Importance of Community Leaders Involvement in Texas Extension.
The Leadership Advisory Board should be comprised of diverse community leaders that reflect the ability to support the aforementioned criteria. These community leaders are sometimes referred to as power actors, key leaders, influentials, and legitimizers. These individuals are known for their ability to exercise their social power. Social power can be best defined as the capacity to influence the actions of others.

Most County Extension Agents are aware that there are members in the community that play an important role in community decision making. More specifically, there are individuals in the governmental community, educational leaders, agriculture community, families, health fields, or youth development community that people look toward for leadership. These individuals represent the opinions of the general population. These leaders, both adult and youth, are the ones that should be targeted to serve on the Leadership Advisory Board.

Several studies have been conducted to help determine characteristics of opinion leaders serving on community leadership advisory boards (Watson & Lionberger, 1967 and Nix and Serley, 1973). These characteristics should be reviewed when deciding how to effectively build the county Leadership Advisory Board. They are as follows:

• Were more successful in business / job / home life
• Residents in community / county
• Tend to be more influential in more than one interest area
• See the community from a broad, general perspective
• Are representatives of the diverse targeted audiences the boards serve

Even though these studies are historical in nature, Tait, Bohlen, and Wedman, (1975) concluded that characteristics of power actors do not significantly change over time. It is also important to point out that these are not concrete characteristics. These are just points to help guide the LAB membership selection process.

Selection Criteria / Membership
The Leadership Advisory Board is an organized body of volunteer leaders. The membership shall consist of not less than 10 nor more than 20 citizens of the county. Each member will serve a three year term. Membership should be staggered so that one-third of the members should rotate off the LAB every year.

Members shall be carefully selected by the County Extension faculty / LAB and should represent the following:

• Each major geographic area of the county
• Organizations affected or affecting Extension programs (including potential educational collaborators)
• Each major social and economic group in the county
• Anyone with a major interest in Texas Extension including youth
• Diverse leaders in the community that relate to agriculture, business, industry, education, civic, families, and religious organizations.

Note: Leadership Advisory Board members do NOT have to be a member of other committees.

Texas Online |Texas Search |Accessibility |Privacy Policy

Educational programs of Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service Mission: To provide quality, relevant, outreach and continuing education programs and services to the people of Texas.

For comments and questions about this site contact
extensioneducation@aged.tamu.edu