Two new appointments for advisory board

Two new members joined the Leopold Center advisory board in June -- one new to Iowa and another who is familiar with both Iowa and the work of the Leopold Center.

The University of Northern Iowa has chosen the new chair of its geography department, Patrick Pease, to fill one of its two seats on the advisory board. Pease succeeds Tom Fogarty, a UNI geography professor who spent a decade on the board. UNI's other representative is biology professor Laura Jackson, who has served on the board since 2003.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey appointed Maury Wills to represent the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) on the board. Wills is bureau chief of the IDALS Agricultural Diversification and Market Development Bureau.

The advisory board also elected officers for the coming year. Neil Hamilton, original 1987 board member and director of the Drake University Law Center, will be chair. Jackson from the University of Northern Iowa is vice-chair and Russell Brandes, representing the State Soil Conservation Committee, is member-at-large.

Patrick Pease: UNI appointee new to Iowa

Pease comes to Iowa from North Carolina, where he had spent 1998 to 2006 as associate professor in the East Carolina University geography department. While there, he conducted a number of research projects including a study of wind erosion in farm fields and soil erosion in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd.

"I have a long professional interest in the interaction between people and their landscapes and agriculture is one of the most fundamental examples of that interaction," Pease said. "Most of my involvement in agriculture is from my research, which includes soil erosion, sediment transport and nutrient losses in the soil."

Pease said the Leopold Center is poised to be a leader in agriculture and agribusiness, especially as the state shapes a future that benefits all Iowans.

He earned undergraduate and master's degrees in geology from Indiana State University, and a Ph.D. in geography from Texas A&M. In addition to teaching, he has worked as a research assistant on two National Science Foundation projects, including a study of streambank erosion from the Upper Mississippi flood in 1993.

In 2003, he received the Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award from the National Council of Geographic Education. He also edited the North Carolina Geographer from 2000 to 2005.

He lives in Cedar Falls with his wife and two children.

He also is familiar with the Leopold Center, attending numerous board meetings on behalf of his former supervisor (and IDALS representative on the board) Mary Jane Olney.

"I think highly of the Leopold Center as the most credible voice for sustainable agriculture," Wills said. "The Center can help agriculture stay focused on sustainability resource management and protection of life-sustaining ecosystems."

Wills, his wife and their six children own and operate a certified organic apple orchard near Adel in rural Dallas County. They own about 60 acres, planting the first trees in 1992. They now have more than 600 trees of 15 varieties and plant more every year. They have expanded their orchard business to include on-farm processing of organic apple products and agritourism activities such as U-pick pumpkins, hay rack rides, group events and tours.

A beekeeper, Wills also oversees the state's apiary registration and inspection programs for IDALS and the new Farm to School program. He is a board member of the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

He has an undergraduate degree in social work from Iowa State University and a master's in counseling from Drake University.

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