Awards & Honors:
- Inducted as “Honorary Member” of the Golden Key International Honour Society - 2003
- Chair of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Use of Scientific Criteria and Performance Standards for Safe Food, 2002 – 2003.
- Elected Fellow of the International Association of Food Protection, August 2000
- Educator Award, International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians, Inc. 1999
- Eastern Food Science Conference X 1997 Outstanding Faculty Award
- Virginia’s State Council of Higher Education’s 1997 Outstanding Faculty Award (this is the highest teaching award given by the state of Virginia.)
- Gamma Sigma Delta’s Extension Award of Merit. 1996
- Certificate of Teaching Excellence, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 1994.
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Academy of Teaching Excellence 1994 - 2000
- Gamma Sigma Delta’s Teaching Award of Merit. 1995
- Virginia Tech’s Alumni Association's Extension Excellence Award 1995.
- Outstanding Team Award, Epsilon Sigma Phi, Alpha Gamma Chapter Reaction to Listeria monocytogenes in Blue Crab Meat 1993
- National Academy of Sciences’ Seafood safety committee, 1989 - 1992
Current Position – Dean of the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences and Director of the West Virginia Experiment Station, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 2000 – present. Deanships at WVU carry renewable five years terms, with comprehensive reviews in the fifth year. After a successful review, I was reappointed for additional five years beginning July 2005. Responsibilities include serving as the academic leader and executive officer of the Davis College, providing administrative leadership to foster academic excellence in teaching, research and outreach programs, fiscal and budget management, strategic planning, personnel management, student assessment, and private-giving development. The Davis College comprises five divisions, housing nineteen undergraduate degree programs, twenty-three master’s degree options and ten Ph.D. options in five areas. I am responsible for communicating the college research, teaching, and outreach missions internally to the university and externally to stakeholders, alumni, and federal and state legislative delegation. Selected Administrative Accomplishments include:
Department Head and Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, 1995 - 2000. Appointment split among extension, research and teaching. Acting Superintendent, Virginia Seafood Research and Extension Center, Hampton, Virginia until April 1997, Extension Project Leader until 1997. The Department Head is appointed by and reports to the Dean of the College. In this role, the Head is responsible for overall coordination of departmental activities including strategic planning and implementation; budgeting, fiscal management, and equitable allocation of resources; encouraging the development of sponsored grants and programs; hiring, mentoring, and evaluating faculty and staff; recommending promotion, tenure, and salary increases; advocating with other administrative units on behalf of the Department; maintaining clear records and preparing detailed reports; program oversight, including curriculum development, program evaluation, student retention and evaluation, alumni affairs; and ensuring the Department’s compliance with moral, legal, and ethical precepts related to University policy and professional standards. I successfully led the Department through a CSREES review and program assessment. Federal grant funding increased by over 100% and student numbers increased by over 200% between 1995 and 1999. We developed a post-tenure review policy, and better integrated the three missions of teaching, research and extension. My administrative philosophy was to empower the faculty and staff, keep administrative hassles to a minimum, and keep everyone well informed. I upgraded several staff positions and worked closely with faculty to improve productivity.
Professorand Extension Project Leader, (Associate Professor 1989-1992)Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech. Appointment split among research, extension and teaching, 1989-1995 State Agricultural Experiment Station Leadership Development Intern (1992-1993).
Superintendent , Virginia Seafood Agricultural Experiment Station, Hampton, Virginia and Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1985 - 1989.
Associate Professor (84-85) and Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1980 - 1985.
Research Assistant (Full Time), Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1976 - 1980. I also worked on my PhD.
Teaching Assistant , Department of Agricultural Microbiology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 1973 - 1975