Athens, Ga. – J. Scott Angle, dean and director of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, announced today that Laura Perry Johnson will become the college's associate dean of extension beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

“We are confident Laura will take UGA Extension in new and exciting directions,” Angle said. “Her wealth of experience and deep understanding of the state and the needs of those we serve will be invaluable.”

Perry Johnson is currently the district extension director for Southwest Georgia, where she manages faculty, staff and UGA Extension programs for 41 counties. She has been with the CAES for 25 years, serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant, laboratory technician, youth livestock specialist and district 4-H program development coordinator before becoming district director in 2012.

Perry Johnson has bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees in animal and dairy science from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. She holds the rank of Senior Public Service Associate within the UGA Public Service Faculty system.

“When I went to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as a student in 1983, I had no idea where that would lead me,” Perry Johnson said. “But it’s my belief in this organization and the work we do that has kept me here. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help continue to move the organization forward and enhance our reputation as one of the premiere Extension organizations in the nation.”

UGA Extension is a statewide network of agriculture and natural resources, 4-H and youth development, and family and consumer sciences experts, with offices in 157 of Georgia’s 159 counties. The organization’s mission is to deliver the knowledge and discoveries from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences to the people of Georgia.