{"id":9767,"date":"2018-05-28T16:36:36","date_gmt":"2018-05-28T20:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=9767"},"modified":"2024-08-15T14:08:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T18:08:13","slug":"heeding-the-calls-reflections-on-a-sea-grant-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/heeding-the-calls-reflections-on-a-sea-grant-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Heeding the Calls: Reflections on a Sea Grant Career"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been nearly two decades since Jack Thigpen lived on the Outer Banks, but he still remembers its familiar sounds \u2014 especially the harsh whistles of brown thrashers, along with the flute-like notes of wood thrushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur property was next to Kitty Hawk Woods, a 400- acre reserve with lots of thick underbrush. We could hear them in there, singing and calling as they searched for bugs,\u201d he reflects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen takes equal delight in listening to people \u2014 a skill that served him well in his 20 years with North Carolina Sea Grant, most spent as the program\u2019s extension director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJack always took time to listen to our concerns and to brainstorm about ways to move forward,\u201d says Scott Baker, a Sea Grant fisheries specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen\u2019s thoughtful, collaborative approaches, and leadership by example, were highlighted as colleagues celebrated his retirement in late March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerhaps the best indications of Jack\u2019s superior service came when our state or national funding partners would request examples of outstanding university and community outreach efforts,\u201d notes Susan White, North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPartners across the state and beyond simply would say, \u2018Call Jack.\u2019 They knew his North Carolina team has been successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMING HOME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen joined North Carolina Sea Grant in 1998 as an extension specialist with a focus on coastal recreation and tourism. He moved from Texas, where he had been a rural sociologist on the extension faculty at Texas A&M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Thigpen enjoyed Texas, he yearned to be closer to family in North Carolina and Virginia. \u201cI was ready to go home,\u201d he recalls. So, he checked in with Bob Ditton, his mentor at Texas A&M, who \u201cgave me a Sea Grant extension manual and told me to call Jim Murray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Murray was North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s extension director. He recalls identifying Thigpen as a natural fit for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJack was a North Carolina native and had an excellent \u2018extension\u2019 personality,\u201d Murray says. \u201cHe was very good at interviewing me, to understand whether he wanted to work for North Carolina Sea Grant \u2014 and me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murray offered Thigpen the job, but not long thereafter, Murray moved from North Carolina to join the National Sea Grant College Program outside Washington, D.C. There, Murray led the national program\u2019s extension efforts, and later retired as deputy director overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen, on the other hand, stayed in North Carolina \u2014 but kept Murray as a mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before joining Sea Grant, Thigpen was no stranger to the state\u2019s coastal rhythms. His father\u2019s family had strong connections in Williamston, in eastern North Carolina. Young Jack grew up in Virginia\u2019s piedmont, near Scottsville and the James River. There, the entire family joined the steeplechase community with his father, John Fleming Thigpen Jr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But fishing was an essential part of summer vacations and holidays spent at the N.C. coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Steeplechase activities were important for Thigpen\u2019s father \u2014 and thus for the family, too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, my grandmother had a place at Pamlico Beach, on the river, south of Belhaven,\u201d Thigpen says. \u201cI remember waking up early and walking along the shore with nets, and finding soft-shell crabs to bring back for my grandmother to pan-fry for breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another vivid coastal memory is from a later trip to Hatteras Island. When Thigpen was about age 10, he learned lessons from Captain Ernal Foster of the famed Albatross Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was my first time going out of Hatteras Inlet, without sight of land. I felt like we were in this tiny boat in the huge ocean. It was like outer space,\u201d he says. (His excursion did coincide with the early era of space exploration.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the reality of the day quickly took hold. He learned \u201cthe hard way\u201d to obey the captain\u2019s orders for handling a reel when fishing for blackfin tuna or mahi. He also had a personal lesson in the ocean\u2019s food web. \u201cI caught one that had been bitten in half by a shark,\u201d he says with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Thigpen arrived at Sea Grant, he reported for duty at its northern coastal location, just before that office moved from the N.C. Aquarium at Roanoke Island to an office on the causeway between Manteo and Nags Head \u2014 one sign of changes ahead for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His early work focused on economic development. One project included extensive interviews that revealed overlaps between ecotourism and heritage tourism. \u201cIt was the best job I ever had,\u201d Thigpen says, recalling his interactions with surfers and history buffs. Those interviews provided data to help small business owners better understand the emerging markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also joined in planning for the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival to celebrate the autumn bird migrations. Known as WOW, the program has since expanded to encompass a broader wildlife theme, and still draws tourists during the fall \u201cshoulder season\u201d for the Outer Banks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen\u2019s success as an extension specialist, and his professional background as a sociologist, were noted by Ron Hodson, then North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s director. Hodson asked Thigpen to serve a term as interim extension leader after Murray left, later making the duties and title permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJack was a steady fellow, and we knew he would be a good leader,\u201d Hodson recalls. \u201cIt was good timing for the staff to have a new approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen also had business training that would be key for his work in communities. He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in agricultural business and a master\u2019s degree in agricultural economics and rural sociology from the University of Tennessee, followed by a doctorate in sociology with an emphasis on natural resources, from the University of Kentucky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen was eager for his new duties, as he valued the extension specialists\u2019 expertise and personalities. \u201cI knew they were hardworking. I saw them cooperating with colleagues and with community partners,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His own office moved to the program\u2019s headquarters in Raleigh. With time, Thigpen saw that he was fulfilling a key goal that Hodson had