Professor and Former Arizona State Lawmaker Named New Ag Dean
Ethan Orr is the new dean of the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture.
Cal Poly Pomona Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs S. Terri Gomez announced Orr’s appointment in a Feb. 13 email to faculty and staff. He starts in his new post on April 1.
“Dr. Orr’s entrepreneurial spirit, strong connections to industry and research, and his reputation for building connections between public and private sectors makes him a good fit for the College of Agriculture and our campus community,” Gomez said in her email. “He comes to Cal Poly Pomona with a wealth of experience in agriculture technology and public service.”
Orr currently works at the University of Arizona, where he serves as an associate professor of agriculture technology, the executive director of the Natural Resources Users Law and Policy Center, and associate director of agriculture and natural resources for the Arizona Cooperative Extension.
As a faculty member, he is a primary investigator on more than $84 million in grants. This has included establishing an agriculture apprenticeship program, working with more than 100 farms to provide experiential learning for the next generation of agricultural leaders and creating a $64 million statewide irrigation efficiency program working with farmers to conserve water.
He is no stranger to agricultural literacy programs, as his university partnerships have annually reached over 100,000 K-12 students. Orr also has taught at the University of Arizona’s School of Government and Public Policy for more than two decades. In addition, he secured millions in funding for the university’s bio-medical campus and the establishment of its college of veterinary medicine.
Orr also served in the Arizona state legislature, and has extensive professional experience working in non-profits, municipal government and the private sector. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arizona, and a doctorate in behavioral health from Arizona State University.
Orr is enthusiastic about being a part of the Cal Poly Pomona team.
“The Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture faculty and staff deeply care about their students and serving the community, and it was that excitement that drew me to Cal Poly Pomona,” he said. “I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to grow the impact and success of our college.”
Orr succeeds Mary Holz-Clause, who was dean of the Huntley College from 2014 to 2017 before leaving to become chancellor at the University of Minnesota-Crookston.
Since then, three people have served as interim dean of the college: Lisa Kessler, Martin Sancho-Madriz, and College of Science Dean Alison Baski.