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Graduate Faculty in Agricultural and Extension Education at North Carolina State University

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One of the major factors that should be considered in selecting a graduate program is the experience and expertise of the faculty. The graduate faculty in Agricultural and Extension Education at NCSU are some of the top agricultural and extension educators in the nation. They are recognized leaders in the field. We have a critical mass of faculty and you will have the opportunity to work with most of them over your academic career. We are pleased to introduce them to you. Click on the more link for additional information.

Image of MeeCee Baker Dr. MeeCee Baker is an adjunct assistant professor and teaches AEE 595V Marketing of Agricultural and Extension Education. Dr. Baker's B.S and Ph.D are in Agricultural Education from Penn State University. Here Master's degree is in Agricultural Economics from the University of Delaware. MeeCee was the first female president of the National Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers. She taught high school agriculture in Pennsylvania for 20+ years and is currently the Agricultural Education Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Dr. Baker is the co-author of two books, Introduction to Veterinary Science and Animal Science Biology and Technology.  Her research interests focus on gender and equity issues in agriculture...more

Image of Bo BostickDr. George "Bo" Bostick is a  Professor and teaches AEE 528 Instuctional Design in Agricultural and Extension Education. Dr. Bostick's doctoral degree is from Indiana University in the field of Instructional Systems. His major responsibilities in the department revolve around agricultural communications. His B.S and Master's are from Tennessee Technological University. Dr. Bostick is a member of the NCSU Academy of Outstanding Teachers.  He has received the PICA Award for Excellence in Educational Publication Design...more

Dr. Barry Croom is an Associate Professor. His graduate and undergraduate degrees are from NC State. Prior to joining the faculty he taught high school agriculture for 9 years and was the State FFA Coordinator for the NC FFA Association. Dr. Croom's teaching responsibilities include, AEE 595 Program Planning in Agricultural Education, AEE 535 Teaching Agriculture in Public Schools and AEE 735 Effective Teaching in Agriculture and Life Sciences. Dr. Croom's research interests are in the areas of vocational education history, vocational education policy, and education leadership. Dr. Croom also coordinates the Agricultural Science Program in the department. He is an active member of the American Assocation for Agricultural Education...more

image of Jim FlowersDr. Jim Flowers is a  Professor and  Head of the Department. His Ph.D is from the University of Illiniois. His B.S is from the University of Tennessee-Martin and his Master's is from Western Kentucky University. All of his degrees are in agricultural education. Dr. Flowers taught high school agriculture in Tennessee for 10 years. He has taught AEE 579 Research Design and AEE 535 Teaching Agriculture in Public Schools. He has served as President of the American Assocation of Agricultural Education and President of Alpha Tau Alpha (the national agricultural education honorary). His research interests focus on  Instructional Methodology- Problem Solving Instruction and Improvement of Vocational Teacher Preparation Programs. He is a Teaching Fellow in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture...more

image of Lisa GuionDr. Lisa Guion is an Association Professor specializing in Extension Program Planning. Her doctorate is from North Carolina State University in Adult and Community College Education. Dr. Guion teaches AEE 521 Program Planning in Agricultural and Extension Education. She is the state leader for Program Planning for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. She specializes in qualitative research. She wrote the chapter Establishing the validity of qualitative studies. In. J. Uddin, Triangulation Research:  An Overview. New Delhi, India: Sage Publications. In 2005 she was recognized as Outstanding Specialist of the Year by the Florida Association of Family and Consumer Science Agents...more

Image of Dr. jayaratneDr. K.S.U. "Jay" Jayaratne is an Assistant Professor. His area of expertise is in program evaluation. He is the state leader for Program Evaluation with the NC Cooperative Extension Service. He teaches AEE 577 Program Evaluation in Agricultural and Extension Education and AEE 579 Research Design in Agricultural and Extension Education. A native of Sri Lanka, his B.S degree is from the University of Peradeniya. His M.S is from the University of Illinois and his doctorate is from Iowa State University. He has worked as an extension agent and specialist in Sri Lanka. Jay is active in the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education and the American Evaluation Association...more


image of Dr. JonesDr. David Jones is an Assistant Professor and provides leadership to the Department in the area of leadership education. He teaches a number of undergraduate courses focusing on leadership and teaches AEE 560 Organizational and Administrative Leadership in Agricultural and Extension Education. His first two degrees are in agricultural education from California Polytechnic State University. His Ph.D. is from the University of Florida.  He taught high school agriculture for seven years. As a doctoral student he was recognized by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture as a Graduate Teaching Fellow. His research interest are in leadership, critical thinking and motivation strategies in teaching and learning...more

