An interim dean for the College of Agriculture, who will replace departing dean Catherine Woteki on Aug. 1, has been hired.

Ag College Senior Associate Dean Wendy Wintersteen was appointed by Provost Ben Allen to fill the position after other members of the college’s leadership expressed strong support for her. Allen said Wintersteen, who has worked as a senior associate dean for the ag college for three years, also has a strong understanding of budgetary and other issues the college is facing.

“She understands the culture and the issues across the campus,” Allen said. “It was an easy call to make.”

In her current role, Wintersteen is in charge of budget planning for the College of Agriculture and the Agriculture Experiment Station — she will become interim director for the station Aug. 1 when she assumes her responsibilities as dean. Both have faced several budget cuts in recent years, with the experiment station — which receives the majority of the college dollars — losing more than 25 percent of its funding.

“We are in the process of still working through some of the old budget reversions from previous years,” Wintersteen said. “I’m very optimistic that we will be able to bring the budget completely into order.”

She said she plans to keep the college headed in the direction set by Catherine Woteki, who is planning to leave Iowa State at the end of the month to take an executive position at Mars Inc. in McLean, Va.

“She’s laid the pathway for the college to be successful far into the future,” Wintersteen said.

She said she plans to work with Woteki until the end of the month to prepare for her position as dean.

Allen said he also chose Wintersteen because of her strong ties to agricultural organizations such as the Farm Bureau and agricultural commodity groups. Wintersteen served as director of Agriculture and Natural Resources extension from 1995 and 2000.

Allen said a search committee could be assembled as soon as the end of this week.

“[ISU President Gregory Geoffroy] wants us to work very quickly in the process,” he said.

Allen said Wintersteen will serve as interim dean until an appointment is made, which could take six months to a year.