Kelsey Anderson Onefre and Lorraine Dinkel honored as Faculty of the Week
Kansas State University honored two outstanding employees as Faculty and Professional Staff of the Week at the Dec. 28 home basketball game: Kelsey Anderson Onofre, assistant professor of plant pathology in the College of Agriculture, and Lorraine Dinkel, teaching associate professor of counseling education in the College of Education.
Anderson Onofre was recognized for her service to K-State and Kansas through Kansas State University Extension and the Department of Plant Pathology.
Since joining the plant pathology department in 2020, Anderson Onofre has provided critical crop disease updates throughout the growing season, sharing current information at plot tours, on social media and in K-State Extension publications. As lead author of the annual Kansas Wheat Variety Disease and Insect Ratings guide, one of Extension's most downloaded publications, she offers current and reliable information to wheat growers making pre-plant decisions. In 2022, she received K-State Extension’s Communicator Award.
Since arriving at K-State, her extension program, which focuses on wheat disease research, has received $1.6 million in state, regional and federal funding, addressing the concerns of Kansas wheat producers. As part of her leadership role, Anderson Onofre currently serves as the state Extension leader for the Department of Plant Pathology and associate editor for the journal Plant Disease. In 2025, Anderson Onofre received the Gamma Sigma Delta Early Career Award, recognizing her outstanding work in extension, research and service.
Dinkel was recognized for her contributions to the educational specialist and doctoral counseling programs within the College of Education.
Over her 15-year career in higher education, Dinkel has served as program coordinator in three different accredited programs. Her current role at K-State, as coordinator of counseling programs, provides oversight for the educational specialist and doctoral counseling programs and leads recruitment, retention and scholarship efforts.
Dinkel's passion has resulted in multiple publications and presentation invitations across a variety of topics. As an extension of her commitment to counselor preparation, Dinkel initiated the creation of and now serves as the K-State chapter faculty advisor for Kappa Alpha Tau, a professional counseling honor society chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, which offers students and alumni opportunities to network internationally.
The Faculty and Professional Staff of the Week recipients are coordinated by Faculty Senate, the Office of the President and K-State Athletics. Recipients are selected by Faculty Senate caucuses, provided tickets to a home basketball game of their choice and honored during halftime as a token of appreciation for their service to K-State.