Steve Rideout named director of Agricultural Technology Program

Steve Rideout M.S. '98, professor and associate director of Extension in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, has been named the new director of Virginia Tech’s Agricultural Technology Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

He will begin his new role on Dec. 25.

Rideout brings more than 23 years of experience in agricultural research, Extension leadership, and student engagement to the role. He joined Virginia Tech in 2005 as an assistant professor and Extension specialist at the Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center, where he served as director from 2010-20. As director, he led applied research and Extension programs focused on crop disease management and grower education, drawing on his roots growing up on his family’s farm in Dinwiddie County as he worked with producers, industry partners, and community collaborators.

In his new position, Rideout is eager to expand student recruitment and to boost engagement with the program's alumni community.

“I’m looking forward to working with our wonderful faculty within the Ag Tech Program and identifying potential areas of growth,” he said. "I think finding novel opportunities to recruit new students is something that we all are going to focus on. I am also excited to get to know our terrific network of alumni throughout the commonwealth and beyond.” 

The Agricultural Technology Program occupies a unique place in the college’s academic portfolio as the university's only associate degree offering. The program provides a hands-on, career-focused education that prepares graduates for roles in applied agricultural management, livestock production, crop production, agribusiness management, and landscape and turf management.

Founded in 1987 to fill a need for mid-level managers in Virginia’s agricultural industry, the program has since graduated more than 2,500 alumni – many of whom now hold leadership positions across the sector. With demand increasing for a skilled agricultural workforce, the program is positioned well for its next chapter, Rideout said.

Rideout has team-taught Pest Management in the program since 2020, giving him a firsthand view of how it expands access to higher education for those who might not have considered it an option a few decades ago.

“Through teaching in the program for the last five years, I have realized how important a role it plays within our agricultural communities,” he said. “It offers an opportunity for students to receive a hand-on, practical agricultural education. In addition, many ag tech students transfer into our four-year degree offerings, so it serves as a gateway for certain students to a bachelor’s degree.” 

Rideout succeeds Susan Sumner, who has led the program since 2020. During her tenure, she expanded experiential learning opportunities and deepened relationships with employers and community partners. Rideout credits her with being a steady hand who vastly strengthened agricultural technology’s presence in Virginia despite challenging circumstances.

“Susan was instrumental in guiding the program through the COVID pandemic and has built a terrific team of faculty members dedicated to their students,” he said. “It will be an honor to work with her and the team on further advancing Ag Tech.”

The Agricultural Technology Program will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026, a milestone Sumner said will highlight the solid foundation faculty, staff, and supporters have built over the years.

“I am excited to welcome Steve Rideout as the next director of ag tech,” she said. “With support from community partners, faculty, and alumni, we have ideas to continue to grow and enhance the availability of ag education to students in Virginia well into the future.” 

Rideout earned a Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Georgia, a master's degree in plant pathology from Virginia Tech, and a bachelor's degree in botany from North Carolina State University.