Mandy Marney has been hired as director of SDSU Extension and associate dean of the South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. She started her new role on June 22.

Marney comes to SDSU from the University of Wyoming, where she held similar positions. She earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, a master’s degree in environment and behavior, and a doctorate in human environmental sciences, all from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

She now takes over leadership for SDSU Extension, the outreach arm of South Dakota State University and a network of hundreds of employees across the state with the goal of providing South Dakotans with unbiased, research-based information that can help improve their lives. SDSU Extension has four main programming focus areas: Agriculture and Natural Resources; Community Vitality; Family, Food and Wellness; and 4-H Youth Development, with programs offered at offices in nearly every county in addition to eight regional centers across the state.