Morris F. White III has been appointed director of the Durham County Center for North Carolina Cooperative Extension, effective April 1.

Sheri Schwab, associate director of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service; Gayle Harris, Durham County general manager; and Anthony Noel, Durham County’s human resources manager, announced the appointment this week. It was approved by the Durham County Board of Commissioners on March 13.

White succeeds Delphine Sellars, who retired Nov. 1 after more than nine years in the position.

Since 2013, White has served as Extension director in nearby Vance County. He has more than a decade of Extension experience, having served as unit coordinator and 4-H agent for Virginia Cooperative Extension Service from 2007 to 2013. Before that, he was a teacher and a park guide with the U.S. Park Service.

White holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political sciences from Virginia Union University and a master’s degree in career and technical education from Virginia Tech.

According to Cooperative Extension’s North Central District Director Jim Cowden, White’s experience with Extension and education will be assets.

“As Durham County Extension director, Morris White will utilize his leadership skills to get the Durham community involved with Cooperative Extension and its many programs,” Cowden said. “He has coordinated and facilitated many programs recently, and the Community Voices, Vance County Resource Fair, and Turning the Tide on Poverty Community Project are some examples of his achievements.”

North Carolina Cooperative Extension is a strategic partnership of NC State and North Carolina A&T State universities, along with county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Together they serve as a bridge between the campuses and local communities, delivering research-based education, tools and technology for all North Carolinians.