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Announcing our new Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

May 16, 2025

Wendy Powers standing in a field

Dear colleagues and AGNR community,

I am pleased to share the wonderful news that Dr. Wendy Powers has been named our new dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She will begin her new role on July 1, 2025.

Dr. Powers will build on the college’s more than 150-year history to promote a culture of impactful scholarship and student success, advancing opportunities for interdisciplinary research and educational partnerships that support the university’s land-grant mission. She will work with the incredibly talented faculty, staff and students across the college to advance its strategic commitments to serve the public good, steward a healthy planet, feed and nourish communities and build a sustainable tomorrow, serving the state of Maryland and beyond.

As dean, Dr. Powers will also serve as director of the Agricultural Experiment Station and University of Maryland Extension (UME). With four major program areas—Agriculture and Food Systems; Environment, Natural Resources and Sea Grant; 4-H Youth Development; and Family and Consumer Sciences—UME provides Maryland residents grassroots-level support in their communities, on their fields and in their homes. UME has offices in every Maryland county and Baltimore City, and four research and education centers across the state.

Dr. Powers comes to UMD from Washington State University (WSU), where she serves as the inaugural Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. In this role, Dr. Powers leads the college’s 13 departments and schools, serving more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and the WSU Extension, which has more than 40 offices and four research and extension centers across the state. As Dean, Dr. Powers led the development of a new vision for the college in support of its land-grant mission, emphasizing the university’s role in building a more resilient state and highlighting the college’s societal impacts. During her time at WSU, the college has consistently secured more than $20 million annually in gifts and foundation funds, and exceeded $100 million in grant expenditures for the first time. The college also grew its national ranking from No. 15 to No. 12.

Prior to WSU, Dr. Powers served as associate vice president for the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of California, where she led academic, research and outreach programs, overseeing county-based cooperative extension outreach, 12 statewide programs and institutes, and nine research and extension centers across California.

Dr. Powers began her career at Iowa State University as an assistant professor and extension specialist. She then joined Michigan State University as a full professor in the departments of Animal Science, and Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, extension specialist, and director of environmental stewardship for animal agriculture in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She was the first director of the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute for Michigan State University Extension.

She has served in national leadership positions throughout her career, in professional societies, and on technical committees to develop policy guidance. Her scholarship is centered around reducing environmental impacts of the livestock industry. Dr. Powers holds a B.S. in animal science from Cornell University, and an M.S. in dairy science and Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Florida.

Dr. Powers possesses an exceptional track record in leading agricultural colleges to achieve remarkable success in fulfilling their core mission of serving communities. I am confident that her leadership will bring similar success to the University of Maryland, propelling the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources into its next phase of excellence.

I’d like to once again offer my sincere appreciation to Dr. Craig Beyrouty, who has made a tremendous impact on the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources during his decade of service as dean. He has built an incredible foundation to build upon. I also thank the search committee, led by Dean Samuel Graham, for identifying an excellent pool of candidates.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Powers to the Terp family!

Sincerely,

Jennifer King Rice
Senior Vice President and Provost
She/Her/Hers