Dr. Joe West officially retired from the Sunbelt Ag Expo Board at its quarterly meeting in July. West graciously served the SAE Board for seven years. While he will no longer serve the Expo in this capacity, he will serve the organization for a three-year term beginning later this month as a Farmer of the Year Judge. Learn more about the FOY program in future blogs.
Dr. Joe West, who most recently served as the interim dean and director of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, also served as the assistant dean of the University of Georgia Tifton Campus for 12 years..
His career with CAES spanned nearly 35 years. During his time as assistant dean, he oversaw enhancements to the learning environment for students, as well as growth in research activity and Extension programming on the Tifton Campus. He also spearheaded extensive capital improvements on the front of the Tifton campus, including the renovations of the Tift Building and Agriculture Research buildings and the construction of the Centennial Garden as part of the campus’ 100-year celebration in 2019. West was also a professor in the UGA Department of Animal and Dairy Science and was chosen to be the interim department head, a role that lasted almost two years.
While the last few months have allowed Dr. West to truly “retire,” he is constantly on the go, traveling between Tifton and his family farm in Tennessee. He and his wife, Joy, enjoy seeing new places, being spontaneous, spending time with family, and “just being together.”
The Sunbelt Ag Expo is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Joe West for seven years. He was honored at the July 2021 board meeting for his tenure as part of the governing body of the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition. We wish him many sunrises and sunsets, no matter where his travels take him.
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