Troy Runge’s appointment as interim dean and director in July has created opportunities for new additions to the dean’s office staff, as well as some changes in responsibilities to better balance portfolios related to CALS Human Resources, Research Division, CALS Extension programs, centers and the Wisconsin Experiment Station during this transition year.  

Senior Associate Dean 

Runge appointed Heather White as the interim senior associate dean, assisting the dean in matters pertaining to leadership and management of the college, and serving as a primary contact for departments. In this role Heather will continue to take the lead on faculty affairs, as she has been doing for the past two years, plus CALS Extension programs and the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station.  

CALS Extension programs 

White, as the interim senior associate dean, will become the primary point of contact between CALS and Extension. To assist with these efforts, including participating in Extension faculty member mentoring committees, Jed Colquhoun and Paul Fricke have been appointed as Extension liaisons. 

Colquhoun, a professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences and an extension specialty crop specialist, has served a variety of leadership roles, including an earlier term as the interim associate dean for extension.  

Fricke, a professor of animal and dairy sciences and an extension specialist in dairy cattle reproduction, is a respected faculty mentor and the outgoing chair of the Dairy Innovation Hub steering committee. 

Wisconsin Experiment Station 

The federal program through which CALS manages Hatch formula funds for agricultural and natural resources research, these programs will be managed by Interim Senior Associate Dean Heather White. She will coordinate the Hatch proposal competition and represent CALS at regional and national meetings of Experiment Station directors. 

Research administration, business engagement and entrepreneurship 

As announced earlier, Runge appointed Vatsan Raman, an associate professor in the department of biochemistry, to the role of interim associate dean for research, responsible for research administration and compliance, including leading the staff in the CALS Research Division. Jennifer Kushner is joining the Research Division, reporting to Raman, and will focus on international grant opportunities and compliance. 

Office of Human Resources 

Veronica Law, director of CALS human resources, will now be reporting directly to interim dean Runge to provide CALS leadership guidance and strategic direction in a wide range of personnel functional areas, including recruitment, performance management, compensation, employee matters, and climate in support of the overall success of the college. 

College-level centers and institutes 

Under prior deans, reporting for the Center for Dairy Research, the Food Research Institute, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, and the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center had been split between the dean and various associate deans. Because of the importance of facilities and financial planning for these units, these centers will report to Angie Seitler, associate dean for strategy, operations and finance during this period. 

UW-Madison Rural Partnership Institute 

Under Glenda Gillaspy’s directorship, the Rural Partnership Institute has moved administrative homes from CALS to the Division of Extension. Operational support for the institute will be provided by Extension, and individual funded projects will continue to be led by the projects’ PIs. As a result, Tanya Cutsforth, the director of the Wisconsin Rural Scholars project funded by RPI will report to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Jeri Barak. 

Other roles

Jeri Barak continues to lead CALS Office of Academic Affairs. Mike Xenos is leading graduate education, and Heidi Zoerb continues to lead the college’s advancement and government relations activities.