College of Human Environmental Sciences names Jorge Atiles associate dean for extension and engagement
Friday, June 18, 2010
Most recently Atiles has served as the Associate Dean for Outreach and Extension in
the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia. He was also
the Family and Consumer Sciences State Program Leader for Cooperative Extension and
he was a leader in Latino outreach for UGA Extension.
“We are extremely pleased to have Jorge Atiles join the college and the cooperative
extension service,” said CHES Dean Stephan Wilson. “Jorge will provide leadership
and vitality for our extension faculty. However, he will also work to increase the
collaboration and teamwork across all departments and all types of faculty, whether
they are teaching, doing research or working in extension. Further, he will facilitate
the vital flow of information and ideas into OSU from communities and citizens from
around the state.”
In his new role, Atiles will work with faculty members to create connections across
research and outreach, across teaching and preparing community sensitive professionals
to keep the meaning and importance of the larger land-grant mission alive. His efforts
are expected to increase the journal publications and translation of information into
sources that will be more widely used by practitioners and extension programs available
to the public.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Associate Director James Trapp said Atiles
will raise the profile of the family and consumer sciences extension program in a
number of ways. “Dr. Atiles has a national reputation and is well respected around
the country for the work he has done as a FCS program administrator,” Trapp said.
“He has a passion to deliver the knowledge base contained in CHES to the people of
Oklahoma and the nation when necessary. He will integrate current extension programs
into the newly expanded program.”
CHES Dean Wilson said, “We want to continue both receiving input from and using the
extension program to translate knowledge from the university to communities; we need
to find ways to better allocate that knowledge and our resources to meet the needs
of people and communities in today’s society. It is crucial in our constantly changing
world that our work in extension and outreach remains up-to-date and relevant to the
current lifestyles.”
Atiles received his doctorate degree in housing, interior design and resource management
and master‘s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University. He earned a bachelor of architecture degree from the Universidad
Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña, Dominican Republic.
Affordable housing education programs, natural gas education for consumers, water
quality and energy conservation, weatherization and education have been the focus
of Atiles' areas of extension and outreach work. He has also conducted research in
workforce housing, energy conservation and literacy, community and housing development
and housing finance.
"I am looking forward to working with such great faculty at CHES and the Oklahoma
Cooperative Extension Service. OSU has a great reputation for being committed to its
land-grant mission and for the value it places on extension, outreach and public service,”
Atiles said. “The college's new vision and goal of engagement of its faculty and
students can only multiply the impact of this university and extension in the state,
the nation and the world. I am greatly honored to have been selected to launch and
execute this vision"
Atiles was selected for the newly defined role by a search committee led by Christine
Johnson, CHES associate dean for research and graduate studies. The committee took
into consideration what the future would hold for the college.
“Jorge has established himself as a leader who can set a vision and inspire those
around him to not only adopt a shared vision, but also actively engage in actions
to achieve desired outcomes,” Johnson said. “He will provide vision and state-wide
leadership for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension programs, as well as vision
and leadership for coordinating and integrating the engagement activities of faculty
in the college.”
In 2005, Atiles received the Walter Barnard Hill Award from the Office of the Vice
President for Public Service and Outreach at UGA. He has also been recognized with
awards from the Environmental Protection Agency and several professional organizations.
Before his tenured position at UGA, Atiles worked as an architect and planner with
the National Housing Bank of the Dominican Republic, as a Housing Manager of federal
housing programs in Athens-Clarke County and as adjunct faculty in the College of
Architecture at the UNPHU, Dominican Republic.
Wilson also noted Atiles’ future plans to lead the extension work and to facilitate
team building among the faculty, staff and students in the college’s four departments.
“Our goal for the future is to meld our extension faculty and all of the outreach
and engagement responsibilities of other faculty and students,” Wilson said. “We
will continue to support the work of our faculty and encourage interaction and collaboration
throughout the departments.”
Johnson said she believes Atiles’ appointment will help build the college’s reputation
among its peer institutions, as well as to the general public.
“I look forward to opportunities to integrate research and outreach activities in
CHES and increase the college's profile as being a responsive, active agent in solving
human problems and enhancing human lives,” she said.