Dr. Jay Harmon is the Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension and Associate Dean for Extension Programs and Outreach in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In this role, he oversees agricultural and natural resource Extension programs conducted throughout the state of Iowa. This includes 10 Plan of Work teams, approximately 43 field specialists, 43 faculty and 60 staff. He has been in this role since April, 2017.
He is also a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and served as an extension livestock housing specialist. In his role he conducted extension programs and did research on ventilation, air quality, facility design and other areas related mostly to the swine industry. He taught wood structures, capstone design and animal facilities courses at various times in his career.
Dr. Harmon, who is originally from Indiana, holds degrees from Purdue, Minnesota and Virginia Tech. He is a licensed professional engineer. He is also a member of the Rural Builders Hall of Fame and a Fellow in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. He has held a position at Iowa State University since 1993 and worked at Clemson University from 1989-1993.