Jay Jayaratne, PhD

Bio

Dr. Jayaratne grew up in a small rural town called Kitulgala in Sri Lanka. He later moved to the United States. He was an Extension District Director in Sri Lanka. After earning his Ph.D. from Iowa State University, he joined the University of Georgia Faculty in 2001 and served as the Evaluation Specialist for five years. Then, he joined the NCSU faculty as an Assistant Professor/State Leader for Program Evaluation in 2006. Currently, he is serving as a professor. He has extension, teaching, and research responsibilities. He is responsible for providing evaluation leadership to North Carolina Cooperative Extension faculty. He has extensive experience in extension education for 31 years. Of which, 21 years in the U.S. and 10 years in Sri Lanka. His expertise and research interests are in Extension program planning, evaluation, and international agriculture. Dr. Jayaratne is a member of American Evaluation Association, American Association for Agricultural Education, Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, and North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. He is married and lives with his wife, Premila in Morrisville, NC. Dr. Jayaratne has two sons, Supun and Ilinda. Both graduated from the NCSU Engineering College and currently working in the industry. Dr. Jayaratne likes gardening, reading, traveling, and photography.

Programs and Initiatives

• Evaluation of Extension Programs for Outcomes and Improvement
• Needs Assessment and Extension Program Development

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• AEHS 521: Program Planning in Agricultural and Extension Education
• AEHS 577: Evaluation in Agricultural and Extension Education
• AEHS 578-Scientific Inquiry in Agricultural and Extension Education
• AEHS 705: International Agricultural Development

Professional Honors/Offices/Recognitions

• 2020 – American Association for Agricultural Education Fellow
• 2020 – Distinguished Researcher Award, American Association for Agricultural Education
• 2018 – Distinguished Extension Educator Award, American Association for Agricultural Education
• 2018 – Honorary State FFA Degree, North Carolina FFA Association
• 2018 – First Runner-up Poster Presentation at the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2017 – Outstanding Graduate Instructor award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State University
• 2016 – Outstanding Leadership and Service to the Extension Evaluation Profession Award, Extension Education Evaluation Topical Interest group of the American Evaluation Association
• 2016 – Distinguished Extension Educator Award, American Association for Agricultural Education, Southern Region
• 2014 – Distinguished Researcher Award, American Association for Agricultural Education, Southern Region
• 2013 – Excellence in Extension Program Evaluation Award, Extension Education Evaluation Topical Interest group of the American Evaluation Association
• 2013 – Fellow, International Association for Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2013 – North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Teaching Fellow
• 2012 – Outstanding Poster Presentation Award Received for the poster presented at the 28th Annual Conference of the International Association for Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2011 – Outstanding Achievement Award, International Association for Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2011 – 1st Runner-up Outstanding Journal Article of the Year Award 2010 from the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2011 – 2nd Place Outstanding Research Poster Presentation at the Southern Regional Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education
• 2010 – 2nd Place Outstanding Poster Presentation at the 26th Annual Conference of the International Association for Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2009 – 3rd Place Outstanding Poster Presentation at the 25th Annual Conference of the International Association for Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2008 – Early Achievement Award, International Association for Agricultural and Extension Education
• 2006 – Sustained Excellence in Extension Evaluation Award, Extension Education Evaluation Topical Interest group of the American Evaluation Association
• 2005 – The Epsilon Sigma Phi Extension State Team Award, Epsilon Sigma Phi Extension Professional Organization Alpha Beta Chapter

Selected Publications

• Jeuck, L. S., Jayaratne, K. S., Stumpf-Downing, M., Edwards, H., & McKee, K. (2023). Critical Competencies of 4-H Camp Staff for Achieving High Performance. The Journal of Extension, 61(2), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.61.02.07
• Bardon, R. E., Peters, K., Parajuli, R., & Jayaratne, K. S. U. (2023). Educational Needs of North Carolina Non-industrial Private Forest Landowners and Barriers to Meeting These Needs. The Journal of Extension, 61(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.61.01.01
• Diaz, J., Gusto, C., Narine, L. K., Jayaratne, K.. S. U, & Silvert, C. (2023). Toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Outreach and Engagement in Extension Education: Expert Consensus on Barriers and Strategies. The Journal of Extension, 61(1), Article 21. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.61.01.21
• Donaldson, J. L., Graham, D. L., Arnold, S., Taylor, L. K., & Jayaratne, K. S. U. (2022). Extension education trends and research needs: Views from professionals and faculty. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(3), 73-82. https://www.jae-online.org/index.php/volume-63-number-3-2022/2484-extension-education-trends-and-research-needs-views-from-professionals-and-faculty
• Cunningham, G., Bruce, J., McKee, K., Jayaratne, K., & Correa, M. (2022). Assessment of the organizational culture of the cooperative extension system. Advancing Women in Leadership Journal, 41, 129-140. https://awl-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/awl/article/view/432
• Diaz, J., Silvert, C., Gusto, C., Jayaratne, K. S. U., Narine, L. (2021). Towards intercultural competence: Using consensus to identify essential personality traits for an inclusive extension education workforce. Advancements in Agricultural Development, 2(3). doi: https://doi.org/10.37433/aad.v2i3.135
• Glen, C. D., Jayaratne, K. S. U., Moore, G. E., Bradley, L. K., & Edwards, H. (2021). What does it take to lead Extension Master Gardener Volunteers? Journal of Extension, 59(3). doi: https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.59.03.12
• Jayaratne, K. S. U., Collins, D. P., & McCollum. (2021). Early career challenges of youth development extension educators and effective strategies. Sustainability, 13(16). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169017
• Codallo, M., Bruce, J., McKee, K., & Jayaratne, K. S. U. (2020). Factors that influence university student retention in colleges of agriculture. NACTA Journal 64. 2020
• Blevins, M, Jayaratne, K. S. U., Bruce, J., Bradley, L., & Stumpf-Downing, M, (2020). County commissioner perceptions of Cooperative Extension: Implications for strengthening the partnership with county government. Journal of Extension [On-line], 58(2). Retrieved from https://www.joe.org/joe/2020august/a3.php

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Area(s) of Expertise

• Extension Program Planning and Evaluation