Extension Educator-Fixed

Working/Functional Title

District 13 Director, MSU Extension

Michigan State University Extension is committed to fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment, which requires all staff to contribute toward a vision for success regardless of title or position within the organization. We strive to create a positive culture, access to resources, and a sense of belonging for staff, partners, and programming participants. This means that all staff at MSU Extension are dedicated to the following:

• We work together to ensure that programming is available to all audiences, creates meaningful and positive impacts for participants, and demonstrates partnership and collaboration across communities.
• We understand that a welcoming and respectful environment is built through the efforts of everyone.
• We foster an environment that welcomes a broad range of perspectives and experiences, ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute and thrive.
• We ensure that every team member is prepared with the skills and resources to contribute to our welcoming and supportive culture.
• We foster an environment that values a range of perspectives, skills, and experiences by working to ensure access to programming for communities.
• We commit to continuous learning and engagement to better serve Michigan residents and meet the evolving needs of communities.
• We recognize that broad accessibility and collaboration are essential elements of our work and are vital to organizational and programmatic success.
• We embrace a culture of understanding, coaching, and feedback toward achieving a vision of success for the entire organization and its staff.
• Together we will achieve success, and we commit to these goals in our work, continued education, and ongoing efforts.

The MSU Extension (MSUE) District Director is part of the MSUE Administrative Team. The MSUE District 13 Director supports the counties of Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren. The role of the district director is to develop, maintain, and coordinate relationships between MSU Extension and local community partners, provide oversight and mentoring to Extension educators, and non‑academic paraprofessional and support staff housed in the district, and to employ entrepreneurial efforts to secure resources with other partners.

In this role, you will join the MSU Extension Administrative team and will collaborate regularly with colleagues across MSU Extension. You will lead efforts in your district to recruit and hire staff and will work in partnership with MSUE Institute Directors to develop, coach, and mentor staff, and when applicable, address personnel matters. The district director’s role operates within a unionized setting and requires an ability to interpret and apply labor relations practices and collective bargaining agreements.

Serving in this role provides you with the responsibility to develop, maintain, and enhance relationships within the district. You will work closely with the county boards of commissioners on budgets and other matters relative to the work MSU Extension does. You will help our partners understand the mission and impacts of MSU Extension through representing MSUE and telling our story to community partners and organizations.

You will make sure they know about the work we are doing and ensure that we are not the best kept secret, but a known and trusted partner within the communities we serve. Additionally, you will assist educators and paraprofessional staff in the development of appropriate community partners related to the staff member’s statewide program focus and will assist in negotiating and procuring resources and support from community partners.

The counties located within District 13 are a diverse mix of shoreline, agricultural, and developed land. Various types of manufacturing production, agricultural production, higher education, and tourism are the predominant economic drivers of the area. There is a unique blend of highly populated urban areas and rural communities; both with diverse programmatic needs.

Although negotiable, the office location for the District 13 Director is…