UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences faculty members and an assistant director with Penn State Extension recently furthered their knowledge of leadership principles by completing the LEAD21 leadership development program.
Heather Preisendanz, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) at Penn State; Maria del Mar Jimenez, professor and interim head of the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology; and Joshua Rice, Penn State Extension assistant director for 4-H youth development programs, were among 88 nationally to complete the program. A graduation ceremony was held in Washington, D.C., in February.
The purpose of LEAD21 is to develop leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics and extension and can navigate an increasingly complex environment to lead more effectively in their current or future leadership positions. Over the past year, participants have met regularly with their peers in person and virtually to enhance their leadership capacity.
Preisendanz received her bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Rutgers University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering, with a specialization in environmental engineering specialization, from Purdue University.
She joined Penn State in 2013 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2019. Before becoming the SAFES institute director, she was its associate director of research and a co-chair of the Penn State Water Council. Preisendanz studies the fate, transport and impacts of emerging contaminants. Her research recently has focused on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in agroecosystems and rural water supplies.
She was named the Young Engineer of the Year by the Northeastern Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference in 2020 and received the Natural Resource Education Champion Award from The Pennsylvania Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals in 2022.
Jiménez-Gasco received her bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences and engineering, with a specialization in crop production, and her doctoral degree in crop protection from the School of Agriculture and Forestry (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos y de Montes), University of Córdoba, Spain.
She joined Penn State in 2005 and achieved the rank of full professor in 2021. Jiménez-Gasco researches the population biology of plant-associated fungi, emphasizing vascular wilt plant pathogens and endophytes.
Jiménez-Gasco is particularly interested in the emergence and evolution of pathogenicity and virulence in fungal populations using Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae as research systems. She received the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture 2020 Educator Award and the American Phytopathological Society 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Rice earned his bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary science, his master’s degree in agriculture, forestry and consumer science, and his doctorate in human and community development from West Virginia University. Before joining Penn State Extension in 2017, he was an assistant professor and extension specialist with the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development.
A certified high school agricultural sciences teacher, Rice currently serves as the past chair of the National 4-H Program Leaders Working Group and is a member of the National Extension Committee on Organization and Policy 4-H Leadership Pipeline committee.