Wendy Powers

Dr. Wendy Powers is the Associate Vice President of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Powers is director of the Research and Extension Center System and Associate Director of the statewide UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). She is responsible for guiding all ANR academic programs at the statewide level and is chair of the ANR Program Council. Powers also serves as the statewide program leader for county-based Cooperative Extension programs and oversees the research and extension centers.

Before joining ANR, Powers was a professor in the departments of Animal Science and Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University since 2006. From 2010 to 2014, she directed statewide agriculture extension programs in Michigan. As MSU's first director of environmental stewardship for animal agriculture, Powers represented MSU on a number of state technical committees and has done an impressive job of leading efforts to minimize the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Her extension efforts focus on policy and implementation of management practices to reduce environmental impact. In addition to her research and extension program, she oversaw construction of the Animal Air Quality Research Facility and currently manages the facility and coordinates its activities. Prior to joining Michigan State University, Powers was an assistant and associate professor with an extension appointment at Iowa State University for 10 years.

Powers earned a Ph.D. in Animal Science and M.S. in Dairy Science from the University of Florida and a B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University.