December 5, 2006

Pistis Appointed Interim State Coordinator for Michigan Sea Grant Extension

Michigan Sea Grant is pleased to announce that Chuck Pistis will begin a three-year appointment as Interim State Coordinator for Michigan Sea Grant Extension effective January 1, 2007.

Pistis will provide leadership and coordination among the Michigan Sea Grant Extension team for program needs assessment, priority setting, planning, development, implementation and evaluation and will be responsible for developing, delivering and evaluating Michigan Sea Grant Extension programs. He will also be liaison between the Michigan Sea Grant Management Team, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Educators, Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) Specialists and Extension Educators, and the MSUE Administrative Team.

Sea Grant is excited about his willingness to help move Michigan Sea Grant to new heights. His blend of extension expertise and management experience will bring innovation and new perspective to our management team. His vision, leadership and energy ensure that our extension program will remain one of the preeminent programs in the country.

Since 1977, Pistis has served Michigan Sea Grant Extension as district educator in southwestern Michigan. He has also been a statewide, regional and national leader in Michigan Sea Grant’s work with fisheries, the marina industry and coastal community development. He is an advisor to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and is a member of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ citizen advisory committees for lakes Michigan, and Erie. He has won state and regional awards for programs such as CoastWatch, Clean Marinas, and a national Sea Grant award for his work with the charter fishing industry. In 2002, he received Michigan State University’s Distinguished Academic Staff Award, the highest honor the university bestows on MSU Extension staff members.

“I’m excited about working with my Sea Grant Extension colleagues to continue our long standing tradition of being one of the premiere Sea Grant Extension programs in the Great Lakes region,” Pistis says. “I look forward to putting our resources in play to deal with issues of importance to the Great Lakes resources and to our Great Lakes constituencies.”

Pistis will have offices on the MSU campus in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, in the Ottawa County MSU Extension office and, as of mid-2007, in the MSU Extension Central Region office in Grand Rapids. His e-mail remains pistis@msu.edu.

Michigan Sea Grant Extension
334 Natural Resources Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
Phone: (517) 353-5508
Fax: (517) 353-6496

MSU Extension
Ottawa County
333 Clinton Street
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Phone: (616) 846-8250
Fax: (616) 846-0655

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