STARKVILLE -- A veteran administrator will return to his roots as the interim leader of Mississippi State University’s center in the Mississippi Delta.

“Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station director George Hopper and I are pleased to announce that Dr. Joe Street will serve as the interim head of the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville beginning December 1," said Gary Jackson, director of MSU's Extension Service. "This special assignment will be in addition to his duties and responsibilities as associate director for MSU Extension."

Street succeeds Steve Martin, who will become head of the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona on December 1.

"Dr. Street served as the head of the Delta center from 2005 until 2008, so he is very familiar with the operation of the center, the experiment stations, county offices and other activities in the region," Jackson said. "He has a great working relationship with the center's employees and will provide strong support and stability during this interim period as we conduct a search for a new head."

Street also has an outstanding research background, Hopper said.

"He served for several years as a research scientist at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville and six years in a joint appointment as a research scientist and Extension specialist," Hopper said. "Dr. Street is an accomplished leader who fully understands the MAFES mission of research support for the strong and diverse agricultural community in the Delta."

The center's MAFES and Extension Service personnel focus on the principle crops of the Delta, which include catfish, corn, cotton, rice, soybeans and wheat. Researchers at the Delta center specialize in agronomy, aquaculture, economics, entomology, plant pathology and weed science. To contact the center, call (662) 686-9311.

Writer: Dr. Rebekah Ray