AMES, Iowa – Rick Woten has accepted the position of regional director with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach serving Appanoose, Monroe, Wayne and Lucas counties in southern Iowa. He begins the position July 1. As regional director, Woten will provide administrative leadership to county extension offices that meet legal obligations of the extension districts and oversee delivery of educational programs that align with the needs of the area.
Woten has spent the last 15 years in academic, public history and organizational leadership roles. Currently he holds several faculty, adjunct faculty and instructor positions at various colleges and universities in Iowa and West Virginia. He regularly teaches diverse student bodies in urban and satellite locations and virtually. He was honored with an Iowa State University Graduate and Professional Student Senate Teaching Award in 2008 and several other teaching excellence awards. He is currently the director for the Wapello County Historical Society and Museum. In November 2020, Woten was elected to the ISU Extension and Outreach Council for Wapello County. Prior to entering graduate school, he spent almost a decade as a professional forester.
“Rick has much experience in volunteer and staff development, strategic and financial planning, and partnership collaboration. We are pleased he has accepted the role of regional director,” said Andrea Nelson, assistant vice president with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We congratulate and welcome him to ISU Extension and Outreach.”
Woten received a bachelor’s degree in history and forestry, master’s degree in history and doctorate in history from Iowa State University.
ISU Extension and Outreach is part of the federal Cooperative Extension Service — a network of more than 100 land-grant institutions, including Iowa State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture serving communities and counties across the United States. Every county in Iowa has an elected extension council that decides how to support ISU Extension and Outreach educational programs at the county level.
For more information about ISU Extension and Outreach, visit www.extension.iastate.edu or contact the ISU Extension and Outreach office in Appanoose, Monroe, Wayne or Lucas County.
Shareable photo: Rick Woten
