Susan Kelly, a member of NC State Extension’s statewide leadership team, is retiring effective Feb. 1.
Kelly is assistant director of county operations, a position she has held since June 2022. Her primary responsibility is to oversee NC State’s personnel and programming at 101 local N.C. Cooperative Extension centers.
“Susan has been instrumental in enhancing the connections between campus-based and county Extension operations,” NC State Extension Director David Monks said. “She has streamlined processes and provided strategic leadership and personal support to our local Extension experts, helping them advance the vital work they do for the people of North Carolina.”
Keith Walters will become interim assistant director of county operations. Walters serves as director for NC State Extension’s South Central district, which encompasses 19 counties.
To further support the transition, Bill Stone, director of N.C. Cooperative Extension’s Lee County Center, will serve in a new interim assistant director role for Extension’s South Central district, helping manage district leadership responsibilities while Walters serves in the interim county operations role.
Kelly retires after more than a decade of service to NC State Extension. She was an Extension agent and agriculture teacher in Florida before joining NC State Extension in 2013 as director of the Richmond County center. She became director for the North Central District in 2018.
"I'm really amazed at the career I've had since I came here and feel very fortunate to have had these three wonderful positions,” Kelly said. “I loved it all. It's been wonderful.”
Her experience as a district and county director was beneficial in her statewide role.
“One of my main objectives was to make things a little simpler for our county folks because I know how busy their jobs are,” she said.
Kelly will transition to a part-time, grant-funded role as project manager for a Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network initiative focused on mental health and well-being in agricultural communities. The project is being funded by a $2.3 million USDA grant and implemented by faculty from NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Extension personnel.
“I'm retiring from the job but not retiring from the work,” she said.
Kelly will also have more time to work on her 17-acre farm in Surry County.
“It's bittersweet,” she said. “I really hate to leave the work. I’ve enjoyed working with Extension so much. But I'll be able to get connected to my community and volunteer and do all the things I want to do. It's not going to be just knitting and cooking, which I love to do.”
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