Commissioners Court Leadership Academy Tax Assessor-Collectors County and District Clerks Judges and Commissioners Treasurers

Faculty

Rick Avery - Director Rick Avery - Director
r-avery@tamu.edu

Rick Avery is Director of the V.G. Young Institute of County Government, a part of Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Born in Memphis, Texas, Rick grew up in Needville in Fort Bend County. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Austin College and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Texas A&M University.

After completing his graduate program, Rick worked in Washington, D.C. as an aide to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. He then served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Greg Laughlin of West Columbia.

Rick is currently a doctoral candidate in Texas A&M's Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development.

Stacy D. Morris - Extension Program Specialist II Stacy D. Morris - Extension Program Specialist II
s-morris@tamu.edu

Stacy Morris serves as the Extension Program Specialist II for the V.G. Young Institute of County Government.

In her role with the Institute, Stacy provides leadership for Extension educational programs targeted to county officials. These duties include program planning and development, developing publications and resource documents, and working with various county officials' professional associations.

Prior to joining the Institute, Stacy worked with the Outreach and Training Services Unit of the Office of Rural Community Affairs and served as a legislative aide/committee clerk for State Representative David Swinford.

Originally from Dumas, Mrs. Morris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Development and a Master of Agriculture degree in Natural Resources Development, both from Texas A&M University. In July 2007, Stacy earned the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation from the Convention Industry Council.

Marsha Kocurek - Extension Assistant
mlkocurek@ag.tamu.edu

Marsha Kocurek serves as an Extension Assistant with V.G. Young Institute of County Government.

She assists the institute in designing, creating, planning and preparing programs and materials for county officials.

Originally from Burton, Texas, she earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural journalism from Texas A&M University in 2005, and her master's degree in agricultural communications from Oklahoma State University in 2007.

Before joining the institute, she was the communications specialist at the Oklahoma State University New Product Development Center in Stillwater, Okla.

Jill A. Lewis - Extension Assistant Jill A. Lewis - Extension Assistant
jalewis@ag.tamu.edu

Jill Lewis is an Extension Assistant with the V.G. Young Institute of County Government.

She also assists the institute in designing, creating, planning and preparing materials and Web site maintenance.

Jill is originally from Madisonville, Texas. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Journalism from Texas A&M University in 2006, and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Communications from Texas Tech University in 2007.

Jill was a recruiter for the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources at Texas Tech University and worked for the Texas 4-H Foundation before joining the Institute.

Staff

Brenda Andrews - Lead Office Associate
b-andrews@tamu.edu