About

The Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) is the representative governing body of the Experiment Station Section (ESS), a unit of the APLU Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR), Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA). ESCOP handles continuing business, organization, and policy issues on behalf of the state agricultural experiment station directors and administrators. The ESCOP also provides liaison representatives to a variety of other committees, agencies, associations, and organizations. These representatives are appointed by the Chair of ESCOP after consultation with the Executive Committee.

Each 1862 agricultural experiment station director and 1890 research director participates in a regional association: Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NERA), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the Northeast Region; North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NCRA), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the North Central Region; Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (SAAESD), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the Southern Region; Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD), the official representative body of the agricultural experiment station directors in the Western Region; and Association of Research Directors (ARD), the official representative body of the agricultural research administrators of the 1890 Land-grant institutions. All regional associations are affiliated with APLU through the Experiment Station Section and are represented on ESCOP, but are fundamentally independent organizations.

Members

NameCommittee PositionAffiliationEmail
Steve LommelagInnovation Chair
agInnovation Ssslommel@ncsu.edu
Chandra ReddyagInnovation Incoming Chair
ARDcreddy@tnstate.edu
George SmithagInnovation Past Chair
agInnovation NCsmithge7@msu.edu
Gary ThompsonExecutive Director, Ex-officioagInnovation Southgat009@uark.edu
Cindy MorleyProgram Coordinator, Ex-officioagInnovation Southcmorley@uark.edu
Steve LommelChair BLC
agInnovation Southslommel@ncsu.edu
Steve LommelChair, NRSP RCagInnovation Southslommel@ncsu.edu
VacantChair NPGCC
Nathan SlatonChair STCagInnovation Southnslaton@uark.edu
Wesley WhittakerRegional Representative
ARDwesley.whittaker@langston.edu
Shibu JoseRegional Representative/PBD Representative (Alternate: Sreekala Bajwa)agInnovation NCjoses@missouri.edu
Anton BekkermanRegional RepresentativeagInnovation NortheastAnton.Bekkerman@unh.edu
Scott SensemanRegional RepresentativeagInnovation Southscott.senseman@okstate.edu
Sreekala BajwaRegional RepresentativeagInnovation-Westsreekala.bajwa@montana.edu
Jeanette ThurstonExecutive Vice-Chair, Ex-officioagInnovation NCjthurston@ksu.edu
Chris Hamilton
Assistant Director, Ex-officioagInnovation NCchristina.hamilton@wisc.edu
Alton Thompson
Executive Director, Ex-officioARDathompson1@ncat.edu
Lisa WilliamsonExecutive AssistantARDlmwilliamson1@ncat.edu
Bret HessExecutive Director, Ex-officioagInnovation-Westbhess@unr.edu
Jennifer HortonAdministrative Management, Ex-officioagInnovation-Westjennhorton@unr.edu
Rick RhodesExecutive Director, Ex-officioagInnovation Northeastrcrhodes@uri.edu
David LeibovitzCoordinator, Ex-officioagInnovation Northeastdavid_leibovitz@uri.edu
Doug Steele
Liaison, Ex-officioAPLU
dsteele@aplu.org
Katie FrazierLiaison
CARETkfrazier@fcvirginias.com
LiaisonNIFA
LiaisonACOP
Bill HoffmanLiaisonECOPwhoffman@aplu.org
LiaisonICOP
John BlantonFYI Only (non-EC)agInnovation Liaison to ECOPjohn.blanton@sdstate.edu