URBANA, Ill. — For more than 100 years, University of Illinois Extension experts have worked in communities around the state, providing research-based solutions for life’s everyday problems. In that time, Extension outreach efforts have evolved from community-focused in-person and postal mail communications and grown to include innovative online programs now available to a worldwide audience. Community and Economic Development educators, specialists, and senior leaders have been a key component of that work by providing programming and education that helps community leaders, residents, and businesses build capacity for renewal and growth.
The Passing of the Torch
Longtime Extension Community and Economic Development leader Anne Heinz Silvis retired in July 2024 after 40 years of service. As plans evolve, continuity of leadership is crucial to support programs around topics like broadband infrastructure, community planning and recreation, and small business development. Shelly Nichols-Richardson, associate dean and director of Extension, has named Mark White, clinical associate professor and Extension faculty specialist in the department of agricultural and consumer economics, as the interim assistant dean/program leader for Extension’s statewide community and economic development programs.
White holds a doctorate in geography and regional studies from the University of Miami. Before joining the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he was an associate extension professor and state specialist at the University of Missouri in the Truman School of Public Affairs, where he specialized in workforce development and served as the director of the EXCEED program, which emphasized economic development across Missouri. He is experienced in rural and urban CED, and his current work focuses on regional economic and entrepreneurial development.
White was a member of the University of Illinois Extension Academy’s inaugural cohort in spring 2024. The intent is to have White serve for the next year as Extension launches its new strategic plan, which will, in part, further advance community and economic goals. Nickols-Richardson shared, “Mark White brings many strengths to the interim position, including past work with the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Missouri as well as among Illinois Extension’s other peers in the north-central region. He is a national leader in community and economic development, and we look forward to his guiding our CED program area during the next year.”
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.