AMES, Iowa – With a passion for leading others and thinking strategically about where the college and its departments and programs should go, Mike Retallick has been selected to serve as the next associate dean for personnel and finance for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University, effective July 1.

Retallick currently serves as chair of the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies (AGEDS), a position he’s held since 2016. He will continue serving in this role, in addition to being the new associate dean, until August, when Jeff Iles, professor of horticulture and previous chair of the Department of Horticulture, will step in as interim chair of the AGEDS department.

“Dr. Retallick has done a tremendous job of leading the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies, is a great team player and totally embraces the community and land-grant spirit of the college. We are excited to have Mike in this role as associate dean for personnel and finance to support our faculty and staff, to enable our students and to achieve all of our missions and purposes,” said Daniel J. Robison, endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “We are grateful for Dr. Iles stepping up to lead the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies as interim chair this fall. Jeff did outstanding work as the long-serving chair of the Department of Horticulture, and he’ll bring that experience and skill to this interim role.”

A search for a new chair for the AGEDS department will begin soon. 

Retallick has been at Iowa State since 2001, starting as an academic advisor then assistant, associate and professor in the AGEDS department. He also previously served as the director and is now the interim director of the CALS Science with Practice program.

He has served the college and university in many capacities as well, through involvement in various boards and committees, including the Agricultural Endowment Board, CALS Online Learning Taskforce, Micro-credential Taskforce, Provost’s Chairs Cabinet and Faculty Work/Life Advisory Committee.

“This role is instrumental to the success and advancement of the college,” Retallick said. “I’m humbled by the opportunity to join the dean’s leadership team and look forward to working across the college’s departments and units to advance the great work we do in teaching, research and Extension and Outreach, all of which are enabled through personnel and finance.”

Retallick has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and a master of agribusiness degree from Kansas State University. He earned his doctoral degree in agricultural education from Iowa State.

The position of associate dean for personnel and finance is fairly new in CALS. Ruth MacDonald currently serves in this role and will do so until June 30. After that, she will continue as the interim chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.

“We are so appreciative of the great work and impacts our college’s first Associate Dean for Personnel and Finance Ruth MacDonald has done these past four years with staff in the CALS budget and finance office and leadership all across the college,” Robison said.

Contacts

Mike Retallick, Agricultural Education and Studies, 515-294-4810, msr@iastate.edu

Whitney Baxter, Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications, 515-294-2314, wjsager@iastate.edu