The project director, Dr. Eric K. Kaufman, is a professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE). Dr. Kaufman brings valuable expertise in the areas of professional learning, train-the-trainer models, and shared leadership. Much of this expertise was recently enhanced through direction of a multi-year project with the Department of Defense Education Activity (USDA-NIFA Project 2016- 39590-25894), where the professional learning programs required iterative development and flexibility based on stakeholder input throughout the process. Dr. Kaufman also brings experience with research on teaching strategies to better prepare graduates for the agricultural workforce (e.g., Rateau, Kaufman, & Cletzer, 2015), as well as key considerations for leadership development in agricultural contexts (e.g., Kaufman, Rateau, Carter, & Strickland, 2012).

Dr. Curt Friedel is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s ALCE Department. As co-PI of this project, Dr. Friedel will provide guidance for alignment with principles and concepts for shared leadership and curriculum articulation. He will apply his expertise and experience directing the Center for Cooperative Problem Solving at Virginia Tech, service as ALCE director of undergraduate programs, and coordination of curricula for the annual Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture. In these roles, Dr. Friedel has mastered many of the facilitation skills necessary for the development of learners’ durable skills for collaborative leadership.

Dr. Megan Seibel was part of the team that conducted the recent review of the Agricultural Technology program, and she has valuable experience serving as Virginia’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry and director of the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program for industry professionals. She also serves as associate director of the Center for Cooperative Problem Solving at Virginia Tech. As a co-PI for the project, Dr. Seibel will coordinate alignment with expectations of agricultural employers. She will contribute her expertise in program development and stakeholder engagement.

Dr. Donna Westfall-Rudd is an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s ALCE Department. As co-PI of this project, Dr. Westfall-Rudd will coordinate the alignment of the curriculum with standards and expectations for inclusive practices in today’s workforce. She will apply her expertise in program planning and adult learning, as well as experience directing a Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services project on “Increasing Community Viability and Workforce Development through Implementation of The Governor’s Taskforce for Agricultural Education Recommendations.”

Ms. Celeste Carmichael is a Program Development and Accountability Specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension. She brings 25 years of experience planning, designing, facilitating, coordinating, and evaluating educational programs. Ms. Carmichael’s specific skills include data visualization, webinar facilitation, video tutorial production, and facilitation of instructional design. Through her role as a consultant on this project, Ms. Carmichael will coordinate the evaluation efforts and ensure the formative feedback is incorporated into subsequent phases of the project.

Ms. Amy White is Dean for STEM at Virginia Western Community College. Through 14 years of experience with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), Ms. White has demonstrated strengths in curriculum development, as well as relationship-building between academics and the local workforce. She engages economic development agencies in the area, and she has valuable experience with collaborative leadership competencies. Through her role as a consultant on this project, Ms. White will support the development and refinement of curricular materials, especially with respect to the VCCS.

Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Agricultural Leadership and Community Education (ALCE) at Virginia Tech, Ms. Coartney's research interests include the influences of social capital on leading and learning as well as farmers market leadership and short value supply chains.  In her current role as a graduate TA, she has taught courses on communicating agriculture in writing.  She has over twenty years of management, education, and technology experience, including consultation and project planning.  Recently, she gained experience in program evaluation on a project with the Department of Defense Education Activity.  She has a B.A. in Communication and English from James Madison University; a M.S. in Management of Information Technology from the University of Virginia; and a M.S. in Life Sciences Agricultural and Extension Education from Virginia Tech.

Samson Adeoye is a Ph.D. student in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. Samson’s research interest is in interdisciplinary and complexity science with a focus on adaptive and participatory approaches to resolving emerging problems, including policies, within food, agriculture, and water systems. His recent experience and endeavors span across projects in hybridized leadership framework for addressing wicked problems, evaluative thinking, and cybersecurity education programming and workforce development issues in agriculture and life sciences. As a graduate affiliate member of the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA) and a Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) Innovation Scholar, Samson seeks innovative approaches to bridging the education-to-workforce pipeline and fostering evidence-based outcomes, particularly in a world of fast-paced technological changes and emerging concerns.