PORT HADLOCK — Pamela Roberts has been named interim director of the Washington State University Extension for Jefferson County.

Roberts, 55, will serve for six months while the university searches for a replacement for Kathryn Baril, who retired Jan. 1 after 20 years in the post.

Roberts has been the faculty lead for WSU’s local youth leadership and 4-H programs, as well as focusing on food and farms, for the past eight years.

Roberts said Wednesday she would decide if she would seek the permanent position after the job has been posted.

WSU Western District Director James Kropf said he did not know when the job would be posted, adding that the salary was still to be decided.

Baril earned about $65,000 annually, but the salary level for the new director will depend on available funding, Kropf said.

“The job market is very competitive right now,” Kropf said.

“Since a lot of qualified people are looking for jobs, we might get a break here.”

Kropf said funding needs to be secured before a search committee is formed and the job is posted.

“We don’t want to waste people’s time for a position that might get cut back or, in the worst instance, eliminated,” he said.

“But we can pull together a search committee pretty quickly.”

Kropf said the search committee would consist of about eight people and include both community and government representatives.

“This is a very demanding job and is not for someone who is a clock watcher or thinks they are going to get weekends off,” Kropf said.

“If you ever saw Kathryn in action, you know she was always working, that she was there 24/7.”

Roberts has worked to use technology as a learning tool and has collaborated with more than 100 local teens over an eight-year period to pilot the use of free online communication systems.

The hallmark of her work is the youth-run online news service, 4-H Network News, which is hosted at www.4-hnews.blogspot.com and features more than 400 videos produced by local youths.

Roberts said she has enjoyed her first few weeks in her new position.

“If it stays like this, I will apply for the permanent position, but we are in a transitional period right now.

“This will be a remarkable transition from someone who has been in the position for 20 years,” she said.

“This is a good time to take a little bit of a breath and talk to the community about what they like about the Extension Service, what they would like to see us do more of and what kind of future relationships could be explored.”

For more information about the WSU Extension Service, visit the office at 201 W. Patison St., Port Hadlock, phone 360-379-5610 or visit www.jefferson.wsu.edu.

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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.