Kansas State University

Provost names search committee for dean of College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension

Submitted by the Office of the Provost

Jesse Perez Mendez, provost and executive vice president, has appointed the search committee to lead a national search for the university's next dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension. 

Chairing this committee will be Matt O'Keefe, dean of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. The university has engaged the services of Buffkin / Baker, an executive search firm, to support the search process.  

Search committee members are:

• Matt O'Keefe, committee chair, professor and dean of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering.
• Jonathan Aguilar, professor, water resource engineer and state irrigation specialist at Southwest Research and Extension Center. 
• Joseph Awika, professor and head of grain science and industry department.
• Mike Beam, secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
• Chris Brandt, associate vice president for research at K-State Research Foundation. 
• Joel DeRouchey, professor in the animal sciences and industry department and state extension leader.
• Teresa Douthit, professor in the animal sciences and industry department. 
• Ryan Flickner, senior director at Kansas Farm Bureau.
• Lonnie Hobbs, Jr., assistant professor in the agricultural economics department. 
• Eric Holderness, vice president of development at the KSU Foundation.
• Kelly Ingalsbe, accountant in the communications and agricultural education department. 
• Cassandra Jones, professor and teaching coordinator in the animal sciences and industry department.
• Megan Kennelly, professor and head of the plant pathology department.
• Justin Knopf, immediate past president at Kansas Wheat Commission.
• Diego Lopez Diaz, graduate student in grain science and industry. 
• Brian McCornack, professor and head of the entomology department. 
• Colby Moorberg, associate professor in the agronomy department. 
• John Niemann, owner of JNiemann Enterprises. 
• Eleni Pliakoni, professor in the horticulture and natural resources department and director of the Urban Food Systems Initiative at K-State Olathe.
• Charles Rice, university distinguished professor in the agronomy department. 
• Ajay Sharda, professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department, director of the Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, and director of FarmsLab. 
• Matt Teagarden, chief executive officer of Kansas Livestock Association. 
• Mike Tokach, university distinguished professor in animal sciences and industry and extension specialist. 
• Paige Vulgamore, undergraduate student in agricultural economics. 
• Justin Waggoner, professor and beef systems extension specialist at Southwest Area Extension Office. 
• Brad White, professor in the clinical sciences department and director of the Beef Cattle Institute. 
• Zelia Wiley, professor and assistant dean and director of diversity programs in the College of Agriculture/KSRE.