The Bladen Counter Center of Cooperative Extension may soon have a new leader. The process of selection of a new director for the agency is in its final stages and should be completed within the next two or three weeks, if all goes according to plans.

The position has been vacant since the previous director, Dr. Martha Warner, resigned to accept the director's position in Brunswick County.

Two finalists for the job were interviewed Friday at the Powell-Melvin Agricultural Extension Building in Elizabethtown.

The two candidates are Dalton Dockery, who presently works in the Columbus County Center of Cooperative Extension, and Ken Wooten, who presently works in Extension at N.C. State University.

According to Cooperative Extension District Director Danny Shaw, the interview represents a final stage of the internal process the agency uses to select a candidate to recommend for the position.

The selection process is essentially a two-part process. Cooperative Extension takes applications from interested and qualified individuals. The applications are screened and finalists in the screening process are interviewed for the position.

The second step of the process entails Cooperative Extension submitting a candidate to the County Commissioners, who may accept of reject the recommendation. Shaw said in instances where commissioners reject a recommendation, another candidate would be recommended.

The two individuals interviewed Friday have extensive backgrounds as agents in Cooperative Extension, and both have worked at one time or another in Bladen County.

In a Monday interview, Wooten said much of his early background in Extension Service was in farm management. He was the Area Farm Management Agent for several counties, including Bladen, for a number of years.

Because of his computer expertise he was later selected to go into information management. He presently works in the Department of Ag Resources and Economics at Cooperative at Extension's headquarters at North Carolina State University, where he provides information management direction and assistance for a 20-county area of southeastern North Carolina.

At one time he was appointed interim director of the New Hanover County Cooperative Extension center. He was later selected as director. He served in that capacity for two years.

Wooten, a Sampson County native, said he enjoyed the experience as director in New Hanover County; however, he would prefer to serve in a rural county with a more agriculture-based economy. He has been employed in Cooperative Extension for 18 years.

Dockery has worked throughout most of his career in neighboring Columbus County, specializing primarily in horticulture and small grains.

At one time he worked as cross-county agent for Bladen and Sampson counties. During that period he was housed out of the Bladen County office. Presently he works in horticulture, forestry and pesticide education.

A native of Nakina, he has eight years experience in Cooperative Extension and has at times worked with many producers in Bladen County.

During the interview process, the Cooperative Extension Advisory Board took part in a seminar with each of the candidates. During the seminar, board members had the opportunity to question the candidates on issues.

The second part of the interview process involved county officials, Extension leadership, and the members of the local Cooperative Extension Center.

Friday's interviews lasted for approximately six hours.

Shaw, who manages extension activities in southeastern North Carolina, has been functioning as acting director since the previous director left.

He said he hopes to have a new Bladen County Director in place by May 1.

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