From August 2019 to October 2020, Dr. Jacqueline “Jackie” Wilkins served as interim director of OSU Extension in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. As interim director, Dr. Wilkins provided leadership for carrying out the vision, mission, and values of OSU Extension; establishing priorities for investment in OSU Extension by local, state, and federal government; and providing oversight of an approximately $77 million budget.
As director of OSU Extension, Dr. Wilkins will continue to lead the Department of Extension, help provide CFAES mission-area leadership in conjunction with the other mission associate deans for teaching and research; and serve on the vice president's cabinet for CFAES. She continues to provide leadership for and will bolster the scholarship of engagement both within and outside of the OSU Extension system, and she is responsible for collaborating with other colleges within the university and the Office of Outreach and Engagement to assist in fulfilling the land-grant mission. Dr. Wilkins also is committed to promoting a culture of inclusivity, supporting efforts to build a diverse workforce and stakeholder base.
Dr. Wilkins also served as director of Operations for OSU Extension from January 2018 to October 2020. She was primarily responsible for providing leadership to statewide Extension operations, comprised of 88 counties, including all matters affecting personnel, finance, and business operations. Dr. Wilkins worked collaboratively with other Extension leaders and college and university partners to provide operational support for employees, clarify policies and procedures, and improve business efficiencies and responsiveness.
Dr. Wilkins received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Ohio Dominican University, and her master's and doctoral degrees in human development and family science from The Ohio State University. Dr. Wilkins began her career at Ohio State in 1994 as an Extension associate in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. In 2000, she became the parenting state Extension specialist. Dr. Wilkins also served as the Northeast Region director for Extension, where she provided leadership to 21 counties on personnel, finances, public relations, and business operations.
Her research interests include prevention education, family policy, and organizational capacity building. She has received more than $6.5 million in local, state, and federal funding to conduct research and provide prevention programming for Ohio's children and families.
Dr. Wikins also has experience in the public sector as the owner of a business management consulting firm, where she designed and implemented many strategic planning initiatives and organizational analyses of efficiency, compensation, work flow, attrition, communications, and IT. Her clients included city and county governments, non-profits, court systems, United Way agencies, philanthropic entities, and for-profit businesses.