Bernie Engel, Purdue University’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, has appointed new leaders for the departments of Agricultural Economics and Forestry and Natural Resources.
“I am pleased to announce that Dr. Nicole Widmar has accepted my offer to become department head of Agricultural Economics immediately, and Dr. Tomas Höök my offer to become head of Forestry and Natural Resources effective in July,” Engel said. “Both leaders bring exceptional leadership skills and experience to their positions, and they will be key members of our college’s leadership team.”
A native of New York state, Widmar has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cornell University and a PhD in agricultural economics from Michigan State University. In her decade and a half at Purdue, she’s served in many leadership positions and won many awards, including the Richard L. Kohls Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award and the Purdue University Faculty Engagement Scholar Award. Her research focuses on farm business management, production economics and decision-making under risk.
“The land-grant mission, including an emphasis on making research-based knowledge accessible for the benefit of the public, is what I love about working at Purdue,” she said.
Widmar says she’s proud of the “uniquely entrepreneurial” nature of the agricultural economics department and the way its research directly impacts stakeholders. Research within the department incorporates various areas, including agribusiness, international trade and sustainability.
“We align around the notion that each of us is fundamentally looking at the allocation of scarce resources to improve the human condition through some means,” she said.
Widmar, who has been at Purdue since 2010, is excited to continue her work in the department. She looks forward to supporting faculty development, guiding students and helping shape the strategic development of the department.
“I want to foster an environment where people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” she said.
During his years at Purdue, Great Lakes expert Höök has secured nearly $50 million in research funding, mentored numerous researchers and published over 145 peer-reviewed articles. Since 2018, he has also served as director of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, which aims to serve the ecosystems, communities and economies of the southern Lake Michigan region through education, outreach, applied research and competitive funding.
“Forestry and Natural Resources has been my home since 2008, and I really value our department’s legacy,” Höök said. “At the same time, I am energized about how our collective programs can effectively transition and grow to address the ever-changing natural resources and conservation challenges of the future.”
Höök’s research focuses on the fish and fisheries ecology of the Great Lakes. The lakes are a long way from where he was born — Sweden — and where he grew up — Alabama — but he’s been passionate about “the greatest freshwater system in the world” since he was an undergraduate studying biology at the University of Michigan, the same place he earned his PhD in natural resources. In his 17 years at Purdue, he’s led a variety of community-facing activities relating to the Great Lakes.
“Purdue is obviously a leading research university characterized by foundational discoveries, but it is also a quintessential land-grant (and sea-grant) institution with a focus on getting things done,” he said. “I really appreciate Purdue and the College of Agriculture’s collective culture. People are generally approachable and willing to work collectively to accomplish positive things.”
This is an important moment for the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Höök says, but he is ready for the challenge.
“The ways we study, teach and communicate about natural resources are all rapidly changing, and I look forward to seeing how we can continue to innovate across these areas,” he said.
Written by Emily Matchar, Purdue Agricultural Communications
