Thomas G. Coon, Ph.D., has dedicated his career to strengthening education, Extension and youth-serving organizations through visionary leadership and service. With experience leading transformational fundraising initiatives and a passion for Michigan 4-H, he has been an invaluable advocate and ambassador.
Coon has played an instrumental role on the Michigan 4-H Foundation’s Beyond Ready Campaign Core Committee, providing strategic counsel and helping advance the campaign’s ambitious vision for the future of Michigan 4-H. Additionally, from 2024-2026 he served as vice president of the Michigan 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees and was elected board president on Oct. 2, 2026.
Coon retired from Oklahoma State University after serving nine years as vice president and dean of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. There, he led the university’s highly successful New Frontiers campaign, which raised funds for a $115 million state-of-the-art teaching, research and Extension facility. The campaign is recognized as one of the fastest and most successful capital efforts in Oklahoma State University history.
Prior to his leadership at Oklahoma State, Coon served as director of MSU Extension from 2005 to 2014, where he also held a seat on the Michigan 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees. He was a professor in MSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife for 25 years and previously taught at Luther College and the University of Missouri.
Through his visionary leadership, commitment to service and dedication to empowering young people, Coon continues to strengthen the future of Michigan 4-H and the communities it serves.
