June 30, 2022
Marty Draper earns Distinguished Service Award
Marty Draper, associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Agriculture, has been recognized with the Distinguished Service Award from the North Central Division of the American Phytopathological Society. The award was presented at the recent division meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The award is the North Central Division's most prestigious and recognizes an individual for their contribution to discovery, learning and/or engagement in plant pathology in the North Central region.
Draper previously served as the department head of plant pathology. He continues to hold the faculty title of professor in the department and remains active in the field.
Draper held extension and plant disease diagnostics-focused faculty positions at North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University. Then, from 2006-2016 he was a National Program Leader for Plant Pathology and IPM at USDA-NIFA in Washington, D.C. At NIFA, he helped to lead multiple national programs including the Extension Integrated Pest Management program and the National Plant Diagnostic Network. The National Plant Diagnostic Network includes 70 diagnostic labs from all 50 U.S. states and three territories. It is critical to regional, national and global crop biosecurity efforts. K-State is the hub for the Great Plains Diagnostic Network within the National Plant Diagnostic Network, with Jim Stack, professor of plant pathology, as director. Draper's leadership at the national level was key to the network's success in the Great Plains region. Draper was a driving force in leading the National Plant Diagnostic Network through strategic planning processes, capacity-building programs, funding models and many other key planning and implementation processes. His experience in plant diagnostics and directly serving growers with plant health information greatly informed those processes.
Draper received a Bachelor of Science at Iowa State University, a Master of Science and doctorate at North Dakota State University.