CARROLL, Iowa -- Terry Torneten says he is fortunate in his new job as a regional extension education director (REED) for Iowa State University Extension. He gets to work with dedicated, committed staff in all six counties he serves.

Torneten, who had been Shelby County extension director in Harlan since 2002, took the Region 12 post effective Aug. 1. The region includes Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Shelby, Audubon and Guthrie counties.

Torneten has his office in the Carroll County Extension Office, 1205 West U.S. Highway 30, Suite G, Carroll, Iowa. He can be reached by phone at (712) 792-2364 and by e-mail at ttorn@iastate.edu.

The restructuring of extension, brought about by budget reductions at ISU, gives the organization an opportunity to “highlight the resources that exist and the expertise that we have available,” Torneten said. The region will have youth program specialist Earl McAlexander to work with 4-H youth development in every county, and will have about the same number of program specialists housed in the area as before, although those assignments will not be finalized until sometime in September.

Extension resources such as the Hortline for telephone consultations on lawn and garden questions and Answerline for other home and family issues may get more use than in the past, but they also provide access to high level expertise.

ISU Extension supports healthy people, healthy environments and healthy economies. Torneten said some ISU Extension programming may cross regional lines when it is appropriate to provide the best service to clients, and there will be ongoing evaluation of regional needs.

Torneten holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s in management from Bellevue University. He taught and worked in banking before joining ISU Extension. He and his wife Stacy, who is a physical therapist in Harlan, have two children, ages 5 and 19 months, and live on an acreage near Harlan.

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