Texas AgrAbility Staff

Rick Peterson, Ph.D. L.M.F.T., C.F.L.E.

Dr. Rick Peterson is the Project Director of the Texas AgrAbility Project. As Project Director he oversees the grant project and provides administrative grant management functions including: fiscal oversight, oversight of program subcontracts, personnel supervision, project implementation, education and evaluation. He is also a faculty member of the Texas A&M University Center on Disability and Development. Dr. Peterson holds degrees from Kansas State University, including a B.A. in Animal Science, a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a Ph.D. in Family Life Education. Dr. Peterson was actively involved in production agricultural for 10 year following graduation from Kansas State University and has over 16 years of professional experience working with agricultural families in the areas of family life, mental health, disability and dislocation from agriculture. Dr. Peterson believes that Texas AgrAbility gives agricultural producers, their family members and employees with disabilities and chronic health conditions opportunities to remain in production agriculture by connecting, assisting and empowering families to education and resources.

Cheryl Grenwelge, Ph.D.

Dr. Cheryl Grenwelge is an Assistant Professor with Texas AgrLife Extension. This position includes dual responsibilities between Texas AgrLife Extension and The Center on Disability and Development at Texas & M University. Dr. Grenwelge received her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University May, 2010. She has a B.S. in Special Education and a M.Ed. in Education with an emphasis on Educational Diagnostics and Texas Certification. She has teacher certifications in Special Education K-12, Elementary Education 1-8, and English as a Second Language. Previous to working with Texas A&M University, she was lead teacher at a large transition center at the secondary level. Dr. Grenwelge coordinates the day-to-day educational activities and the case management for Texas AgrAbility project. Her expertise in the disability field and personal background in agriculture gives her a distinct level of expertise in working with the individuals in the field of agriculture who have acquired a disabling condition. She works closely with the farmer/rancher and service agencies. These efforts are directed at assisting the individual who has acquired a disabling condition in the agriculture field to return to their chosen profession.

Douglas Kingman, Ph.D.

Dr. Doug Kingman completed his bachelors of Science from the Department of Agriculture Engineering at Texas A&M University in 1990. In 1998, he obtained a Masters of Agricultural Education from Texas A&M before pursuing a Master of Science at Purdue University in 1999. In 2002, Dr. Kingman was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue while teaching at Illinois State University. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering Technology in the Department of Agriculture and Industrial Sciences at Sam Houston State University.

Dr. Kingman’s involvement with AgrAbility began in 1998 at Purdue University. While at Purdue he studied under the supervision of Dr. Bill Field, the founder of AgrAbility. He has been fortunate to be involved with many aspects of the program, including farm assessments, assistive technology development, testing, evaluating, building partner relationships and client recruitment. Currently Dr. Kingman is the Farm Assessment Coordinator for the Texas AgrAbility Project. His expertise allows him to evaluate the farm/ranch equipment and make recommendations that would improve the farmer/rancher’s ability to continue in their occupation to their fullest capacity.

Miranda Ferguson, MOT, OTR

In 2006, Mrs. Miranda Ferfuson recieved her bachelors of science in biology from Texas A&M University. In 2011, she recieved her masters of occupational therapy from The University of Texas Medical Branch. As an occupational therapist, Mrs. Ferguson is currently working for Easter Seals East Texas.

Occupational therapists focus on assisting the clients that they serve to engage in meaningful daily activities despite the impairments or limitations that the client faces. Mrs. Ferguson values working with the AgrAbility team because their purpose is to assist individuals in the agriculture community to continue in their desired occupation of farming despite their disability. She contributes her expertise by providing information about the farmer/rancher's disability to the team, completing in-home assessments, assisting in farm/ranch assessments, assisting in identifying equipment adaptations will improve functional performance of the individual, assisting with writing up reports, providing medical reasons/justifications for equipment needs, marketing to medical community, and assisting in training new assessment team members.

Krystin Bodden

Sam Houston State University student Krystin Bodden joined the Texas AgrAbility Team in 2010 and is responsible for managing a portion of the electronic media marketing effort. Krystin utilizes her animal science background to contribute to assessment recommendations related to livestock management and handling. Krystin enjoys serving farmers and ranchers with disabilities and intends to continue her work with AgrAbility as she pursues a master's degree.