Daniel Bernardo, Vice President for Agriculture and Extension,
Dean, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
Dan Bernardo has been Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences at Washington State University since August 2005. In this position, he is responsible for administering teaching, research, and outreach programs in food, agricultural, natural resource, and human sciences. In 2009, he also assumed the role of director of WSU Extension. Together, CAHNRS and WSU Extension have over 1,500 employees and an annual operating budget of over $160 million. Prior to moving to Washington State, Dr. Bernardo was professor and department head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University (KSU) from 1995 through 2005. He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University and a B.S. in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis.
Ralph Cavalieri, Associate Dean, Research and Director, Agricultural Research Center
Dr. Cavalieri currently is associate dean for research in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences; director of the Agricultural Research Center; and, professor of Biological Systems Engineering at Washington State University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, State of Washington, and serves as editor-in-chief of Postharvest Biology and Technology. Dr. Cavalieri’s primary area of research specialization has been in food and post-harvest process engineering with particular emphasis on process kinetics, biosensors, instrumentation, and controls. He has published more than 100 refereed and proceedings articles. In 1985 he received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Washington State University where he studied mineral catalyzed chemical kinetics in oil shale char combustion and gasification. Dr. Cavalieri retired from the U.S Navy Reserve in 1993 with the rank of Commander. Previous to his current position, he served as chair, Biological Systems Engineering Department at Washington State University.
Kim Kidwell, Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs
As an associate dean for academic programs in Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Dr. Kimberlee Kidwell has guided the college’s efforts to revamp classes to better serve students and their learning environment. Dr. Kidwell also excels in the classroom where she’s developed and taught one of the most popular classes at WSU, Human Development 205. Using hands-on experience, the course focuses on human behavior and learning skills in communication and leadership. In addition, Dr. Kidwell also served as WSU‘s spring wheat breeder for 15 years, developing more than a dozen successful wheat varieties for Washington state farmers. Dr. Kidwell has been recognized with numerous honors and awards for her hard work in research, teaching, and leadership. Dr. Kidwell holds Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as two bachelor’s degrees in genetics and development and agriculture sciences from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Pete Jacoby, Associate Dean, Outreach and Director, WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center
Dr. Jacoby joined WSU in 1997 as associate dean. His primary responsibilities include oversight of funding requests and project execution for facilities improvements and maintenance, coordination of space assignment for CAHNRS occupied buildings, and to serve as point of contact for the four Research & Extension Centers located at strategic locations throughout the state. Dr. Jacoby assists the dean of CAHNRS in addressing special needs and projects. Prior to joining WSU, Dr. Jacoby served a dual role as director of research and district director of Extension in west central Nebraska for the University of Nebraska. He also served as interim director at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center at Vernon where he was research leader for invasive plant management for 17 years. His experience in administering off-campus locations led to his role as interim director at WSU Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon from 2007-2009 and his current assignment as director at WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser since 2009. He has served CAHNRS in many administrative roles involving the three primary mission roles of teaching, research, and extension/outreach, as well as international programs. He is a strong advocate of metric driven performance measures and cross-disciplinary team approaches in addressing issues and advancing the capacity and reputation of CAHNRS to serve the needs of a diverse set of stakeholders.
