Kansas State University

Provost names search committee for College of Agriculture dean and director of KSRE

Submitted by Office of the Provost

Chuck Taber, 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, or KSRE.  

Co-chairing this committee will be Darren Dawson, dean of the College of Engineering, and Debbie Mercer, dean of College Education. The university has engaged the services of Harris Search Associates, an executive search firm, to support the search process. The anticipated start date of the new dean is July 1. 

Search committee members:

• Darren Dawson, co-chair, dean of the College of Engineering.
• Debbie Mercer, co-chair, dean of the College of Education.
• Jennifer Bormann, professor and director of graduate programs in College of Agriculture. 
• Nozella Brown, director of Wyandotte County K-State Research and Extension. 
• Peter Dorhout, vice president for research.
• Mark Gardiner, Gardiner Angus Ranch.
• Justin Gilpin, chief executive officer of the Kansas Wheat Commission.
• Claudia Hissong, student in agricultural economics and president of the Agriculture Ambassadors.
• Paula Peters, associate professor and KSRE associate director for extension programs.
• Vara Prasad, university distinguished professor and director of Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab.
• Charles Rice, university distinguished professor of agronomy.
• Mary Kay Siefers, teaching professor and acting director of the Global Food Systems Leadership Program.
• Paula Silva, graduate student in plant pathology.
• Shannon Washburn, professor and assistant dean of Academic Programs in the College of Agriculture.
• Greg Willems, president and chief executive officer of the KSU Foundation.
• Kimberly Williams, professor of horticulture and natural resources.

"The dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension is a pivotal leadership position for our university, and I thank the members of the search committee for their willingness to lend their time and talents to the search for our next dean," Taber said. "As the first land-grant university, Kansas State University is an exciting and attractive opportunity for a leader interested in advancing our mission of education, research, and service across the college, our extension network, and with our industry partners."