March 22, 2023
Agricultural Business Council to honor K-State leader
The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will honor Marty Vanier, director of the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center at Kansas State University, at a luncheon on May 18 in the Chamber Board Room in Kansas City's historic Union Station.
Vanier will be recognized along with Blake Hurst of Hurst Farms. The honorees will receive the council's highest award, the Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence.
Agricultural Business Council Chairman Dustin Johansen notes the honorees are champions for agriculture in separate but very key areas in the region.
"Dr. Vanier has dedicated her career to addressing agricultural, animal and biosecurity threats that have the potential to impact the national and global food supply," said K-State Vice President for Research David Rosowsky. "She is a national leader in her field, and we are privileged to benefit from her leadership and expertise at Kansas State University."
Vanier has deep roots in Kansas agriculture, where she grew up on a prominent family ranch in central Kansas that raised commercial and registered Hereford cattle. In her professional life, she has held several leadership positions in the veterinary pharmaceutical and food safety areas.
She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from K-State. She began her career in Washington, D.C., with the Animal Health Institute and later joined USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service as deputy director for Information and Legislative Affairs. In 1987, she returned to K-State as part of the Food Safety Consortium in the university's department of animal sciences and industry. She later served for seven years as executive director of the Kansas Agricultural Alliance.
In June 2003, Vanier moved from the department of animal sciences and industry to the K-State National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, or NABC. Later she joined the NBAF Program Executive Office as director of strategic partnership development. She returned to the NABC in 2019 as its director. In that role, she directs the development, coordination, implementation and leveraging of a broad range of programs and capabilities addressing diverse threats to the U.S. and world agricultural economies and food supply. She serves as the liaison between the NABC and national, state and local stakeholders and allied industry groups.
Vanier has received a number of awards for her distinguished service. She was awarded the President's Award in 2002, 2012 and 2014, and she received the 2009 Veterinarian of the Year Award from the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association. Additionally, in 2017 she was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. She was honored by the U.S. Army War College in 2017 by being named to the Commandant's National Security Program.
"These individuals have had a positive and lasting effect on our community," said Council Chairman Johansen. "They are strong examples of what a leader can accomplish."
The event will be held at the Chamber of Commerce Board Room in Union Station beginning at 11:30 a.m. for networking followed by lunch. Visit agbizkc.com for more information and to register to attend.