Extension and Community Engaged Higher Education: Lessons from Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and the US

Prof. George Owuor, Director, African Center of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture and Agribusiness Management (CESAAM), Egerton University.

Prof Owuor holds PhD in Agribusiness Management through a sandwich programme between Egerton University, Kenya and University of Kiel in Germany. He is an Agribusiness specialist, interested in capacity building and Participatory Impact Assessment (IA) research, covering crop and livestock value chains including nutrition, rural agricultural finance and enterprise development as well as land use management.

Dr. Richard Edema, Director, Director, Makerere University Regional Centre of Excellence for Crop Improvement (MaRCCI), Makerere University

Dr. Richard Edema’s educational background is in Plant Pathology and Biotechnology. He did his BSc & MSc in Agriculture from Makerere University, and his PhD in Plant Pathology (specializing in Molecular Virology) at The Ohio State University (OSU). His PhD research was on the “Genetics of Virulence of the Maize Streak Mastrevirus (MSV)”, a very damaging virus of maize across in Africa

Dr. Wellington Ekaya, Head of Capacity Development. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Dr. Wellington Ekaya, a Kenyan national has PhD in Systems Ecology from University of Nairobi’s Faculty of Science (1998). He is holder of Master of Science (1992) from University of Nairobi, specializing in ruminant and pasture nutrition. As Head of Capacity Development at the International Livestock Research Institute, Wellington’s key responsibilities include strategic leadership of ILRI’s Capacity Development portfolio, development of ILRI’s capacity development policies and guidelines, fostering institutional partnerships to harness new opportunities in capacity development, resource mobilization and knowledge dissemination.

Dr. Thomas Archibald, Associate Professor, Extension Specialist, and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech

Dr. Thomas Archibald directs the Feed the Future Senegal Youth in Agriculture project. His research and practice focus primarily on evaluation capacity building, evaluative thinking, and international positive youth development. A winner of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award and the Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Excellence in International Outreach, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society and is an Associate Editor of the journal Evaluation and Program Planning. He received his PhD in Adult and Extension Education from Cornell University in 2013.

Dr. Sharon Tusiime, Deputy Director, Makerere University Regional Centre of Excellence for Crop Improvement (MaRCCI)

Dr. Sharon Tusiime holds a Ph.D. in Horticulture with a minor in Crop Production and Physiology – Seed Science and Technology from Iowa State University and was appointed graduate student representative on the Dean’s Global Advisory Committee. Her Ph.D. work was aimed at improving tomato seed systems in Uganda. She obtained an MS in Horticulture and her research assisted farmers of Uganda in identifying horticultural practices for successful tomato production. Her research experience was supplemented through internships with the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services.

Dr. Alfred Ozimati, Lead, Horticulture and Orphan Crop Breeding & Research at Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement (MaRCCI)

Dr. Alfred Ozimati holds an undergraduate degree in Horticulture, and an MS degree in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems both from Makerere University. After his master’s degree in 2012, Alfred joined the national cassava breeding research in Uganda and was subsequently offered a fellowship for PhD studies at Cornell University, USA in Plant Breeding and Genetics.  Upon completion of his PhD (2018), he returned to Uganda and continued to work on cassava as a Post-Doctoral Scientist.

Dr. Tom Thompson, Associate Dean and Director CALS Global, Virginia Tech

Dr. Thompson is an agronomist and soil scientist. He has served in faculty and leadership positions at the University of Arizona, Texas Tech University, and Virginia Tech. Between 2011 and 2016, Dr. Thompson was a Professor and Department Head of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences. Dr. Thompson was named Director of CALS Global when it was officially formed in April 2017. In his role as professor and director of CALS Global, Dr. Thompson has engaged internationally in a variety of ways and in several countries. This has included managing international program implementation, research portfolio strategies, and partnership development. He is Executive Editor of the GAP Report.

Ben Grove, Associate Director Strategy and Administration for Virginia Cooperative Extension

Ben Grove's Extension-related international engagement has been with partners/projects primarily in Kenya, Senegal, and Ireland. He was a member of the CALS Global team for five years and the college’s advancement team for ten years. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Grove worked in the private sector for five years for a multinational agribusiness. He has a B.S. in Animal and Poultry Sciences, an MBA, and is pursuing a PhD in Planning, Governance, and Globalization in Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs. Grove is a founding member and past chair of the Globalizing Extension Innovation Network (GEIN) Council.