Andrew J. Thulin began his role as dean of Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) in June 2014, after serving as interim dean for the prior year. Under his leadership, the college developed a multiyear strategic plan and raised more than $194 million to support student, staff and faculty success. He spearheaded the development and construction of major new facilities to support applied faculty and undergraduate research opportunities. Prior to his current role, he concurrently directed strategic initiatives for the university and served as head of CAFES’s animal science department. Under his 15-year leadership, the animal science department implemented a new strategic vision that led to a significant expansion of faculty, staff and facilities, including the construction of a new beef center, animal nutrition center and meat processing center, among others. Before joining Cal Poly in 1998, Andy managed technology deployment at Cargill Inc., the nation’s largest private company. His responsibilities included spearheading new international business ventures and deploying new technologies to bring greater efficiencies and increased profitability to the company. Prior to joining Cargill Inc., he was a professor at Michigan State University, where he held a three-way appointment in Extension, teaching and research. Andy graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and completed his master’s and doctorate degrees at Kansas State University.