Scott Eilert named head of K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry

Scott Eilert, a Kansas State University alumnus and veteran animal protein executive, has been named head of the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry in the College of Agriculture.

Eilert comes to K-State after 31 years with Cargill. Most recently, he was senior director of responsible sourcing for Cargill’s global food enterprise, overseeing environmental and human rights compliance and risk management across beef, chicken, corn, palm, soy and cocoa supply chains. His earlier roles at Cargill spanned research and development, food safety, quality, regulatory affairs and customer technical services. He led the team that secured approval for and built the $15 million Cargill Innovation Center, and he directed quality management across 37 U.S. and Canadian facilities.

“Scott has spent his career connecting science to the people who use it, from producers and processors to some of the largest food brands in the world,” said Dan Moser, Eldon Gideon Dean of the College of Agriculture. “He knows this department, he knows the industries it serves, and he understands what our graduates need to succeed on day one. I’m excited to see where he takes Animal Sciences and Industry.”

Eilert has kept close ties to K-State throughout his career. He has been an adjunct professor in the department since 2010 and has helped manage Cargill’s corporate partnership with the university since 2003, supporting projects in leadership studies, agriculture, student success and scholarships.

A first-generation college student, Eilert grew up on a grain and cow-calf operation south of Beloit, Kansas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from K-State in 1989, graduating summa cum laude, and master’s and doctoral degrees in animal science, with an emphasis in meat science, from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

“K-State made my world larger. The faculty and students here showed me possibilities I couldn’t have imagined as a freshman from Beloit,” Eilert said. “Coming home to lead this department is an honor. Our job is to enable faculty and staff to best serve the students, producers, processors and communities that depend on us and to make sure the science we do here stays relevant to the challenges they face.”

Eilert said his priorities include keeping curriculum and extension efforts current with industry needs, and enabling researchers to build new partnerships and funding sources for the department,

“K-State animal science has a long track record of teaching, research and extension excellence. The best way for us to honor that tradition of excellence is to build what comes next. We will continue to improve our ability to transform the lives of students, our clients and to be the place that is sought out to solve the toughest challenges in the animal and food industries.”

Eilert is a past president of the American Meat Science Association, which honored him with its Signal Service Award in 2018 and its Extension Industry Award in 2016. He was named a University of Nebraska Animal Science Graduate of Distinction in 2022 and is an inventor on five U.S. patents. He has also held leadership roles with the Meat Institute, the National Turkey Federation and the Institute of Food Technologists, and he mentors students and young professionals through the American Meat Science Association and the Women in Meat Industry Network.

Teresa Douthit, who has led the department as interim head since July 2025, will return to her faculty role.

“Teresa stepped up when the department needed steady leadership, and she delivered,” Moser said. “We’re grateful for her service to our students, faculty and staff.”

About Animal Sciences and Industry

The Department of Animal Sciences and Industry is the largest academic degree program at K-State and one of the largest animal science departments in the nation. Through teaching, research and extension, the department serves students, livestock producers and the animal and food processing industries in Kansas and around the world.

Its faculty work across animal breeding and genetics, nutrition, physiology, meat science and food science, supported by teaching and research units within two miles of campus and on-campus meat and milk processing facilities.