Joy Morgan Fleming
email:  jemorga2@ncsu.edu

Joy Morgan Fleming is an associate professor in the Agricultural and Human Sciences Department at North Carolina State University. Having grown up on a small tobacco and beef cattle farm, she learned to value agriculture at a young age and was an active member in both 4-H and FFA. Her involvement in these two organizations encouraged her to pursue a BS in Agricultural Education with a minor in Animal Science and a Master’s of Agricultural Education at North Carolina State University. Upon completion of her Master’s, she returned to Granville County where she taught both middle and high school agricultural education classes.  After teaching for five years, Joy returned to North Carolina State University and received her doctorate in Agricultural and Extension Education. Today, Dr. Morgan enjoys working with both undergraduate and graduate students majoring and minoring in Agricultural Education, Extension Education, Agricultural Science, and Agricultural Leadership. As a 2014-2016 participant in the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Leadership Development Program, Joy experienced the benefits of leadership workshops, agricultural advocacy, and the diversity that surrounds North Carolina agriculture. She is excited to serve as the current director of the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission Agricultural Leadership Development Program and work with the amazing leadership team to continue to strengthen this nationally recognized program. Joy is married to Rob Fleming, a farmer in Halifax County, and enjoys promoting both North Carolina agriculture and the importance of a strong educational foundation that can be used to lead and serve. Joy and Rob have two daughters, Westry and Claire!

Blake Brown
email:  blake_brown@ncsu.edu

Blake Brown is a retired Hugh C. Kiger Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina State University.  He spent much of his career as a policy analyst working on farm policy, particularly tobacco policy.  For the 2018/2019 academic year, he served as a senior economist on the President's Council of Economic Advisors where he focused on agricultural issues.  Prior to his assignment in Washington DC, he directed the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Commission Agricultural Leadership Development Program.  In addition, he served as the executive director of the Executive Farm Management Program as well as assisting with the leadership program and providing economic analyses for tobacco and peanuts. He has numerous publications and presentations including testimony before the House and Senate committees on agriculture as well as over $5 million in cumulative grant funding.  Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University as well as a MS in Agricultural Economics and BS in Animal Science. Blake is married with one son. He is from a small farm in the North Carolina Mountains that he continues to operate raising purebred and commercial beef cattle.

William K. (Bill) Collins
email:  bill_collins@ncsu.edu

William K. Collins has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy from NC State University and a Ph.D. degree from Iowa State University in plant breeding.  He then worked for R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for three years in charge of field research (two years) in the AVOCA sage project and premarket sampling of tobacco (one year).  He was a tobacco extension specialist at NCSU from 1966-86 and taught a tobacco production course to over 1,000 students.  He was Associate Head and/or Acting Head of the Crop Science Department at NCSU, 1986-94.  Subsequently, he was Coordinator of Tobacco Programs at NCSU for 13 years.  Collins has been the Director or Co-Director of 13 programs. Bill is also the leader of an annual Tobacco Short Course for young tobacco farmers with the NC Tobacco Growers Association.  Bill received the Tobacco Science Research Conference Life Time Achievement Award in 2010.  He is a member of the N. C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and also a special consultant to Steve Troxler, N. C. Commissioner of Agriculture.

He is married and has three children and three grandchildren.