envisioned: bringing the natural and social sciences closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Fear, the program\u2019s current research director, adds that Thigpen also brought Sea Grant\u2019s research and outreach missions closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring proposal reviews, extension specialists provide important comments on the need for a research topic, as well as on the methods and partners suggested. Then during funded projects, the team members are liaisons with the investigators, and also participate in the review of annual progress reports,\u201d Fear explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sea Grant team meetings often include time to learn more about North Carolina’s varied coastal ecosystem. North Carolina Sea Grant file photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The success of those efforts may be attributed to the fact that Thigpen also followed another Sea Grant tradition: Hire great people. Then get out of their way as they do great work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe encouraged work plans with ambitious goals for everyone on his team, from administrative professionals to extension specialists. He helped them find funding, local partnerships, national mentors and other resources to ensure success,\u201d White says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith four offices to keep track of \u2014 in Raleigh, Wanchese, Morehead City and Wilmington \u2014 attending to everyone\u2019s needs may not have been easy. But Jack\u2019s team knew that he was just a phone call away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, more than a few of those phone calls revealed Jack\u2019s sense of empathy and consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Sara Mirabilio had been on the job as a fisheries specialist for less than a month when Hurricane Isabel was targeting the Outer Banks in 2003. Like many others along the coast, she was facing mandatory evacuation from her home ahead of the storm. Without skipping a beat, Thigpen offered Mirabilio, as well as several other coastal residents, a place to stay with his family in Raleigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen also supported staff during their personal and family health challenges, always making sure his team knew that getting well was the priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Whitehead, now based in Raleigh, recalls when she was a Carolinas regional Sea Grant specialist, based in South Carolina \u2014 and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. \u201cThe only carb I could eat that wouldn\u2019t spike my blood sugar was sweet potatoes, so he brought me an entire box of them from North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUILDING BRIDGES<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, Thigpen\u2019s skills were at the forefront of North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s intensive strategic planning process. That effort included multiple focus groups consisting of varied stakeholders, along with academic and agency partners. He also coordinated a wider survey of residents across the state to learn more about their interest in coastal topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe put his heart and soul into this process to confirm the focus areas we have for 2018 to 2021. He also refined our goals so that they align with ongoing critical needs for coastal ecosystems, economies and emerging issues. The resulting plan is an excellent guide for our research and outreach in the coming years,\u201d White explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen also has earned respect and praise on state and national levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, he had leadership roles with the National Sea Grant Extension Assembly, as well as with the Sea Grant Networks Advisory Council, a panel that consults with the National Sea Grant Office and the Sea Grant Association. He has served terms leading the extension networks for the South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic regions as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe became a super-effective leader on the national level by showing the value Sea Grant provides to communities,\u201d Hodson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the state level, Thigpen has been a valued advisor to a range of programs and initiatives. A graduate of NC State University\u2019s Natural Resources Leadership Institute, he is a skilled facilitator who can lead meaningful discussions even among stakeholders with distinctly different views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill Crowell, director of the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, or APNEP, offers an example. \u201cJack was the chair of the APNEP Policy Board when we began our transition to a new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. It was a four- year effort, and he was instrumental in the development of APNEP\u2019s ecosystem-based approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen also played an important but less formal role as a founding member of the steering committee for the N.C. Birding Trail, which grew from a coastal trail of prime birding locations to a statewide resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis infectious smile belied a willingness to fearlessly jump into difficult conversations \u2014 and for that, his voice will be missed,\u201d notes trail colleague Scott Anderson of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. \u201cJack brought a light-hearted intensity to every meeting of the N.C. Birding Trail. We wish him the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CELEBRATING A CAREER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just before his retirement Thigpen earned significant state and regional recognition. At a luncheon in his honor, he received the Old North State Award, signed by Gov. Roy Cooper, noting his outstanding state service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His final week on the job was busy, as North Carolina hosted a Mid-Atlantic Sea Grant regional meeting in Corolla. There, colleagues also honored him with a career service award. Tom Murray, retired director of Virginia Sea Grant\u2019s extension program, cited the importance of Thigpen\u2019s collaboration and leadership not only to the region, but also to the national network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJack has always been willing to help,\u201d notes Murray, who also received a career award from the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Susan White, current North Carolina Sea Grant director, had nominated Thigpen for the Old North State Award that is issued by the Governor. Photo by Julie Leibach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen officially turned over his office keys, but his tradition of service continues. He has assured the program\u2019s new extension director, Frank Lopez, who recently arrived from Ohio, that he is still \u201conly a phone call away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, Thigpen is enjoying the perks of retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He now has plenty of time to visit with friends and family, including his two daughters. Magan lives in Durham, where she is building a career in education policy and community service. Abigail is preparing to graduate later this year from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, with a degree in sociology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thigpen also is looking for a \u201cbest fit\u201d for potential volunteer opportunities, perhaps related to birding or rural economic development, or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it will focus on natural and cultural history,\u201d he notes with a smile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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