SACRAMENTO, Calif. – William J. Nelson, vice president of Corporate Citizenship for CHS Inc. and president of the CHS Foundation was named an eXtension Champion for 2014. The award was presented here at the National eXtension Conference/National Extension Directors & Administrators joint meeting, March 26.
The eXtension Champion Award is presented by the organization’s Governing Committee to individuals instrumental in the creation and development of the eXtension initiative within Cooperative Extension.
“William has long been an advocate and supporter of eXtension. Through his leadership, CHS Foundation has helped establish the Cooperatives Education and Farm & Ranch eXtension in Safety and Health (FReSH) Communities of Practice,” said Terry Meisenbach, eXtension Communications & Marketing Leader.
More recently, the CHS Foundation awarded $150,000 to help start the new eXtension Women in Agriculture Learning Network.
“William promotes eXtension to others in the agricultural industry because he strongly believes in the importance of collaboration and technology, two key eXtension attributes, in addressing future needs of agricultural education and extension,” said Elbert Dickey, eXtension Executive Director.
William also leads the CHS Foundation, which offers support through university partnerships, rural leadership development, cooperative education, and farm and agricultural safety programs.
William serves on the National Council on Farmer Cooperatives’ executive education committee and the board of directors of the National Cooperative Business Association. He is a director for the Ralph K. Morris Foundation, and the Farm Foundation and Chair of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Farm Foundation’s Steering Committee for A Dialogue on Food and Agriculture in the 21st Century and the eXtension Foundation National Leadership Council. He is a founding member and chair of the board of directors of the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America.