News Release
For Immediate Release — July 18, 2011
UT Extension 4-H Specialist Named Regional Program Leader for Central District
The University of Tennessee Extension has announced that Martin Koon is assuming the role of Regional Agriculture Program Leader for UT Extension’s Central Region, headquartered in Nashville.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Martin Koon has worked with youth, adults, animals, computers, bows and arrows, ATVs and video games in his career. Over the course of an 18-year professional adventure with University of Tennessee Extension, he’s experienced what you might call variety on the job – and that experience should serve him well in his new role.
“UT Extension has been my life for the past 18 years,” Koon says. “I have been able to make a difference in the lives of many people, and had a great time doing it. There is never a dull moment working for Extension.”
Koon is the new Regional Agriculture Program Leader for UT Extension’s Central Region, headquartered in Nashville. He starts the appointment August, 1, 2011, and will work with directors, specialists and agents in a 31-county area that covers all of his native middle Tennessee. Koon will lend support in the areas of Adult Agriculture and 4-H, and also work with the Family and Consumer Sciences Program Leader in staff development projects.
“Martin will work with all of the staff in the Central Region to build relationships and teamwork to expand the impact of our programs,” says Jim Stewart, Director of the Central Region. “I am confident Martin possesses the skills, abilities and knowledge to effectively lead our efforts in Ag and 4-H.”
“It is a great honor to serve in this role and I am looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that will go along with this position,” Koon says. “One of my goals is to develop a ‘Young Professionals Cohort’ for newly-employed agents to prepare them for work with UT Extension. I believe our employees are our greatest resource, and we must provide them with training to help them be successful.”
Most recently Koon served as the Area 4-H Specialist for the Central Region, and he previously worked as an agent in Wayne, Davidson and Montgomery counties. Koon is a native of Clarksville, and holds a B.S. degree in Agriculture from Austin Peay State University and a Master of Science in Agriculture and Extension Education from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville.
Koon has coordinated an ATV safety curriculum where 4-H’ers learn how to properly operate the vehicle and the equipment they need to wear to avoid injury. He’s also taught kids archery safety, and how video games such as guitar hero and Wii can actually provide exercise. He’s also worked to reach kids through social media sites, and taught them to safely use the internet to increase their skills and knowledge.
“I will still work with the 4-H program in Tennessee and the Central Region – just in a different role,” Koon says. “The Tennessee 4-H program will continue to offer fun, creative and educational programming to youth statewide.”
UT Extension operates in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties as the off-campus division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. An educational and outreach organization funded by federal, state and local governments, UT Extension, in cooperation with Tennessee State University, brings research-based information about agriculture, family and consumer sciences, youth and community development to the people of Tennessee where they live and work.
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Contact: Martin Koon, 615-832-6550, mkoon@tennessee.edu