Nichol Kleespies Named ISU Extension Regional Director for Five Counties

Nichol Kleespies will serve as regional director for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach covering Cherokee, Buena Vista, Ida, Sac and Calhoun counties, a position she begins Jan. 26. The appointment places a Buena Vista University graduate with more than a decade of ISU Extension experience into a leadership role that touches local 4-H clubs, agricultural outreach, community education and county programming budgets.

Kleespies brings a background concentrated in 4-H youth development to the regional post. Responsibilities for the regional director include administrative leadership for county extension staff, guidance to elected county extension councils, overseeing program delivery and budgets, and ensuring continuity during transition periods. Those duties align directly with day-to-day operations that residents in Storm Lake, Alta, Sac City and other county seats rely on for youth programming, farm support and community learning opportunities.

ISU leaders praised Kleespies for her experience leading staff and building local relationships. Her decade of work with ISU Extension positions Kleespies to step into an operational role at a time when consistent local leadership matters for program stability and future planning. For Buena Vista County, continuity in leadership can affect timelines for fair programming, 4-H enrollment and the coordination of outreach events that bring extension educators into schools, churches and community centers.

The regional director role also has policy and budgetary implications. Oversight of county extension budgets requires coordination with elected county extension councils, which set priorities for local programming and staffing. Kleespies will be responsible for guiding those councils through fiscal planning and program delivery, a function that influences how extension resources reach smaller towns and rural families across the five-county region. Strong relationships between the regional director and county officials can affect the allocation of youth development, agriculture and family well-being resources, particularly in communities that depend on Extension for training, leadership development and emergency preparedness guidance.

Kleespies’ local ties as a Buena Vista University alum add a community connection that Extension officials highlighted as an asset for building trust across counties. Her background in 4-H youth development suggests continuity for young people and volunteers who depend on Extension for mentorship, leadership opportunities and access to practical skills.

As Kleespies assumes the regional post on Jan. 26, residents can expect ISU Extension to maintain program services while county councils and staff work with the new director to shape priorities. Watch for updates from local extension offices about program schedules, council meetings and outreach events as Kleespies settles into the role and begins guiding the region’s extension work.