Dean's Leadership Team
Dr. Jan Leach
Associate Dean for Research
C206 Plant Sciences
(970) 491-2924
Dr. Jan Leach is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture and a University Distinguished Professor at Colorado State University. In her role as Associate Dean for Research, she provides strategic vision for research within the College, and works with faculty to build collaborative research teams. Her research group studies the molecular basis of durable plant disease resistance. Other projects in her laboratory are related to bioenergy (genetics of biomass production) and understanding the interactions of bacteria-insects-plants in plant health.
Dr. Eugene Kelly
Deputy Director - Ag Experiment Station, Associate Dean for Extension
University Services Center 408D
(970) 491-5371
Dr. Kelly - the Deputy Director of AES, in close collaboration with the Associate Dean for Research, evaluates and develops the framework, principles and processes will ensure that AES, College, and Extension Services are aligned and serving our existing and evolving constituents. He also serves as the Associate Dean for Extension.
Matt Camper
Assistant Dean for Teaching Practice and Academic Programs
C031 Plant Sciences/Johnson Hall 200
(970) 491-0713
Matt Camper is the Assistant Dean for Teaching Practice and Academic Programs in the College of Agriculture and a holds a Senior Teaching Appointment in the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management. His scope of work includes coordinating curriculum development and new program development in CAS, as well as assisting departments in adopting high impact teaching practices and evaluating teaching effectiveness. He is a passionate champion of the continuum of care for CSU students and on an inclusive and affirming environment for our students, faculty, and staff especially as it relates to the classroom and curriculum. Mr. Camper is an entomologist, current director of The CSU Bug Zoo (a live arthropod collection that meets with over 10,000 students and community members from nearly 50 different schools and multiple other events across the state), and the faculty sponsor for the Gillette Entomology club (the oldest continuously run student club at Colorado State University).
Addy Elliot
Assistant Dean of Academic Advising and Student Success
C110 Plant Sciences/Johnson Hall 200
(970) 491-6984
Addy Elliott serves as the Assistant Dean of Academic Advising and Student Success in the College of Agriculture at CSU. Her passion for supporting, empowering and encouraging students throughout their journey at CSU aligns with her responsibilities. In this role, Addy coordinates and elevates the College of Agricultural Science academic advisors to best serve our students. She also develops initiatives focused around student success in the College. Addy has a M.S. in Soil Science from CSU and maintains a teaching appointment in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Several of the courses Addy teaches include Environmental Issues in Agriculture, Topics in Organic Agriculture, and Composting Principles and Practices.
Dr. Jillian Lang
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Johnson Hall 200
(970) 491-1594
Dr. Lang earned a B.S. in Biology from SUNY Fredonia, a M.S. in Plant Pathology and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Colorado State University. She currently serves the College of Agricultural Sciences at CSU as Director of Strategic Partnerships where she provides stewardship of external relationships with academic, corporate and non-profit entities. She oversees partnerships that promote advanced research and student success in alignment with the college mission. Prior to this position she spent seven years as a lab and project manager for a large molecular plant pathology at CSU and as a senior scientist at a biofuel start-up company. She continues to conduct her own research in the development of genomics-based diagnostic tools for plant pathogens, the evolution of bacterial pathogenicity, host adaptation and molecular mechanisms of host resistance using rice and corn as model crops.
Dr. Edgar Peyronnin
University Square 206
(970) 491-5583
Dr. Peyronnin, Director of Planning and Operations, is the college lead for the Nutrien construction project. He joined the college in 1994 as an information technology instructor. From 2000-2018 he created and led the IT group. During this time he also designed and built several IT systems, including the scholarship tracking database, the college consolidated WordPress website environment. He also co-lead campus initiatives to benefit the college, such as the centralized student printing system (Paper-Cut) and R-Store campus centralized research data storage facility. From 2018-2019 he served in an oversight capacity for both IT and Communications efforts for the college to build synergy between these closely related groups. Prior to his arrival, he served as an Army artillery officer with unit command in Germany, as a NATO Force adviser in Greece, and as an Intelligence and lead briefing officer for deploying units at III Corps, Ft Sill Oklahoma during Operation Desert Storm. He earned a BS in Finance from Northern Illinois University, a Master’s degree in Russian and Eastern European Studies from Indiana University, and both a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems and PhD in Public Communications and Technology from Colorado State University.