CONGERVILLE – Ellen I. Burton, of Congerville, a former County Extension director and past member of the Woodford County Board, has been named President-elect of the Epsilon Sigma Phi, Inc., (ESP) the national Extension professionals’ organization, for the 2009 term. She will replace Duane P. Johnson of Oregon State University. She was Director of the Eastern Region of the University of Illinois Extension.
She is presently the  chair of the national ESP Professional Development Committee, which serves to enhance, support, and communicate professional development excellence and opportunities for ESP members and Cooperative Extension System colleagues.
Epsilon Sigma Phi is the national Extension professionals’ organization involving 6,000 professional Extension Educators who have  programming responsibility in agriculture, natural resources & forestry, family living, community development, youth development and sea grant education. ESP is dedicated to the professional, personal and leadership development of the Extension Professional and fostering excellence in the Extension System.
The stated mission of Epsilon Sigma Phi is to foster the highest standards of excellence in the Extension System and to develop the Extension profession and professional.
Burton has previously served as the Woodford County Extension director and as the the East Peoria Center director, prior to her elevation to director of the 23-county East Central Region, headquartered in Champaign. She retired from active service this past summer.
Easily one of the most well-known women in Woodford County, she has been involved in community activities countywide since moving to the County.
She is married to Paul D. Burton, owner and operator of Eureka Printing and Stationery Co., and they have one son, Paul W., who is a doctoral candidate in public policy at Michigan State University.
For more informtion about the ESP, go to http://espnational.org/
For more information about the University of Illinois Extension program, go to http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state/.