Our Esteemed Leader Gets Positive PR @ UK

Some nice PR for our man in the Ivory Towers of UK, Dr. Ron Hustedde... gotta love their intro:

In a Dry Season, a Career Was Born

If the rain had not ended in Costa Rica, Ron Hustedde might have never begun the career path that led him to the UK Cooperative Extension Service and two national awards.

Years ago, Hustedde, who is an extension professor in Community and Leadership Development, was a rice researcher in Costa Rica as a Peace Corps volunteer. Rice grows in the rainy season, so when dry weather came, Hustedde used his time to work with Costa Rican youth, helping them learn to be leaders. That’s when he knew he had begun to find his niche.

Once back in the states, Hustedde began to acquire more education (three master’s degrees and a doctorate) and more experience, including five years as an extension agent in community development.

He has been at UK since 1990. His extension work here initially focused on training extension agents and other community leaders to lead discussion of public issues. It was a natural move from that work into public conflict resolution. Hustedde began to develop a state and national reputation in helping groups resolve controversial issues and training others to do the same.

In recent years, Hustedde’s focus has been on fostering an entrepreneurial culture in Kentucky through his brainchild, the Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute. It is a training ground for people who provide the psychological and social support for entrepreneurs.

The institute has been funded by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund under the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy. It has graduated two classes of coaches so far in northeastern Kentucky and earlier this year expanded into 22 counties in the south-central part of the state. Larry Jones in Agricultural Economics is co-principal investigator for the project.

Hustedde received the 2007 National Excellence in Extension Award, the highest award presented by U.S. Cooperative Extension Service and the National Association of Public Universities and Land Grant Colleges. The award presentation noted his “visionary leadership on emerging issues, high program impact, commitment to diversity, and partnerships with university colleagues and outside clientele.”

Hustedde also received the Rural Sociological Society’s 2007 Excellence in Extension and Public Service Award.