Jeffrey Fowler has been appointed to succeed George Wilcox as Warren County Penn State Extension Director.
Fowler said he is “looking forward to extending the research knowledge of Penn State to residents of Warren County and continuing to oversee the educational programs” to see that the needs of Warren County are met.
He may be new to the position, but he had worked with Wilcox for 23 years, noting that Wilcox was a great asset to the organization and Warren County.
Fowler joined Penn State Extension in 1988, and is known as the “Turf Guy” to the professionals at Heinz Field, PNC Park and the Little League field caretakers in 20 counties of Western Pennsylvania he is responsible for.
Since 1999, Fowler has been an active member of the Sports Turf Management Association, and has served on a number of committees, including Awards, Information Outreach, Conference Education and Editorial committees.
In April he was elected as the first county extension educator and STMA member to serve on the National STMA Board of Directors.
For 12 years Fowler has volunteered his expertise as a grounds crew member to the Little League World Series and the local Little League.
Fowler has also served on the Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization Board of Directors, an affiliate of the STMA, since 2003.
His experience has garnered a national reputation in the area of sports turf management as his “Field Safety Checklist” is the standard throughout the country. Approximately 7,500 U.S. Little Leagues and over 10,000 around the world have received a copy of Fowler’s basic field care video he produced in cooperation with Little League Baseball.
In his community he is a active volunteer, and has served with the Red Cross, the United Way and in 2005 the STMA awarded him the 2005 Dr. William H. Daniel Founders Award for his excellence and dedication to research and teaching.
The William H. Daniel Founders Award is usually typically awarded to turfgrass science professors, and Fowler is the only county extension educator in the nation to be honored with the award.
Fowler received his bachelor’s degree from Delaware College and his master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University.
He and his wife Jamie, and their son Evan live in Venango County.