Honoring Pride

nizing her, respecting her and getting to know her is a beautiful tribute to this Pride Month.

Born in 1955, Kaufman was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. Survived by her parents and brother, she describes her childhood coexistence as typical, but dysfunctional, in a nuclear family.

Jayson L. Lusk was named vice president and dean of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources by Oklahoma State University.

Lusk has a bachelor’s degree in food technology from Texas Tech University and a doctorate in agricultural economics from Kansas State University. Lusk began his career as an assistant professor at Mississippi State University and worked his way to the top from there.

Lusk was employed by OSU from 2005 to 2017 where he worked as an agricultural economics professor and held the Willard Sparks Endowed Chair, then worked as a regents professor. During this time, in 2011, Lusk lived in Paris where he conducted research for the French National Institute for

Lusk has worked as a professor and head of the Agricultural Economics Department for Purdue University since he left OSU in 2017.

In his lifetime, Lusk has published five books and more than 270 articles in peer-reviewed journals covering agricultural research and innovation.

Lusk’s latest book, titled “Unnaturally Delicious,” explains how science and technology work with agriculture to improve worldwide food insecurity.

Lusk has also received numerous awards including the Borlaug Communication Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology and the Lou Ann Aday award -- Purdue University’s most prestigious research award in the humanities and social sciences. He has served on the executive committee of the USDA National Agricultural Research, Exten- sion, Education and Economics Advisory Board. He is also a fellow and past president of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

With renown experience and skill, Lusk is more than qualified for his upcoming position as dean of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at OSU, which he will begin in August.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to come home to a place where I worked for 13 years and help build on the foundation in place to move the college and our state forward,” Lusk said. “It’s an opportunity to make an impact and to make a difference. It’s also a place where the students, faculty and staff are doing good things, and OSU Agriculture is well positioned with support of alumni and stakeholders to have an even bigger impact in Oklahoma and beyond.”

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