On Monday, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced Charles Stoltenow will start as dean and director of its outreach mission that extends into all 93 counties of the Cornhusker state beginning Jan. 1.
Currently the assistant director of extension for agriculture and natural resources at North Dakota State University, where he has worked since 1996, Stoltenow was chosen from two finalists advanced to replace Charles Hibberd, who retired in June 2020.
Stoltenow has also worked in private practice as an equine veterinarian, a veterinary epidemiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as an assistant state epidemiologist in the Nebraska Department of Health.
"I look forward to continuing my journey across the state, to listening to our residents, stakeholders and extension staff to better understand where we are and where our challenges and opportunities lie," he said in a statement, "and to co-create priority initiatives to guide us as we move ahead."
Mike Boehm, vice chancellor of UNL's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said Stoltenow understands the importance and value of extension to the state of Nebraska.
"He is a forward-looking person and creative leader who I am confident will nurture the success of our amazing team of extension professionals in ways that strengthens the resilience of Nebraska's 531 communities and enhances the third-largest agricultural economy in the United States," Boehm said.
The other finalist who interviewed for the job, Dave Varner, who served as the interim director following Hibberd's retirement, will return to his job as associate dean of Nebraska Extension.