Image of Dr. KistlerDr. Mark Kistler is an Assistant Professor and coordinates the undergraduate extension education program for the Department. At the graduate level he teaches AEE 523 Adult Education in Agriculture. Dr. Kistler has B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Florida in Animal Science. His doctorate is from Texas A&M University in Agricultural Education. He worked as a county agent and County Extension Director in Florida. His research focuses on the adult learning process...more



image of Dr. MooreDr. Gary Moore is a Professor and Director of Graduate Programs for the Department. His B.S. degree is from Tarleton State University (Texas), His M.S. and Ph.D. are from the Ohio State University in Agricultural Education. He taugh high school for 4 years. Dr. Moore teachers AEE 501 Foundations of Agricultural and Extension  Education, AEE  500 Agricultural Education, Schools and Society, AEE 507 Comparative Agricultural and Extension Education and AEE 526 Information Technologies in Agricultural and Extension Education. He is a member of the NCSU Academy of Outstanding Teachers and is the recipient of the NACTA Distinguished Teacher Award. He is the past president of the American Vocational Education Research Association, Alpha Tau Alpha, and the Agricultural Education Division of the Association for Career and Technical Education. He is the president of the American Association for Agricultural Education. He is the co-author of three books--Working in Horticulture, Microcomputer Applications for Students of Agriculture and Agribusiness He conducts historical research and also studies distance education and the effectiveness of instructional technologies...more

image of Dr. RayfieldDr. John Rayfied is an Assistant Professor. He was a 4-H agent, middle school agriculture teacher and high school agriculture teacher in Georgia. His B.S. degree is from Auburn University, his Masters is from the University of Georgia, and the doctoral degree is from Texas Tech University. Dr. Rayfield teaches AEE 503 Youth Organization Management, AEE 522 Occupational Experience in Agriculture and AEE 578 Scientific Inquiry in Agricultural and Extension Education. Dr. Rayfield is an accomplished livestock judge. He had conducted research on FFA Career Development Events and middle school agricultural programs...more

image of Dr. RichardsonDr. John Richardson teaches AEE 740 Extension in Developing Counties. He is the leader of the Department's Extension Team and is the program accountability manager for the NC Cooperative Extension Service. All three of Dr. Richardson's degrees are from North Carolina State University. He has been a county agent and country extension director. He is the past president of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. He has been called upon to travel to Russia on four occasions, Mongolia, and Moldova to provide consultation to farmer organizations, agricultural universities, and the Russian Ministry of Agriculture in the design and implementation of farmer information systems for the newly emerging private farming sector in Russia. Professional travel has taken him to 31 countries...more

image of Dr. WilsonDr. Beth Wilson is an Associate Professor. All three of her degrees are from North Carolina State University. She taught high school agriculture for 12 years and was a regional agricultural education consultant. As a high school teacher, she was recognized as the national Agriscience Teacher of the Year. She is the co-author of Agriscience Explorations. Dr. Wilson teaches AEE 534 Mentoring in Agricultural and Extension Education, AEE 529 Curriculum Development in Agricultural Education, AEE 505 Trends and Issues in Agricultural and Extension Education and AEE 595B Biotechnology for Plants, Animals and the Environment. She is member of the NCSU Academy of Outstanding Teachers. Her research interests include Integrating Academics into Career and Technical Education, Teaching Biotechnology in Agricultural Education, Project Based Learning(SAE) and Advising and Mentoring Teachers and Students...more

Department of Agricultural and Extension Education