On June 1, Maria Woldt will become the third director of the Dairy Innovation Hub. The state-funded Dairy Innovation Hub spans the three Universities of Wisconsin campuses with agricultural programs: Madison, Platteville and River Falls. The Hub director reports to the three deans of agriculture at those campuses and provides strategic leadership for the Hub, guiding its vision and priorities in partnership with campus leaders, the advisory council, and industry stakeholders.

As director, Woldt will help align Hub activities across the three campuses while strengthening connections with farmers, dairy processors, legislators, and other partners across Wisconsin’s dairy community.

Matt Ruark, professor and extension specialist in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, who assumed the directorship in 2024, is stepping down to focus on his research and extension responsibilities, including work supporting Wisconsin dairy.

Woldt brings deep experience to the Hub, serving as program manager since 2020. In that role, she managed Hub programs and partnerships, led communications efforts, organized events, and coordinated activities across the three collaborating campuses. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications from UW–River Falls and a master’s degree in life sciences communication from UW–Madison. Before joining the Hub, she worked in communications for the Dairy Business Association. Woldt and her husband operate a small dairy farm in Dane County, giving her a personal connection to the farmers and stakeholders the Hub serves.

“Maria has a passion for the dairy community, and she’s a natural fit for the Dairy Innovation Hub,” says Dave Daniels, chair of the Hub’s advisory council and owner of Mighty Grand Dairy in Union Grove, Wis.  “She has done an excellent job coordinating Hub activities, and with Maria at the helm, I know we’ll keep delivering information about breakthroughs that will benefit the dairy community.”  

Associate Dean for Research and Extension Troy Runge noted that this expansion in Woldt’s role creates an opportunity for CALS to select a faculty associate director to assist Woldt in implementing Hub programs and priorities at UW-Madison. 

“This new faculty associate director role mirrors those at the other two campuses, where faculty members chair the campus steering committees and provide leadership for research and extension activities in coordination with the local dean and the Hub director,” explains Runge. 

“The first two Hub directors, who were both CALS faculty members, also served in this campus-coordinating capacity. Now we have the opportunity to create a streamlined faculty leadership position focused on Dairy Innovation Hub activities at UW-Madison.”

For information about the faculty associate director position – including how to apply – read the full job announcement.