Cartwright to lead Extension Service

Rick Cartwright has been named director for the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Cartwright’s appointment is effective today.

Cartwight had been serving as interim associate vice president for agriculture-extension since Sept. 1, 2016, after the departure of Director Tony Windham.

Since joining the Division of Agriculture in 1992, Cartwright has served in a number of roles both on the Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station sides. He has international recognition as a rice pathologist. Moving into administration, Cartwright served as interim head of the entomology department, and more recently has been associate director-Agriculture and Natural Resources for extension. Cartwright was raised on a farm in Stone County and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a doctorate in plant pathology at the University of California-Davis.