The Southern Rural Development Center is proud to honor Dr. Notie Lansford as the 2018 recipient of the Bonnie Teater Community Development Lifetime Achievement Award. Lansford is a Professor and Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.
Since 2006, Dr. Lansford has served as the director of the Oklahoma State University’s County Training Program (CTP), which provides training and technical assistance for county government elected officials and their employees. For this program, Dr. Lansford teaches or co-teaches twelve short-courses and multiple workshops, provides program development, technical assistance, and handbook materials, and leads the applied research efforts. He also holds leadership roles with the Local Government Extension Training network and the Ag Bank Management Simulation program. As professor of the undergraduate rural appraisal course, Dr. Lansford has been instrumental in leading the department’s efforts to develop an appraisal minor at Oklahoma State University.
During his tenure at Oklahoma State University, Dr. Lansford has generated over $3.8 million in funding to support local government Extension programs, coordinated 44 short-courses, and given 32 presentations at professional conferences and meetings. He also has an extensive list of creative works and publications including the County Government Financial Trends Report. He also co-authored seven journal articles, reviewed one book, developed 14 manuals/handbooks, and authored/co-authored over 200 other publications.
Along with his work for Oklahoma State Cooperative Extension Service, Dr. Lansford has also been very active with the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP). He has served in a variety of capacities including conference planning committee member, session track proposal reviewer, finance committee member and chair, and was the national board Treasurer from 2013-2016. Dr. Lansford has received several awards from NACDEP over his career including the Education Technology Team award, Excellence in Teamwork award, and Educational Piece-Team award. He has also received the Outstanding Group Award from The Southern Agricultural Economics Association. Kelly Nix, Past President of NACDEP, noted that, “Notie is thoughtful and deliberate and despite the amount of work he has on his plate at Oklahoma State, he finds ways to carve out time to help others in the field.”
On behalf of Dr. Lansford’s nomination, Gregory Davis, Professor and Associate Director for the Ohio State University Extension stated, “Within Extension circles on a national level, Notie Lansford is viewed as a leader of the highest quality and integrity. His drive for excellence is apparent in the way he carries out his work, regardless of the task or purpose.”
Clearly, Lansford’s body of work in the field of community development exemplify the spirit of this prestigious award. Thus, it is most fitting that Dr. Notie Lansford be honored as the Southern Rural Development Center 2018 recipient of the Bonnie Teater Community Development Lifetime Achievement Award.