CORVALLIS, Ore. – Katy Coba, former director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Nancy Bales, a leader in environmental literacy and advocacy, are the newest Oregon delegates to the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching.
Coba and Bales will represent Oregon State University Extension Service in this national organization, also known as CARET. CARET advocates for greater national support and understanding of the land-grant university system’s food and agricultural research and Extension and teaching programs that enhance the quality of life for all people.
They were appointed by Ivory Lyles, OSU’s vice provost of Extension and engagement and Extension director.
“It fills me with great excitement and pride that Katy and Nancy have agreed to join this distinguished group to advocate for OSU Extension,” Lyles said.
Coba was born and raised on a wheat ranch in Pendleton, Oregon.
She served as director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture from 2003-2016, representing the state’s agricultural industry locally, domestically and internationally. She then capped her 37½ year career in state government as chief operating officer and director of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. In that role she worked with the governor’s office, state agencies, the Oregon Legislature and stakeholders to manage the enterprise of state government. She retired in October 2022.
She is currently serving as a member of the Port of Portland Commission. She has a long career in serving on commissions and boards, including president of the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture. She was a member the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) board of directors, and as chair of NASDA’s Food Regulation committee.
Coba graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in economics with a political science minor from Whitman College.
Bales is executive director of the Gray Family Foundation – a supporting organization of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) – and a member of OCF’s executive team. She works to advocate for partnerships and public policy changes that promote and support environmental literacy and deepen connections in the outdoors, while respecting and amplifying the diverse perspectives, traditions, knowledge and relationships that all people in Oregon bring as active stewards of their natural and built environment.
In 2016, she championed the successful passage of Outdoor School for All, a measure that created a statewide outdoor education program in Oregon and secured public funding for OSU Extension to manage the program.
Prior to joining the Gray Family Foundation in 2014, Bales was vice president of development for Ecotrust, a regional nonprofit working to create economic opportunity, environmental well-being and social equity.
Bales is a board member and program committee chair of Blue Sky Funders Forum, as well an appointee to the Oregon Environmental Equity Committee of the Racial Justice Council. She’s a member of the North American Association of Environmental Educators.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Creighton University.
