Hamilton Hired As Watauga Extension Director

Story by Anna Oakes

Top: Jim Hamilton served as an extension agent in Watauga County from 2002 to 2005, when he worked with the Christmas tree industry.

Below: Hamilton (right), a forestry instructor at Haywood Community College, has been hired as the director of the Watauga County Center of the Cooperative Extension Service.

Jim Hamilton, a former Watauga Cooperative Extension Service agent who has spent the past few years in higher education, will return to serve as the county’s new Cooperative Extension director beginning January 4, 2010.

Hamilton, who is currently a forestry instructor at Haywood Community College, replaces Sue Counts, who retired November 1, 2008, after 10 years as director. Karee Mackey has served as the interim director since Counts retired.

“I feel the public outreach mission of Extension fits my personal goals of working on hands-on issues that affect the health and livelihood of individuals and promoting environmentally responsible practices,” Hamilton said. “I gained a lot of experience writing and managing grants and projects over the last five years in higher ed and am looking forward to applying my background and interests in this new position.”

Hamilton served as a Watauga County extension agent from October 2002 to February 2005, when he became assistant professor of forestry outreach for the Alabama A&M University Center for Forestry and Ecology, where he served until February 2006. He has worked at Haywood Community College since March 2006.

Prior to joining Cooperative Extension in 2002, Hamilton worked as an environmental scientist for TRC Garrow and Associates, an extension trainer for CHP International and a regional campus recruiter for the U.S. Peace Corps.

Hamilton holds a doctorate in forestry from N.C. State University, a master’s degree in forestry from Auburn University and a bachelor’s degree in natural resources and anthropology from the University of the South.

“He has experience with extension [and] he is familiar with Watauga County and the High Country area,” said Harvey Fouts, district extension director for the West District, on Monday. “He’s got the leadership and management characteristics to lead the extension program there.”

Fouts, quoted in a press release, also said, “Jim is very innovative and shows his passion to help all people advance themselves through better living, better farming and better communities.”

While serving three years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay, Hamilton performed various tasks in educational outreach such as beekeeping, small tree nursery work, soil conservation methods, crop diversification and pesticide safety.

“While I have thoroughly enjoyed working in higher education, training and mentoring students in forestry, my roots are in extension work, which started when I was fresh out of college as an extension agent in rural Paraguay with the Peace Corps,” he said.

Hamilton said he is eager to familiarize himself with the ongoing efforts of the Watauga agents and to work with county leaders to identify priority areas.

“The Cooperative Extension office in Boone has a very strong and competent staff with a lot of combined experience, and they work extremely well together,” he said. “My professional background and interests include forestry and landowner outreach on natural resource-based issues as well as developing and assisting in training for Hispanic farmworkers—programs I’d like to continue to work with as the new extension director.”

Foust said the reason it took more than a year to fill the director’s position is because of a state-imposed freeze on new vacancy fillings from April to fall 2009. The agency had already interviewed Hamilton prior to April but could do nothing until the state lifted the hiring freeze. Watauga County Manager Rocky Nelson and North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Director Jon Ort approved the appointment.

Hamilton said he returned to Watauga because he had a great experience working with the community five years ago, especially the Christmas tree industry.

“The county’s diverse economy and cultural mix make it a refreshing and interesting place to live and work,” he said. “I’m from a small Alabama town originally, and the folks here really made me feel at home—just a few more mountains and snow! Also, our first child was born here, and I think it’s a wonderful place to raise a family.”

North Carolina Cooperative Extension partners with communities and local governments to provide education and technical assistance based on research from North Carolina’s land-grant universities, N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University. Extension specializes in agriculture, youth, communities, health and the environment by responding to local needs.

For more information about the Watauga County Center of the Cooperative Extension Service, call 828-264-3061 or click to watauga.ces.ncsu.edu.