Brian Charlton has been appointed interim director of the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center, effective July 1.

Charlton has spent his entire 24-year career at Oregon State University and KBREC working in potato variety development and cultural management. Since 2014, he has served as the Klamath Basin Potato Faculty Scholar.

“I’m excited to take on this new role while still being able to maintain my research/Extension program,” Charlton said. “I’m looking forward to continuing OSU-KBREC’s strong relationships with county commissioners, ag producers, local agribusiness, industry stakeholders, and others.

Charlton has held several positions at KBREC, including associate professor, instructor, senior faculty research assistant and faculty assistant. He started his professional career at KBREC as a student employee while he was earning a bachelor’s degree in crop and soil science at OSU. He holds a master’s degree in agronomy from Iowa State University.

“I’d assume there aren’t too many Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station directors who started at their respective centers as a student employee, returned as a research assistant, and were hired as a project leader, then appointed director,” he said. “I’ll be able to bring a unique understanding of branch station operation from bottom to top.”

Charlton succeeds Willie Riggs, who has been appointed regional director for OSU Extension’s southern region after serving as KBREC director since 2007.

Willie Riggs, Regional Director OSU Extention

Riggs will continue to be based in Klamath Falls. As Regional Director, Riggs provides leadership, vision, focus, and development for Extension programming in Klamath, Lake, Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties.

“I enjoyed my time as KBREC director,” Riggs said. “The center has a full complement of faculty and staff that work diligently to meet the needs of our communities.”

Riggs began his professional career in Klamath County as a regional economics agent for OSU Extension during the early 1990s and later as an Extension agent at the Lake County office. He spent 10 years as Extension educator for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Service before returning to Klamath County as KBREC director. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in agricultural economics and economics from New Mexico State University.

Information provided thorough an email to Klamath Falls News from KBREC.