Dr. Christine Wilson earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Kansas State University studying Agricultural Economics, and has since gained a national reputation for her commitment to students, teaching and advising. Dr. Wilson’s teaching career has included classes in agricultural finance, agribusiness risk management, small business operations, marketing, policy analysis and more. She began as Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs for Purdue Agriculture in February 2020. Responsible for undergraduate academic programs, Dr. Wilson enjoys the challenge of collaborating with faculty, staff, and leaders among the college, university, and student population to work towards the common goal of affording students the resources and opportunities they need to be successful in Purdue Agriculture and beyond.

When Dr. Wilson is away from the office, she can typically be found in her West Lafayette home in the company of her dogs or taking a road trip to Kansas to visit friends and family.

Education: B.S.E Calvin University, M.S.E. University of MI-Ann Arbor, Ph.D. University of WI-Madison.

John promotes excellence in teaching and mentoring through the support and leadership of college level and national level teaching related awards programs, offering workshops and support for teacher development, support of the role of teaching in promotion and tenure, and involvement on university level committees. He teaches capstone courses in ABE department and leads multiple international experiences for students.

When John isn’t at work you can probably find him on the pickleball courts, up in the air flying his plane or paramotor, or taking pictures.

Hope Heathcote earned her B.A. in 2015 from Purdue University, where she studied professional writing. She came to Purdue Agriculture in 2018 where she discovered a newfound passion working “behind the scenes” in higher education, offering her creative and strategic planning skills to execute ideas and solutions whenever they are needed.

A Lafayette native, Hope can often be sighted enjoying local music and arts festivals when she’s not at home with her cat, Pickles. She enjoys performing music, sewing, and relishing her husband's exceptional cooking. 

Tim Kerr has been in the Office of Academic Programs since 2008. In his current role as Senior Assistant Director, he oversees every function of the academic advising experience and guides the college’s team of professional and faculty advisors. Tim works with the faculty to oversee and implement the curricula for the College. Tim currently teaches AGR 10100, Introduction to the College of Agriculture and Purdue University. Through the years, he co-led study abroad trips to Ireland, served on numerous associate dean, assistant director, and advisor search committees, served as Chair of PACADA (Purdue Academic Advising Association), sits on the College of Agriculture Curriculum Student Relations Committee, and served in numerous other college and university committees during his career. Tim earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Master's from Purdue University

Kelly serves as the lead administrative assistant to the Senior Assistant Director as well as the Retention Specialist, and has been a part of the Office of Academic Programs since 2004. Kelly earned her B.S. in 2020 from Purdue Global in Business Administration. She is usually the first point of contact for many advisors and staff across the university due to her knowledge of advising and curriculum for the college.

While away from the office Kelly, enjoys spending time with her husband, 3 year old daughter Maggie and soon-to-be-daughter #2 on the way.

Education: Ph.D. Indiana University; M.A. Bowling Green State University; B.S. Ball State University

Alyssa Powers had worked in higher education for over a decade prior to coming to the Office of Academic Programs in 2021. Before that, she worked in environmental education on the east coast, west coast, and in Central America (through the Peace Corps). She is especially enthusiastic about supporting first-generation college students, and enjoys her current role at Purdue where she can collaborate with students to ensure their success throughout their time here. One piece of advice she gives students is don’t be afraid to ask for help—there are a lot of people here to support you!

Lela Mixon joined the College of Agriculture in 2021 after serving as the Associate Director for Exploratory Studies at Purdue for four years. In her current role, she collaborates with department coordinators in the college and university colleagues to plan career fairs and lead scholarship awards. Lela has served in various leadership roles in advising and career services during her career. In every role, she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to empowering students through service and education. Lela earned both her M.A. and B.S. from Ball State University. 

Education: B.S. University of Wisconsin-River Falls; M.S.Ed. University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse

Elizabeth works with undergraduate students in achieving their professional and personal dreams by participating in programs revolving around academic excellence, leadership, issues engagement, and undergraduate research. Additionally, she coordinates the Dean’s Scholars program for the College. Elizabeth serves as the Dairy Club advisor and co-advisor of the Ag Council. She encourages students to try something new and to not be scared to fail. Sometimes the biggest growth happens when you don’t succeed at first.

When Elizabeth isn’t at work you can find her hanging out with her Brown Swiss dairy cows or two cats. She loves to travel to new places, run, play board games, eat queso, and chill around a bonfire. 

Victoria is a second-year master’s student in Agricultural Economics at Purdue and holds an assistantship in the Office of Academic Programs where she works as a Teaching Assistant and conducts research on undergraduate students' extracurricular activities. She received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Virginia Tech in 2021. She was graduated Suma Cum Laude and was recognized as the Outstanding Senior due, in part, to her work as a Teaching Assistant in Microeconomics, Sustainable Development Economics, and Agricultural Finance. Her graduate research focuses on sales theory revolving relational contracts between producers and their supplier. In her spare time, Victoria serves on the GSO as a social chair for Ag Econ and enjoys riding her horse “New Guy”.

Scott Haan has served as Senior Administrative Assistant for Recruitment and Outreach in the Office of Academic Programs since 2018. He works with departments and the Ag Ambassador team to arrange campus visits for prospective students who are interested in the College of Ag, as well as assisting with other recruitment events and efforts throughout the year. He and his wife both graduated from Purdue as undergrads and are now Purdue employees. Scott’s hobbies include theatre, playwriting (he is the author of 30+ published plays), comics and movies (especially Marvel), and spending time with his wife and children. 

Andrea began at Purdue University in 2019, and soon joined the College of Agriculture in 2021 as the Assistant Director for Undergraduate Recruitment. In her current role, Andrea assists and collaborates with college leadership and departments in developing and implementing student recruitment communication, events and programs. She enjoys serving prospective students and their families through the academic major and college decision-making process. In her free time, you’ll find her trying a new recipe, coaching basketball, or spending time with her husband, family and friends on the Ohio River.

Andrea earned a B.S. in management and M.Ed. in teaching and learning at Indiana State University.

Rusty Nelson has been in his current position since 2017, specializing in serving students who transfer (or are planning to transfer) to Purdue Agriculture from other colleges/universities. In his current position, he coordinates the Pathway to Purdue Agriculture Program, helps with transfer credit evaluation questions, supports incoming transfer students with the transition to Purdue, and is an advocate for all transfer students in the College of Agriculture. He is originally from Lafayette, is a Purdue graduate (B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in Education), has 3 children, and his wife is an elementary school teacher. He enjoys exercising outdoors, watching Purdue sports, and spending time with family.

Anna Williams is passionate about connecting youth to the world of opportunities available through Purdue’s College of Agriculture. In her position as the Early Outreach Initiatives Coordinator, she coordinates experiences for youth on campus and across the state. Some examples of her work include coordinating the Pre-College Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute, World Food Prize Purdue Youth Institute, teaching at community centers, and connecting various students and groups to our agriculture departments for custom experiences. Anna is an alumnus of Purdue University where she graduated with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics and then earned her MBA through Indiana Wesleyan University. She spent ten years working for Purdue Extension as a 4-H Extension Educator before transitioning to her current position.