New VP for Land-grant Engagement and Dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Campus Community,

We are very pleased to announce that Laura Stephenson has agreed to assume the critical leadership positions of vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Martin-Gatton CAFE).

Dean Stephenson will assume her new duties in mid-January. Currently, she serves as associate vice president for land-grant engagement and associate dean and director of extension. 

Dean Stephenson succeeds Nancy Cox, who, as so many of you know, has served as dean for more than a decade and as UK’s inaugural vice president for land-grant engagement. This leadership position is a recognition of our aspiration to embed our founding mission into every aspect of what we do.

Stephenson knows Kentucky well and has deep roots in our state and the college through her decades of work and leadership in Cooperative Extension. She has served in extension at both UK and the University of Tennessee. 

She has also served as a department chair, is the co-author of many journal articles and publications and is a leader on millions of dollars in grant awards around issues such as workforce training, nutrition, community building and health. At UK, she led a substantial reorganization of Cooperative Extension to ensure more efficient delivery of services and communication.

She is recognized and admired across the state, region and country for her leadership role in extension and agriculture.

Her appointments come at an inflection point for our university. Our Board of Trustees has directed us to focus even more intently on how we can advance the overall health of our state, working with partners and communities across Kentucky. 

Extension already plays a critical role in these efforts. That role will only expand and deepen under this initiative — what we are calling the Advancing Kentucky Together Network. Dean Stephenson is particularly well-positioned to help lead and support these efforts.

We also want to thank Dean Cox for her decades of service and leadership in agriculture and at the University of Kentucky. She is deeply admired across Kentucky — in agricultural circles, legislative hearing rooms and anywhere there is an understanding of the vital roles farming and agribusiness play in the life and health of our Commonwealth.

We know you join us in congratulating her as she assumes these new critical leadership capacities at UK.

Her appointment underscores the deep base of talent, expertise and commitment that exists on our campus. We are grateful to serve at a place where so many can do so much to advance the state that we all serve.

Eli Capilouto, President 
Robert DiPaola, Provost