Professional Experience:
Dr. Thomas Worley is the Director of the CFAES Center for Cooperatives. He provides overall administrative leadership for the Center and has served as Principal Investigator for successive projects funded via USDA’s Rural Cooperative Development Grants program at Ohio State since 2000. Tom also fosters interaction with cooperatives in Ohio and beyond. He co-teaches “Agricultural Cooperatives”, an undergraduate course at Ohio State University. He fosters collaborative efforts with many state, regional, and local economic development organizations, educational institutions and business assistance organizations. Tom is a member of the North Central regional education and research group NCERA 210 and works collaboratively with other land grant university faculty on improving the management and effectiveness of cooperatively owned business organizations.
Dr. Worley is Associate Professor in the OSU Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics and continues to serve as Director of the OSU South Centers, a position he has held since 2005. Prior to his appointment at OSU, He served as a Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Washington State University, in Pullman, Washington where he taught agribusiness management and marketing for ten years and conducted a statewide Agribusiness Development Extension program. He is a native of southwest Ohio where he grew up on a farm and become acquainted with the many ways cooperatives are important to farmers and rural residents.
Community Involvement:
Tom is involved in local community and economic development organizations in southern Ohio and serves as liaison with other colleges and universities in the region. He is the host of “South Centers Chat” a monthly telecast to update the community on research, Extension, and business development activities at the OSU South Centers.