March 16, 2021
Onstad Becomes K-State Research and Extension’s New Associate Director for Field Operations
Chris Onstad has been named the new associate director for field operations for K-State Research and Extension. Onstad steps into the role following the retirement of Jim Lindquist, who served the state’s extension system for nearly 47 years.
Onstad knows the state of Kansas well thanks to several years of service in K-State Research and Extension. Since the beginning of 2007, Onstad has served in various regional and area administrative roles. He was the extension director for the Northwest Area from 2007-2014, added responsibility for the Southwest Area from 2014-2016, then transferred to lead the Northeast Area from 2016-2018.
For the last two years, he has been the extension director for the Northeast and Northwest regions and, with a recent reconfiguration, the new Eastern region. In all these roles, he provided administrative leadership for programs, personnel and budgeting while working with local governing boards and county commissions to ensure the development, delivery and evaluation of high-quality, relevant and impactful extension education programs.
Prior to joining K-State Research and Extension, Onstad was a regional/district extension director in the South Dakota State University extension system from 2001-2006. He began his career as an agriculture and natural resources agent from 1995-2001 in the Montana State University extension system.
“I've enjoyed my nearly 15 years with K-State Research and Extension and am looking forward to continued interaction with colleagues across the state,” Onstad said. “We have so many great extension professionals that do exceptional work. It’s an honor to be part of the K-State Research and Extension organization.”
The associate director for field operations is responsible for the development and implementation of system-wide, local-unit administrative policies, development activities for districts, local-unit directors and boards, providing leadership to the system’s team of regional directors, and, in conjunction with the associate director for extension programs, providing input to the director for extension regarding system-wide extension issues and initiatives.
Gregg Hadley, director for K-State Research and Extension, said, “Dr. Onstad has an excellent track record of providing leadership throughout our extension system, decades of experience as a dedicated extension professional, and he’ll be an excellent associate director for field operations.”
Onstad earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from South Dakota State in 1987, and a master’s and doctorate in plant pathology from North Dakota State in 1991 and 1995, respectively.
He and his wife, Lori, live in Manhattan. They have four adult children: Two are married with families living in Lincoln, Nebraska, and two graduated from K-State in 2020.