Tom DeGomez, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson
  • James Humphreys, Fisheries Director, Americas for the Marine Stewardship Council, Seattle, Washington

Details about the candidates and their interview schedules are  posted on the Sea Grant Web site . We hope to offer an online video feed of their public presentations for those unable to attend; when the video links are available, they will be listed there as well.

Ramussen, who has served as the program’s Associate Director as well as leading a 17-member Sea Grant Extension team since 1996,  formally retired earlier this year but has been serving on an interim basis until his successor is named. Earlier this month, he was the recipient of OSU Extension’s Alberta Johnson award for exemplary leadership.

Sea Grant Extension is the public outreach and engagement arm of Oregon Sea Grant, bringing the resources of research and higher education to bear on real-world issues important to those who live near, earn their livelihoods from, and care about the state’s ocean and coast.  Extension faculty and staff work on the Oregon coast and across the state to address critical marine and coastal issues. They  include include community-based agents, subject-matter specialists and educators based at OSU’s  coastal research stations, in county Extension offices and on the main OSU campus in Corvallis.