Sep 3, 2025Former USDA research deputy administrator joins NDSU
A former deputy administrator for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland, has joined North Dakota State University.
Marlen Eve will serve as assistant director for field operations with the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Eve will supervise the Research Extension Center (REC) directors, foster research opportunities between NDSU’s main station and the REC network, manage equipment lease programs and serve as a liaison to federal partners in the state.
“Dr. Eve brings a wealth of experience in key leadership roles in the USDA Agricultural Research Service,” Greg Lardy, Joe and Norma Peltier Vice President for Agriculture at NDSU, told the Northland Potato Growers Association. “His expertise will undoubtedly support the mission of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Research Extension Center network.”
Eve, a Montana native, holds a bachelor’s degree in soils from Montana State University, along with a master’s in applied geography and a Ph.D. in range science, ecology and earth science from North Mexico State University.
A USDA reorganization plan announced in July would close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and shift more than half of the agency’s Washington, D.C. staff to five hubs around the country.
A public comment period on the plan closed Aug. 26.
