MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Ronald A. Brown of Starkville recently earned national recognition for his career of service to agriculture and Extension programming.
Brown, the executive director of the Association of Southern Region Extension Directors, recently was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. The CSREES is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's agency that administers the Extension Service system nationally.
The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have worked in activities exemplifying CSREES' efforts to promote excellence in research, education and extension on local, regional, national or international levels. Hall of Fame members have demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on the agency.
Brown works with Cooperative Extension Service directors in 13 Southern states to promote efficiency and effectiveness by expanding multistate Extension programs through electronic technology and the sharing of resources.
Brown was a driving force and supporter for eXtension, an educational partnership of more than 70 universities. The Web site, located at http://www.extension.org, provides links to land-grant university sites to provide information on objective, research-based information and educational opportunities.
He served as Mississippi State University's Extension Service director from 1996 to 2001. He was associate vice president of MSU's Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine from 1989 to 1996. He also served as director of the Office of International Programs and held the rank of professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural Education and Experimental Statistics.
Brown received his bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural education from MSU and a doctorate from the University of Illinois. He has written or co-authored more than 50 articles, papers and manuscripts. Brown developed a firsthand knowledge of agriculture during the many years he lived on a diversified livestock, row crop and vegetable farm in Lee County.
