Position Summary
Position Description
University of Kentucky
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Position Announcement
Assistant Extension Director for Family and Consumer Sciences and Unit Head
The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment invites applications for the position of Assistant Extension Director for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). The FCS Extension program is a statewide leader in advancing individual, family, and community well- being through research-based education and outreach programs.
Position Overview
The Assistant Extension Director will serve as a visionary and administrative leader in advancing the strategic direction, operations, and growth of the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension unit. Our new colleague will provide administrative leadership, foster innovation, and strengthen the integration of research, teaching, and outreach to address the evolving needs of Kentucky’s families and communities. This individual will work collaboratively with colleagues across the College, Cooperative Extension Service, and external partners to enhance the visibility, impact, and reach of FCS Extension programs to advance Kentucky.
This position offers you an opportunity to shape the future of Family and Consumer Sciences in Kentucky—leading a strong unit with a legacy of community impact and positioning it for relevance in the decades ahead. In this administrative role, you will report to the Associate Dean and Director of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. The anticipated start date is as soon as March 1, 2026.
Key Responsibilities Leadership & Vision
Provide strategic leadership and long-term vision for FCS
Provide program vision and support for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents, ensuring they have the resources and professional development needed to deliver high-quality, research-based education at the community level.
Support innovation in program development that addresses emerging needs in health, family well-being, economic stability, and community vitality.
Ensure FCS Extension programs align with the strategic priorities of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Administration & Operations
Serve as Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Unit Leader overseeing programmatic
Lead the development and oversight of budgets, staffing, and resource
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and university policies related to Extension
Program Development & Integration
Strengthen connections between Extension, research, and instruction to advance impactful, evidence-based
Promote interdisciplinary collaboration across UK units and with external
Support faculty and specialists in developing strong extramural funding portfolios and provide leadership in pursuing and securing external resources to sustain and grow FCS Extension
Engagement & Outreach
Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders, including state and federal agencies, community organizations, and Extension partners.
Advance the visibility and relevance of FCS Extension through outreach, partnerships, and public engagement.
Faculty Development & Support
Provide mentorship, guidance, and leadership to faculty, staff, and county-based
Support professional development and performance
Qualifications
Earned D. or terminal degree in a discipline relevant to Family and Consumer Sciences (e.g., human sciences, nutrition, health promotion, family studies, consumer economics, or related fields).
Demonstrated leadership experience in Extension, academic administration, or equivalent professional
Proven ability to build partnerships and collaborations across academic, community, and governmental
Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills, with a collaborative and
respectful leadership style.
Commitment to advancing the mission of Cooperative Extension and the land-grant mission in service to Kentucky communities.
Faculty Appointment Details
Our new colleague will also have a 12-month faculty appointment as an Associate Extension Professor or Extension Professor (Extension Title Series, tenure-eligible) in an academic unit aligned with their education and experience. The distribution of effort is reviewed/adjusted annually to meet the needs of Extension, department, college, and university. Initial effort is expected to focus on Extension activities.
Location: Lexington, Kentucky with travel as needed.
Salary and Fringe Benefits
Salary is open and competitive. Employment at UK is subject to fund availability and comes with comprehensive rewards, focusing on your total well-being and career development, with leadership striving to provide a strong work-life integration. The university generously contributes to employees’ retirement plans, medical coverage, and life insurance. In addition, UK offers optional benefits such as dental and vision insurance, additional retirement plans and much more. To learn more about these benefits, please visit: https://hr.uky.edu/employment/our-benefits.
Application
Screening of applications will begin on December 1, 2025, and continue until the position is filled. Please use the University of Kentucky’s electronic application process to apply. The application should include a letter of interest that outlines the candidate’s approach to the position’s qualifications, responsibilities, and vision for innovative and impactful extension program, followed by a career curriculum vita, and conclude with the name, address, email, and phone number for at least three references. The references should be able to address in their professional judgement your performance in advancing your scholarly field, significance of the venues in which you have been published, the grants you have been involved with, instructional accomplishments, and the service performed. Please also indicate your relationship to the reference. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.
To apply for this position click on the quicklink: https://ukjobs.uky.edu/postings/602402 or copy and paste the URL into your browser
Click Apply for this Posting
Follow the instructions on how to create an account.
Complete the Employment Application and upload the required documents.
For assistance with the electronic application process, contact HR/ Employment, phone (859) 257-9555, press 2, or
email ukjobs@email.uky.edu.
Submit questions and/or nominations to:
Dr. Jennifer Hunter
University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment S-107 Ag Science North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091 Email: jhunter@uky.edu
The Environment
The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MG-CAFE) is fulfilling the land-grant promise of educational excellence, civic leadership, transformational research, and shared knowledge serving the common good. We serve the people of the Commonwealth and across the world through education, outreach, service, and research by finding solutions to improve lives today and create a sustainable future. We integrate teaching, research, and extension in our work. We recruit, retain, and graduate students who are competent,
responsible, and workforce ready. For more than 130 years, MG-CAFE has provided research results to the community. From traditional labs and research farms to high-tech diagnostic and research centers, we offer science-based, practical solutions that affect the everyday lives of Kentuckians and people around the world. Our Cooperative Extension programs are engaged in Kentucky’s 120 counties, identifying and addressing needs not only in agriculture and natural resources, but also 4-H and youth development, family and consumer sciences, as well as community & economic development. We create a welcoming and supportive environment that allows our faculty, staff, and students to reach their highest potential. We recognize people with a broad range of perspectives and experiences are essential to decision making, problem solving, and innovation each and every day.
Indeed, the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s faculty, staff and students share a commitment to creating, sustaining and contributing to a community of belonging across the campus. In fact, the college’s people — faculty, staff, students and stakeholders — are the college’s greatest assets. Responding to an increasing need and demand — particularly across the Commonwealth — for a larger and more skilled workforce, the college is aggressively Building for the Future with at least eight new buildings in Lexington, as well as at the UK Research and Education Center a t Princeton andRobinson Center. These capital projects represent an exciting time to be leading the college because the college is being built to serve the Commonwealth like never before.
The University of Kentucky is an institution with over 22,000 undergraduate and 8,500 graduate students. UK is Kentucky’s flagship university and a land grant institution. We have a university commitment to improve the lives of Kentuckians and beyond and that is why environmental stewardship and sustainability are core parts of our institution’s legacy. We are recognized as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, a Gold level Bicycle Friendly University by The League of American Bicyclists, and are recognized as a STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) Silver Rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The university is geographically near downtown Lexington, which offers the vibrancy of an urban location while being in close proximity to working landscapes and recognized wilderness areas. It is a thriving community of 320,000+ with a strong commitment to quality of life, education, and the arts. Lexington is in the Bluegrass Region, an internationally acclaimed cultural landscape and agricultural region.
The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.