Nancy E. Franklin, formerly Virginia Tech's southside regional director of information technology and senior director, planning and academic program development, of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Danville, Virginia, has been appointed director of strategic initiatives for Penn State Cooperative Extension.

In this new position, Nancy is responsible for leading communications and coordinating strategic initiatives for Outreach/Cooperative Extension, including the energy thematic initiative. She will report to Daney Jackson, the associate vice president for outreach and director for Cooperative Extension and associate dean, College of Agricultural Sciences.

Since 2001, Nancy was responsible to the vice president for information systems at Virginia Tech for senior leadership associated with the development of a new regional institution focused on research commercialization, human capital development through academic and outreach programs, and advanced networking and technology dissemination. As senior director of planning and academic program development at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Nancy was responsible to the board of IALR and was engaged in developing and implementing a coordinated plan to improve the long-term economic environment of Virginia's south central Piedmont region by involving university faculty and staff with people, issues, and assets in the region. She was also responsible for coordinating information technology for distance education and promoting the use of technology in government and business in the Dan River Region. Prior to this position at Virginia Tech, Nancy served as director of distance education and faculty development at Indiana State University.

Nancy earned a B.S. degree from Bucknell University, a M.A. degree from Virginia Tech, and is an Ed.D. candidate in higher education management at University of Pennsylvania. She has authored a book on distance-learning systems.