Dr. Leodrey Williams has been officially named Chancellor Emeritus of the SU Ag Center
Baton Rouge, La. – Former Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center Chancellor, Leodrey Williams, Ed.D., has been officially named Chancellor Emeritus of the Ag Center. The status was bestowed upon Dr. Williams on July 21, 2023 during the Southern University System’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Dr. Williams, who was the first Chancellor of the Southern University Ag Center, began his professional career in Agriculture with Cooperative Extension in 1965 as a County Agricultural Agent at the Lousiana State University.
In 1972, Southern University established its own extension office and hired Williams as an Agricultural Specialist, along with a small staff, to recruit and create programs. He later held several positions at both Southern University and Louisiana State University.
He was appointed the Acting Administrator of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Extension Service for all U.S. states and territories. He was also elevated to Associate Administrator of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), the precursor to the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, USDA-NIFA He has served on several national and international committees and as a consultant in Extension administration and education in Sierra Leone and Ethiopia. He has also helped to develop memoranda of understanding with the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of China.
In 1995, he returned to Southern as the Cooperative Extension Director, and in 2001, was asked to lead the newly formed Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, the fifth campus of the Southern University System. He held this position for 14 years. After a total of 50 years of service, Dr. Williams retired from the Southern University Ag Center on June 30, 2015.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in vocational agriculture education from Southern University, a Master of Science in Extension Education, and a Doctor of Education degree in Extension Education/Administration, both from Louisiana State University.
The SU Ag Center and College of Agriculture also dedicated a fruit-bearing pean tree in the campus’ pecan orchid to Williams, for the many seeds that he has sown on the agricultural campus. This spring, Williams will become the first African American inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Fame.