Kerry Rood, a Utah State alumnus, completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at USU before pursuing his doctor of veterinary medicine degree at Kansas State University in 1997. Rood has practiced in Oregon, Utah, and Vermont, and served as Vermont’s state veterinarian and chief animal health officer. He is a former president of the Utah Veterinary Medical Association and currently serves as the associate head of the Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, a faculty member in USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and as an Extension veterinary specialist.

Ryan Bosworth earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Utah State University before completing his doctoral degree in economics at the University of Oregon in 2006. Bosworth’s research interests are in natural resource and health economics and applied micro-econometrics. Bosworth was named the CAAS Teacher of the Year in 2014, and currently serves as interim head of the Department of Applied Economics.

Becki Lawver is professor of agriculture teacher education and head of the Department of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education. She received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural leadership, education and communication and was a secondary school agriculture teacher. She later earned a master’s degree in leadership education at the University of Nebraska and her doctoral degree in agricultural education at the University of Missouri in 2009. Lawver received a National Excellence in College and University Teaching Award from the United States Department of Agriculture in 2016 and is the head of the Department of Applied Sciences, Technology, and Education.

Abby Benninghoff is the college’s associate dean for research and graduate studies. She received dual undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and biology from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. She completed her Ph.D. work at the University of Texas in marine science in 2004, and worked as a post-doctoral research associate at Oregon State University. She joined USU’s faculty in the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences in 2010. Benninghoff’s research includes multidisciplinary work aimed at understanding the influence of environmental factors on mechanisms of gene regulation involved in health and disease in animals.

Jennifer Reeve graduated in ecology from the University of Sheffield in her native England. She later went on to pursue her master’s and doctoral degrees in soil science at Washington State University. She teaches organic and sustainable agriculture and oversees research and production at the USU Student Organic Farm. Reeve’s current research focuses on nutrient management and soil health in organic and integrated tree fruit, vegetable, pasture and grain production.