Dr. Christine D. Townsend established the Dr. Joe D. Townsend Leadership Fellows Program at Texas A&M University through a $25,000 gift to the Texas A&M Foundation.

The endowment created by the gift will fund instructor salaries, fellows program curriculum development, executive speaker events, fellows gatherings and travel for selected students from the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications who participate in the “Dr. Joe” Leadership Fellows Program, a program also created by the gift from Dr. Christine Townsend.

Joe Townsend is the associate vice president for student development at Texas A&M in College Station. Prior to that appointment, Townsend served as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences associate dean for student development at Texas A&M from 1990 to 2008.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Texas A&M in 1967 and his master’s and doctorate degrees in agricultural education from Iowa State University in 1971 and 1981, respectively.

Throughout his career, Townsend has received numerous awards for his work as an agricultural educator, including the University Distinguished Teaching, Student Relations and Administration Awards from the Texas A&M University Former Students Association.

The Texas A&M Foundation matches donors and their interests with the university’s priorities. Our donors provide the resources that help faculty excel in their fields and students become confident professionals. The Foundation’s wise management of these generous gifts fuels Spirit and MindSM. It helps Aggies leave their mark on the world in productive and inventive ways, and ensures a bright future for Texas A&M.