June 1, 2020…Ames, Iowa: In a recent election at the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Dr. Anna Dilger—Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois—was chosen as the President-Elect for 2020-2021.

Dilger has been active on the CAST Board of Representatives since 2014, representing the American Meat Science Association (AMSA), and she was elected to the CAST Board of Directors as the society liaison in 2019. She currently serves as the vice-chair of the Food Work Group and was recently the task force liaison for the commentary “Food Produced from Cultured Animal Tissues.”

In addition to CAST, Dilger is a member of the American Society of Animal Science and the AMSA. Since 2010, Dilger has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles and generated nearly $5 million in research funding. However, she considers her greatest accomplishment the success of the students she has mentored in her lab—11 MS and 5 PhD students to date. Dilger is an accomplished teacher as evidenced by both the popularity of the courses she teaches and her high ratings from student reviews. She teaches courses in growth and development and meat science, as well as an introductory course in contemporary animal issues. Dilger is also an instructor in the annual College of ACES Teaching and Learning Academy for new faculty members. She has been recognized for her teaching accomplishments by the College of ACES, the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, and the Midwestern Section of the American Society of Animal Science.

Dilger has a passion for communicating with people about the great things that are happening in agriculture. Her involvement with CAST is one way that she is able to fulfill that passion. Dilger says she was “fortunate to join CAST during the strategic planning process and I’m impressed by our accomplishments.” She plans to continue to use digital platforms to connect more people with the work of CAST and to pursue new funding opportunities to support CAST’s mission. “Creating strategic partnerships with other groups is another way to leverage resources. This is in CAST’s nature, as at the heart of CAST is collaboration—between the boards, with our member societies, and with other partner organizations. I plan to continue and strengthen that collaborative environment to further elevate and publicize the work of CAST.”

At the conclusion of CAST’s fall board meeting in October, Dilger will officially assume her responsibilities as President-Elect. In 2021-2022, she will become the 49^th president of CAST, a singular honor and responsibility dating back to 1972, when Dr. Charles A. Black, Dr. Norman Borlaug, and other committed scientists spearheaded the movement to “bring science-based information to policymaking and the public.”