Distinguished Alumni

Dr. Martha Ray Sartor (Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education 1980) is the Distinguished Fellow for the School of Human Sciences. The Ripley, Mississippi native currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development with the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. After earning her bachelor's degree at MSU, she continued her education at the University of Mississippi where she received a Master of Secondary Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration while working for the Extension Service in the Mississippi Delta. Her career with the Mississippi State University Extension Service spanned 26 years where she served as an agent in four Delta counties, an area financial management specialist in Greenville, 4-H specialist on campus, and as a district administrator in Hattiesburg. In Arkansas, she has served 14.5 years as a district and state administrator. She currently is responsible for the $15-million-dollar Arkansas 4-H Center, working with the Arkansas 4-H Foundation that manages a $9.5 million portfolio, and 4-H/family and consumer sciences programs that garner $8-$10 million in grants and contracts annually. Dr. Sartor resides in Little Rock, but often returns to her childhood home in Ripley, Mississippi, where she plans to retire.