Dr. Chester Fehlis delivered Seaman A. Knapp Lecture on November 12
Dr. Chester Fehlis delivered the 2006 Seaman A. Knapp lecture on November 12 at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) in Houston, TX. Dr. Fehlis is associate vice chancellor of the Agriculture Program at Texas A&M University and deputy director of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
The Knapp lecture honors Seaman A. Knapp, the father of the Cooperative Extension concept. In 1906 he initiated the county-agent plan and, in order to promote the plan organized boys' cotton and corn growing clubs and in 1910 a girls' corn and poultry club. These organizations were the forerunners of the modern 4-H Clubs.
Fehlis was recently honored as a Distinguished Alumnus at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX.
Fehlis attended Tarleton State College from 1965-1967. He later earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science at Texas A&M in 1969, followed by a master's degree in agricultural education at Texas A&M in 1977. He was awarded a doctoral degree in agricultural education in May 1987, also at Texas A&M.
Fehlis became the associate vice chancellor for the Agriculture Program at A&M and deputy director of the Extension Service in 1998. He previously served as executive associate director of the Extension Service from 1992 to 1998.
He also has served as assistant director for county programs from 1988 to 1992, providing leadership for coordination of educational programs and budgets for statewide county program operations, also supervising district Extension directors in agriculture.
Fehlis has served as District Extension Director for District 10, supervising county Extension programs for 17 Central Texas counties including Travis County. He also has served as county Extension agent in Victoria County, Willacy County, and as an assistant county Extension agent in Jackson County.
Fehlis and his wife, Jan, have three children: Stacey, Michael, and Leslie.
2006 Seaman A. Knapp Lecture |
