How it Happened: Land Grant Leadership Legacies

Debbie and Larry Swindle posing in front of a blue UF/IFAS step-and-repeat backdrop. — Debbie and Larry Swindle

Larry and Debbie Swindle are prominent community leaders in the greater Tampa area, generously investing in youth, students and programs shaping Florida’s future. They passionately support future agribusiness leaders.

Recognizing the immense impact of the land-grant mission for Florida’s agriculture, natural resources and communities, Larry and Debbie extended their support to UF/IFAS. Over the years, they established four endowments to provide lasting funds for UF/IFAS Extension programs, while honoring outstanding UF/IFAS leaders: Joe Joyce, Jimmy Cheek, Larry Arrington, and Nick Place.

Debbie and Larry Swindle established endowments to honor four past UF/IFAS leaders: Drs. Jimmy Cheek, Larry Arrington, Joe Joyce, and Nick Place.

Nick Place 4-H Leadership Endowment

During UF’s Go Greater Campaign, the Swindles created the Nick Place 4-H Leadership Endowment, honoring former UF/IFAS Extension Dean Nick Place. With appreciation for his passion for 4-H, this endowment supports scholarships for teens demonstrating strong leadership potential to advance their skills through 4-H leadership development programs – including 4-H Legislature and 4-H University.

Left: high schoolers using pipettes in a laboratory. Right: a middle school-aged girl stands and speaks into a microphone, participating in a mock legislative session in the capitol. — The Nick Place 4-H Leadership Endowment provides scholarships that help youth develop their leadership potential through hands-on learning programs. Left: youth trying out research techniques at 4-H University. Right: 4-H youth participating in a mock legislative experience at the Florida State Capitol.

Debbie Swindle, Larry Swindle, Nick Place, and Deb Place posing together. Nick is holding a blue "UF/IFAS Endowment Society" padfolio. — Debbie and Larry surprised Nick Place with the announcement of the endowment in his honor at the 2018 Florida 4-H Gator Soiree.

To date, 16 youth from across Florida have benefited from the Place Leadership Scholarship to attend 4-H University, an immersive summer leadership development program on the University of Florida campus, focused on college and career pathway development, as well as 4-H Legislature, a mock legislative experience at the state capitol.

Three of the past recipients are now serving as Florida 4-H state officers, with many more serving alongside them on the state’s 4-H Executive Board. The executive board is Florida 4-H’s teen leadership council focused on shaping and planning statewide youth opportunities.

Place started his career in Extension as a multi-county agent in Pennsylvania, where he spent 12 years conducting educational programs in dairy, livestock, 4-H youth development and community development. He then served as associate dean and director in Maryland, before serving as UF/IFAS Dean and Director for Florida Cooperative Extension from 2012 to 2020. Place is currently dean and director for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences where he continues to champion 4-H youth programs.

Larry R. Arrington Extension Internship Endowment

Two young women cooking in a kitchen. One is wearing a UF/IFAS Extension apron, the other a 4-H apron. — Larry R. Arrington Extension Internship Endowment supports paid internships that introduce UF students to Extension as a career while supporting local Florida communities.

The Larry R. Arrington Extension Internship Endowment honors former UF/IFAS Extension Dean Larry Arrington’s commitment to the professional development of Extension faculty and staff, and as a life-long friend of the Swindles. Before he led Extension, Arrington and Swindle were classmates at Cork Elementary in Plant City. They remained close throughout school, and even after Arrington left Plant City for academic pursuits.

Arrington joined the UF/IFAS faculty in 1981. During his tenure, he served as district director for northwest Florida and associate dean for Extension before being named dean and director in 2004. Arrington is famous for his quotes filled with professional wisdom, highlighting the role of Extension professionals in connecting the public with the research and resources of the university – “they don’t care if you don’t know, they care if you are willing to find the answer.”

The Extension Internship program connects students with career pathways in Extension, while assisting meaningful community education programs. For decades, the program has cultivated a pipeline of talent, engaging hundreds of students, with many going on to pursue rewarding careers in Extension.

Suzanne Holloway, UF/IFAS Extension Leon County Family & Consumer Sciences agent, graduated from the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in food science. She began her role as an Extension agent in the summer of 2024. Suzanne was first introduced to Extension as a child, participating in several 4-H youth camps and briefly joining the Micanopy Friendship 4-H Club. Through this internship, she was able to rediscover UF/IFAS Extension, having the opportunity to interview and shadow agents across multiple program areas and counties.

These hands-on experiences and interactions led me to pursue a career in Extension and further guided me into the Family & Consumer Sciences program area. Moreover, I do not believe I would be in my current role without the experiences and connections I made during my internships.”

Micah Gallagher is a double CALS graduate with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and a master’s degree in agricultural education and communication. After interning with UF/IFAS Extension Levy County, she became a livestock agent in Levy County.

During my internship in Levy County, I learned skills and gained a new network of people, and it sparked my interest in possibly being an agent one day. I knew my animal sciences degree would aid in being a livestock agent, but my internship led me to an Extension-focused master’s degree…I am forever thankful to have had the hands-on opportunities and experience that have made me a better Extension agent.”

Jimmy Cheek Ambassadors Enrichment Endowment

Honoring Dr. Jimmy Cheek, who served as dean and later as UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, the Jimmy Cheek Ambassadors Enrichment Endowment supports the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Ambassador Program. Under his leadership, UF/IFAS and the college experienced tremendous growth. This endowment honors his leadership by supporting the growth of future leaders and the active recruitment of new students to CALS and the fields of agriculture and natural resources.

A group of ~40 smiling students in blue polo shirts pose outdoors. — CALS Ambassadors are a select group of students in the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences who create awareness of the academic programs and career opportunities in food, agriculture and natural resources among students, teachers, advisors, and the general public in the state of Florida.

Cheek joined UF in 1975 and rose to assistant department chair in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication in 1981. In 1992, he became CALS assistant dean, then later dean and eventually senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources from 2005 to 2009.

Joe Joyce Endowment for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

two men wearing orange life vests stand in an airboat and examine an aquatic plant. — The UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants develops environmentally sound management techniques for aquatic and natural area invasive plant species.

Retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Army Reserves Joe Joyce served as a limnologist with the US Army Corps of Engineers, chief of the Corps’ nationwide Aquatic Plant Control Operation Center and chief of the Natural Resources Management Section Corps’ Jacksonville District. He would then serve as director of the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. In 1993 he served as interim dean for research, as well as being named associate vice president for UF/IFAS in 1994.

Honoring Joyce’s accomplishments and impacts in his field, the Joe Joyce Endowment supports students and public outreach educational activities of the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. In 2015, Joyce was inducted to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Legacy of Impact

Through honoring others, the Swindle Family has demonstrated its own leadership as agriculturalists and its commitment to UF/IFAS and the future of Florida.

In 2014, Debbie was recognized the UF/IFAS Volunteer of the Year presented by the UF/IFAS Advancement Council (known as SHARE Council at the time). In 2021, Debbie and Larry were recognized with the Extension Advocate Award for their commitment to the Extension mission of community education in agriculture, natural resources and leadership.

Debbie Swindle holds a plaque. She is surrounded by her family. — Debbie, Larry and family at the 2014 UF/IFAS Dinner of Distinction.

The “How it Happened” series showcases the transformational gifts made by donors to UF/IFAS during the University of Florida’s Go Greater Campaign. To learn more about creating your own impact through UF/IFAS programs with a charitable gift, please visit our website at give.ifas.ufl.edu or call the UF/IFAS Advancement Office at 352-392-1975.