Dean's Council

• Dean Charles Boyer California State University, Fresno

• Dean Dave Wehner California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

• Dean Wayne Bidlack California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

• Dean Jennifer Ryder Fox California State University, Chico

• Executive Director Joe Bezerra California Agricultural Technology Institute California State University, Fresno

Dave Wehner was named Dean of the Cal Poly College of Agriculture in April 2002. As dean, he is responsible for the operation of one of the largest colleges of agriculture in the United States with over 3700 students. Prior to this appointment, he served as associate dean with responsibilities for operation of the undergraduate program, curriculum development, student progress, advising and outreach. He also served as an assistant dean, coordinating the graduate program and aiding faculty with research and public service programs. Wehner joined the Cal Poly faculty in 1994 as head of the Environmental Horticultural Science Department and a professor of turfgrass science. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s and doctorate in agronomy from Pennsylvania State University. In October 2003, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman named him to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.

Wayne Bidlack received his academic appointment at the University of Southern California (1974), served as Assistant Dean of Medical Student Affairs (1988-1991), as Professor and Interim Chair of Pharmacology and Nutrition, 1992. Dr. Bidlack has also served as Chairman and Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition, and as Director of the Center for Designing Foods to Improve Nutrition at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, from 1992-1995.

Dr. Bidlack has been a Professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists for more than 15 years. He has served as a member of the annual program committee, and has served as a member of both the Expert Panel on Nutrition and Food Safety and the Scientific Lectureship Committee, and as a Scientific lecturer. He served as program chairman, and Chairman of the IFT Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division (1989-1990), and has served as a member of the Executive Committee for both the TaSE Division and the Nutrition Division. He has served as editor of the TaSE newsletter. For the Southern California Section of IFT, Dr. Bidlack has served as Counselor, Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, Program Chairman and Chairman of the Section (1988-1989). He has also served as regional communicator for IFT in Southern California. Dr. Bidlack was elected a Fellow of IFT in June, 1998, and elected as Counselor representative to the Executive Committee.

Dr. Bidlack is past President of the Food Safety Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology and has served on the International Life Sciences Institute Committee on Nutrition and Food Safety, and as a scientific advisor for the subcommittee on "Iron and Health" and the subcommittee on "Apoptosis" related to Fumonisin toxicity. He has also served as a member of the Board for the CBNS and actively contributed to the creation of the national certification exam. In addition, he is serving on the Editorial Board as Book Editor for the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. He served as the senior editor of three books on Phytochemicals published by Technomics.

Jennifer Ryder Fox became dean of the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico in August 2006.  Prior to that she was Horticulture and Crop Science department head at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo from September 2002 – July 2006. Before her service at Cal Poly Dr. Fox was vice president of regulatory affairs and technical development for a start-up biotechnology company in Davis, California. She has a total of 12 years experience in California, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and international regulatory affairs dealing with crop protection policies. In June 2003 Dr. Fox received the Presidential Green Chemistry award for her work as part of the development team of a biological fungicide. She is a Cal Poly Soil Science Department alumna and completed her graduate work at New Mexico State University focused on conifer seedling root regeneration potential. 

Dr. Fox has made invited presentations at international conferences and was an editor of the Horticulture Western Fertilizers Handbook, 2nd edition.  Her professional interests include new technologies for crop protection, government policies and their impact on agriculture and pesticide safety. She serves as vice chairperson of the board of directors for the Organic Materials Review Institute; she is on the USDA’s Western Regional IPM Advisory Council, serves an alternate on the Pest Management Advisory Committee for the Department of Pesticide Regulation and is on the board of directors for the American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources. Fox is also a member of the inaugural class of the Butte Pioneers’ Leadership Program.