Iowa State named John Lawrence the interim vice president of extension and outreach after Cathann Kress announced earlier this year she will be leaving for Ohio State University.

Lawrence currently serves as the the associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Science and director of extension and outreach.

He will become acting vice president March 31 and assume the interim role April 29.

The current vice president, Kress, will be leaving the position to become vice president of agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University. 

“John was raised on a crop and livestock farm in southwest Iowa, and has decades of experience serving Iowans,” said Provost Jonathan Wickert, according to a press release. “He’s also a great servant of Iowa State, and an excellent choice to serve as interim leader of extension and outreach.”

A national search for Kress’ permanent replacement will be launched with in the next few months. Wickert expressed thanks to Kress for her work at Iowa State along with her contributions to both the university and the state of Iowa.

Before joining Iowa State as a professor of economics in 1991, Lawrence served as an extension livestock economist, assistant director of the Agriculture Experiment Station and director of the Beef Center at Iowa State.

Lawrence also leads the Iowa Nutrient Research Center. Started in 2013, this program takes a science-based approach to reduce the amount of nutrients delivered to Iowa waterways and the Gulf of Mexico.